The Semi Finals...

Chapter 47 - The Semi Finals...

At the Indigo Plateau Hotel, about an hour after most of the group had left to go to the mall, the parents had gathered in the living room. They were waiting for Sabrina's parents to show up and were passing the time by drinking some tea and discussing some things. Johanna placed her tea cup down after taking a sip. "So it looks like Natasha is doing better."

Her words were met with nods. "That's true. And I must say she is gorgeous. I never would have guessed that when Ash first brought her here," admitted Grace.

"Jealous are we?" teased Delia and they chuckled while Grace sighed.

"Hey, don't be trying to hide that you're feeling a little jealous too!" shot Caroline and Delia blushed slightly.

Norman shook his head. "Females," he muttered under his breath.

"What was that?!" snapped Caroline, Johanna, Grace and Delia together.

"Nothing!" answered Norman but they still glared at him. "Ah, I'm gonna go to the balcony for a bit." Norman quickly left the area to put some distance between him and the women so they don't become angrier at him.

Caroline crossed her arms and glared at her husband's back as he left. "Hmph. No fun for him for a month." The other three mothers burst out laughing at her remark. "What?" she asked.

"You and we both know you won't stick with that punishment," retorted Delia, making Caroline go crimson.

"Shut up!"

"Oh, we hit a nerve!" remarked Grace.

"Now we know where May gets her fiery side from!" commented Johanna.

Caroline moved her gaze away from the other mothers. "Haters," she replied back and the other three laughed even harder. It took them a couple minutes to slowly stop.

"So what are we going to do when Sabrina's parents arrive?" asked Johanna after they quieted down.

Delia sighed. "No real plan. We'll just try to discuss and explain things properly and calmly." Grace, Johanna and Caroline agreed with that. Before they could say something themselves, their suite door was knocked on. "That must be them." Delia got up and went to the door as Caroline went to get Norman from the balcony. Ash's mother opened the door and saw Sabrina's parents. "Hello, I'm Delia Ketchum. It's a pleasure to meet you. Please, come in," she greeted them and gestured for them to come in.

David responded with a curt nod as a thought went through his head; so this is Satoshi's wife? Kate gave a smile. "Thank you Delia," said Kate and the two walked into the suite and moved into the living room as they followed after Delia. When they saw the other parents there, David and Kate introduced themselves and received introductions in return. After getting acquainted with one another, the parents sat down on the couches. Johanna handed their guests cups of tea. "Thank you," replied Kate and Johanna said that it was no problem. "Have to say, nice suite. Must be fun being here. Am I right?"

Some chuckles were made by her hosts. "Yes, it is nice. And we have had our fair share of fun here," said Caroline with a smile.

"So how was your trip here?" asked Delia.

"Not bad at all. David teleported us here," revealed Kate.

"Oh. So Sabrina inherited her powers from you then," commented Grace.

"That's right," confirmed David with a nod and a hint of pride. "So, since our daughter was mentioned, let's get to the reason as to why we're here."

They nodded in understanding and waited for him to speak but instead his wife spoke up. "We're here because our daughter Sabrina is in love with your son…" At this point, both David and Kate locked eyes with Delia. "…Ash. And your son states that he loves her back. But he also said that he loves your daughters…" They now looked at Johanna, Grace, Caroline and Norman. "…who I believe are Dawn, Serena and May along with a few other girls. Are we correct?" she asked them. They replied back that she was so far. "Alright. Now, I want to know just how are things working out? Why do you support it? Aren't you worried? What has he promised or said to make you feel comfortable with all this?" Kate finished asking their questions and the parents were quiet for a second.

Grace was the first to answer them. "You know, I asked myself these same questions and a few others when I first found out about all this. It was shocking at first but after speaking with my Serena, with the other girls, with Ash and seeing how they are with one another…it makes sense for them to be in this kind of special situation."

Sabrina's parents tilted their heads and asked her what she meant by that. Johanna answered this time. "What Grace means and what we have seen and believe is that they have this…bond between them. It just makes it work between them. The girls don't see each other as one of Ash's girlfriends. They see each other as sisters, family. They are loyal to one another, respect one another, communicate their thoughts and feelings to one another and treat each other like they are the missing piece of themselves."

David scratched the side of his head. "Okay. I guess that makes sense," he said. "But how is he able to keep them all happy? I wouldn't be surprised if there are problems, fights or feelings of being left out or not given enough attention among many other things."

"You have a point there," admitted Caroline and the other parents nodded their heads. "However, they have discussed with one another what they want, what they're looking for and along with what was said before, they have come up with rules to keep things fair. And it's working splendidly between them."

"Rules?" asked Kate and the parents nodded again. "Huh. Interesting. I guess that would make sense. What about…" The parents continued to discuss with one another about the special situation between their daughters, the other girls and the raven haired guardian for quite some time.

As their conversation went on, a young teenage couple was in one of the bedrooms. "Yea, we won!" shouted Bonnie triumphantly before she and Max high fived one another. They had just beaten Call of the Trainer on the hardest difficulty level together. "No one can beat us when it comes to video games!"

Max smiled at her enthusiasm. "You got that right Bonnie!" The young blonde girl smiled at him but also blushed slightly from his gaze on her. "So we beat this. What should we do now?" he asked her.

Bonnie thought for a moment. "Hmm, how about you think of something and I'll go get some snacks for us in the mean time." She stood up to go but then felt her hand grasped by his, making her glance back at him. Her blushing became more pronounced.

"I'll go get the snacks this time and you come up with something for us to do okay?" asked Max. Before she could reply back, Max got up and left the room, leaving her alone.

Bonnie sat back down on the floor and leaned against the bed with the TV in front of her. "What should we do?" she asked out loud. She crawled towards the TV stand and looked at the games and movies stacked there. She looked at a few but none caught her interest. She then pulled out a movie and saw that it was titled 'Armageddon'. Her heart beat increased after reading the title and hearing Ash's words in her head all of a sudden; the world was covered in darkness, drenched with evil. All were lost in it. Bonnie shivered from remembering that. She set the movie down on the stand and sat on her legs. She thought about all that Ash had done while he was gone for three years. The sacrifices he made and the horrible things he had to deal with not only during his intense training, but throughout his life as well.

Bonnie took in a sharp breath at that. Her and Max's idol had gone through so much. She understood serious things when she was younger too but now? It just hit her how precious their time was. That any moment could be their last. And for all she knew, the two years before the darkness emerged could be all that they had left. She believed in Ash of course. Heck, the Alpha Pokémon, Arceus, believes in him and even if he didn't, she, Max and their friends and family would no matter what. But she was still worried. Worried for Ash, her family, her friends and worried for…Max.

Bonnie's heart thumped strongly as she thought about Max. She imagined him in her mind and she felt herself fill up with emotion suddenly and that surprised her. Is…is this…what love is? I mean, I do like him. I do feel something when we're together. And when we touch… She felt her heart skip a beat when she remembered their first kiss at the arcade. Sure it wasn't the most romantic one in the world. But it was theirs. And she thought of when he encouraged her during their training. How he prevented her from feeling down about herself. How he was there to comfort her when she was scared yesterday. I think…I think my feelings for him are real. I want…

Bonnie's thoughts were cut off when the door opened and Max walked back in with some chips and soda. He sat on the ground and leaned against the bed. "Sabrina's parents are here. They look like they're really into their talk," he said while setting the food and drinks onto the floor next to him. Bonnie merely nodded back. "So did you decide what we're doing next?" he asked her. He grabbed a chips bag and was about to open it when the blonde teenager moved to be beside him and stopped him. He looked up at her with a confused expression. "You don't want this?" he asked her.

Bonnie shook her head. "It's not that. I…I want to ask you something. But…before I do…do you promise to tell me the truth?" she asked him quietly.

Max felt his heart start to beat rapidly. He was worried as to where she was going with this. He set the bag of chips back onto the floor and sat up some more against the bed. He looked into her eyes and she did the same to him. "I promise."

She was quiet for a moment. "Do you remember our…kiss?" she asked him. Both of them turned red at that. Max answered by nodding his head. "And…did you…like it?" He nodded again. "Do…do you…like me?" The two had their faces turn dark red. Max slowly nodded his head once more. "Last question; do you…want me to be…your…girlfriend?" she asked him.

Max's eyes widened at that. He couldn't believe what Bonnie was asking but her last question made him completely surprised. He wasn't expecting anything like this. He snapped out of his stupefied trance and composed himself. "Bonnie...let me tell you this; we have so much in common and I'm happy whenever we're together. I do like you. A lot." The young teenage girl smiled at his words. "And though I would like you to be my girlfriend, I don't know how to be in a relationship. And aren't you…we…a little young…to be in a…relationship?" he asked her.

She understood what he was saying. Sure they were barely teenagers. But they were mature for their age. And they did like one another. "Max…it might be a little soon for us to think about or pursue something like this," started Bonnie and he nodded in agreement. "But, I think we can handle it. And it's not like we have to change what we do right? We can be together. That is…if that's what you want." She hung her head, too embarrassed to keep looking at him.

Max felt so happy over her words and he gained courage from that. "Hey…" Bonnie slowly raised her gaze to his. "Do you like me?" he asked her. She nodded. "Did you enjoy our kiss?" She turned crimson before she nodded again. "Do you want me to be your…boyfriend?" he asked her. A moment later, she nodded once more and he had a large smile form on his face. "Then in that case, let's make things official." Max stood up and extended his hand to hers and assisted Bonnie in standing up after. "Bonnie Citron, will you be my girlfriend?" he asked her.

She beamed at him. "I will. And will you be my boyfriend Max Maple?" she asked him.

"I will," he answered her with a smile.

The two looked into one another's eyes, feeling many good emotions spiraling around inside them. Without even thinking, the two slowly leaned in closer to one another. Before they knew it, Max and Bonnie had their lips meet one another's. It was a better but still simple kiss. It enflamed the two, making them keep going for a good minute before they finally stopped. Immediately afterwards they took up the other into an embrace and told one another that they were happy. When they separated, Bonnie set up the movie for them to watch and Max got their snacks ready to munch on.

While the new couple began watching a movie in their room, Clemont was in his room. He was working on his experiments like he said he would be doing. He was trying to fix his energy siphoning device that he used on Ash when he had a mental breakdown. He had figured out what the problem was but just couldn't isolate it. Every time he attempted to correct it, something else would go haywire. "Ah, come on damn it!" he said in frustration. He smacked his invention, letting out a yelp as a result while holding onto his hand. "Ow, ow, ow, ow, ow!" He was still very sore from training and he had his hand hit the dense metal part. The pain slowly went away and he sat down on a chair. "Man, what am I going to do?" He thought a bit about it before shaking his head and let out a sigh. "I need a break…"

Clemont glanced around the room. He thought about watching some TV but then decided against it. Maybe Bonnie and Max might want to do some practice battles. He got up and went to his backpack that was on the table. He picked it up and searched for his poke balls that were inside it. Rather than getting a poke ball though, his hand touched something else. "What the…" He took out the item and had a surprised expression form on his face. It was a picture frame of him, his sister, Ash, Serena and their other friends from Kalos. He instantly knew that his sister had put this in his backpack. "Bonnie, why would you…" He stopped talking when his eyes fell onto a particular person on the picture. She had brunette hair, tanned skin, green eyes and a cheerful look on her face.

Clemont smiled at seeing her in the photo. I wonder how Shauna is doing. The gym leader thought about her for a bit. He thought of their adventures throughout Kalos together and how they would hang out together with their other friends Tierno and Trevor. It's been a while since we talked. Maybe I should give her a call. He put the picture down, raised his Poketch, scrolled down his list of contacts and called her. It rang a few times before it was picked up. "Hey Shauna, how are you doing?" asked Clemont.

An excited voice was heard from the other line. "Clemont! Hey, it's good to hear from you!" answered Shauna. "How's everything? How's Ash? How's Bonnie? How's Serena?"

"Whoa, slow down!" chuckled Clemont. "Always on full speed aren't you?" he asked her.

"You betcha!" she replied back with a laugh.

He smiled at that. "Well, we're all doing well now. Things are getting better and the tournament is almost over. How are things back home?" he asked her.

"Well that's good to hear. Well, we've been…" Shauna began explaining what she and their other friends have been up to and how worried they were about Ash over his last few matches. Clemont understood that and told her that they shouldn't be worried since everything was alright. He then asked her if she was doing well. "That good to hear. Well, I'm having another super duper day here in wonderful Kalos!" giggled Shauna and he replied back saying he wasn't surprised. "That's right! You know me Clemo!"

Clemont groaned. "Please stop calling me Clemo," pleaded the gym leader.

Shauna quieted down after laughing a bit. "But I like it," she said. Unknown to each other since they couldn't see each other's faces, they both blushed slightly. "So, I gotta ask...why the sudden call? Missed me did ya?" asked the brunette curiously and teasingly.

Clemont had his heart skip a beat at the sudden question and went redder. "Ah, well…I-I just wanted t-to see how you're doing. You know, since w-we used to h-hang out a lot and it's been awhile," said the gym leader truthfully.

A smile formed on the girl on the other end of the line. "That's sweet of you." He felt happy hearing that from her. "Well, I hope you don't forget to…"

"SHAUNA!"

"Who was that?" asked Clemont while trying to ignore the ringing in his ear now because of the sudden shout that cut her off. He heard Shauna tell the other voice to hold on for a moment because she's talking to Clemont. He heard someone speaking again but couldn't make out the words.

He wondered who the voice belonged to when Shauna began talking again to him. "Sorry Clemo. It was Tierno. He says hello."

"Oh okay," he replied back. "Thanks and tell him I saw hello too. Is everything alright though?" he asked her.

"I will and yea everything is fine. He's just getting anxious cause we're gonna go see a movie together and he wants to see the previews," informed Shauna.

Clemont chuckled in response. "Yea, that sounds like Tierno. Say hello to the others too for me when you see them there."

"What do you mean?" asked Shauna, confused at first before she got it. "Oh, Trevor and Miette won't be there."

Now Clemont was confused. Usually they would hang out in a group that consisted of him, his sister Bonnie and their friends Shauna, Miette, Trevor and Tierno after Ash left and Serena became busy with her showcases. "I assumed that since Bonnie and I aren't there, that you four would hang out together now."

"OH!" Now she understood. "I see what you mean now. Sorry, I should've mentioned that Trevor and I are going out alone."

Clemont heard his own heartbeat in his ears now. "You mean…like a…date?" he asked her.

He couldn't tell but Shauna went redder on the other end of the line. "Well, I guess you can call it that," answered Shauna embarrassingly. It became quiet for a moment. Unable to bear the silence anymore, she spoke. "Why do you ask? Is…there something…wrong with that?" she asked him.

"No no, just…surprised. That's all," replied Clemont while feeling horrible for some reason at what he found out.

"Oh okay." It became quiet again as the two stayed on the phone. Both were wondering what to say and the silence started becoming a little awkward. "Well, I guess I should go. You know how impatient he gets," joked Shauna.

Clemont forced himself to chuckle. "Yea, I do. Have fun Shauna. It was good talking to you again."

"Same here Clemo. I hope to hear from you again soon," she said.

The two said their byes together before both of them hung up. Clemont sunk into a chair and started wondering why he felt so terrible now. Why did I start feeling that way... when I found out she's going out with Tierno? Shouldn't I be…happy for them? He glanced over at the picture he placed on the dresser. He got up, picked it up and looked at it again. The moment he saw Shauna's image on it, his mouth formed into a smile. His eyes then roamed over the photo and landed onto Tierno. Anger spiked in him suddenly with his smile vanishing at once. That both surprised him and scared him. He placed the photo face down onto the dresser and took a step away from it. Why did I feel that way? Am I…jealous? He's my friend but why am I so…angry with him? He started shaking a little, his emotions getting the better of him. He took in several deep breaths to calm himself down. It's probably nothing. I'm just wired up from everything that's happened so far. Yea, that's it. He walked over to where his invention was and started working on it again. But every now and then, his mind would wonder towards the cheerful brunette. And each time he would force his mind to focus back onto his task.

As the day went on, while the three younger adults were in their rooms, the parents came to an understanding. And soon afterwards, Ash and company reappeared in the penthouse suite balcony. Their sudden appearance caught the attention of their parents. They got up and went to the newly arrived group. As they drew nearer, they heard several conversations going on at once. Liza, Sabrina and Cynthia were trying to comfort Clair. Violet, Lily and Misty were speaking with Daisy and asking if she was alright. Iris and Cilan were arguing and the others were just trying to fully understand what had happened and calm things down. Natasha was feeling overwhelmed at all the heated conversations going around her and she stayed near Ash and May.

Unable to distinguish what was going on, Norman and David let out loud whistles that drew their attention and Delia spoke afterwards. "What's going on here?" she asked them. Everyone in the group turned their gazes onto the parents as they went silent immediately. Then they glanced at one another but said nothing. "Really?!" The parents glared at the group and Delia faced her son. "Ash Ketchum! What happened?!" asked Delia.

All eyes went to Ash and he sweat dropped. Even Natasha felt a little scared for him at the way his mother and the other parents were looking at him. The raven haired guardian thought quickly before answering. "Let's just say that Drax is not someone we want around us and I have a huge battle to get ready for," he replied back.

"Got that right," huffed Daisy as she crossed her arms while others nodded in agreement.

The ones who stayed at the hotel didn't know what they were talking about and asked them what had happened. Taking control, Liza explained what Drax had done, while leaving some things out such as what happened between him and Clair in the past. Getting the message, the parents understood now. "Okay, well let's head inside, have a drink and just calm down," advised Johanna.

Most everyone agreed to that except for one. "You guys go on ahead," started Ash before facing the Blackthorn gym leader. "But Clair and I need to talk." He gestured to the railings and she nodded. The group allowed the two some privacy. Most went inside with Natasha sticking with May and Delia at first before heading to her own room so she could think about how she could confess to Ash. But Sabrina, Cynthia and Liza remained behind and Ash knew why. "I know you're here to support her and that's great. But I need to talk to her alone for a moment please." The three glanced at Clair who said she'll be alright and they went inside as well.

When Ash and Clair where left alone at the railings, he turned to face her. "What happened between you and Drax? You confronted a drunk and maddened Aura Guardian without fear but you broke down because of him. Why?" he asked her. He wanted to know and now was the time.

Clair sighed before looking towards the horizon. She spoke with her sight away from him. "You're going to think I'm a pathetic and idiot girl," she said quietly.

Ash took a step towards her and placed a hand on her shoulder that made her turn her gaze onto his. He locked his eyes with her and her heart skipped a beat. "I will never think that Clair. Stubborn and foolishly bold? Yeah. But never what you just said."

She felt powerful feelings rise within her but controlled them. Though Ash sensed that, he didn't comment on it. She stayed silent for a moment before looking at the horizon again. "He used me," she revealed all of a sudden. Ash lowered his hand and took another step closer to her. Clair continued speaking while Ash stood at her side. "He came to my gym almost two years ago right when a tournament was about to start for only up and coming dragon trainers. I was also going to participate in it since only Elite Four members and Champions were not allowed. He showed up before it started and asked for my assistance to learn more about dragons. I decided to help him because I was honor bound as a gym leader to help those who ask for it and…because he was respectful, charming and handsome." She turned red, embarrassed over what she just admitted but Ash said nothing. He only nodded to show he was following so far and Clair noticed it. She took a breather before continuing. "I taught him almost everything I knew and we had many practice battles. He was really good right off the bat but after taking my advice and teachings to heart, he quickly became even better. As a result of our many hours together practicing, soon enough we became close. We even went out a few times but kept it secret. Only Liza, Sabrina and Cynthia knew about it. I didn't want anyone else to know about it cause it was all new to me, I didn't know how my family would react and he said he didn't mind." Clair stopped at this point. Her heart began beating rapidly since her mind was flashing images of what happened later on. Ash could sense her feelings going all over the place and she was doing her best to stay in control. "We had dinner at my place the night before the tournament started to celebrate our completed training. The night went on well enough…or so I thought. After finishing dinner and talking for a while, I…I…was feeling so happy and wanted to experience…more."

Ash didn't say anything about that but inside his stomach twisted into knots at hearing that and that startled him. What the hell? Why did I just feel that? He thought to himself but when she continued speaking, he pushed it aside and forced his attention back onto her.

"I excused myself to use the bathroom. I wanted to look my best for him. It was my first time ever dressing up or using make up. I hadn't done that for anyone before. On my way back, I heard him talking to someone on the phone quietly." Ash's eyes grew sullen, knowing where this was heading. "I stayed hidden and heard him say that he was going to leave me after the tournament. That he was only with me so he could get information on how to be a better dragon trainer. He then finished up by saying he has his goal of being the strongest dragon trainer in the world. That he didn't have time for a relationship especially…especially with someone like me. That he had someone else who was promised to him and would get with her instead no matter what." Ash had both rage and sadness fill him over what he just found out what this Drax did and was planning to do to her. Clair was starting to show signs that her emotions were taking over her. "I was…I was so devastated. But…I-I confronted him right there, telling him to get out and what he said wasn't what I was expecting at all; h-he didn't…d-deny it! He said that he was actually glad that I found out since…since he didn't need me anymore and…and thought I was dull, unimaginative and…and a needy slut…even though…we hadn't…done anything yet…" She couldn't hold it back anymore and started crying. Ash took her up into his arms and she cried into his chest with her hands placed against it as well. "H-he u-used me!" she cried. "I-I was s-so heartbroken that I-I didn't compete and didn't a-answer my friends' calls. I c-could've beaten him…but h-he had b-broken me…the first guy I opened up to and he completely used me! I-I couldn't Ash. I just couldn't face him because anything and everything about him just made me remember how gullible and desperate I was!" He started rubbing her back gently as he tried to comfort her, feeling horrible over what she went through because of that asshole. "I'm so stupid! I should've known he was using me!" she cried. "All the red flags that were there that I ignored! But he's right! How could anyone like me or love me? I act tough but the second fear fills me, or I have feelings for someone, I can't function. I can't do anything. I hid away from everyone and everything for over a month before even stepping out of my house. If-if it wasn't…f-for my best f-friends…I-I'd still be hiding away…I t-tried to m-move on…but I-I'm still a-a mess…" Clair couldn't talk anymore and just sobbed into his chest.

Ash felt so horrible over what she went through. He tightened his hug on her, wishing he could've prevented what had happened to her. "It's alright Clair," he said softly to her as she continued to cry. "You found out the truth about him before he could do anything else to you. Before he could use you more." He thought a bit about what to say to help comfort her. "And you confronted him. That took courage. You took him on again today and that was also brave. You stood up to your fear. You should be proud of yourself." Clair felt something stir inside her but it had nothing to do with her sadness or crying. "You are none of the things he said you are. You deserve to be respected, to be loved but not by just anyone. You deserve an incredible guy, one who would treat you the way you deserve to be treated. You are a beautiful and smart girl, a powerful trainer and a great friend," he told her in a calm and soothing tone of voice.

His words washed over the blunette and it helped her to gradually stop her sobbing. After several minutes, Clair slowly raised her head and looked at him with a teary gaze. "Do you…do you really mean that?" she asked quietly, looking into his brown eyes with her blue ones.

Ash let a smile form on his face. "Of course I do. You're one of kind Clair. You deserve the best. I know you'll find your prince charming," he told her at once.

Clair's heart beat increased and she felt powerful emotions fill her. She felt an almost overwhelming desire to just tell him right there how she feels about him that took all of her willpower to contain. "Thank you," she told him in a whisper a moment later before she hugged him tightly. I've already found him. You are my prince charming Ash.

Ash's eyes widened at her thoughts and his own heart began beating rapidly as he sensed her feelings skyrocket. Even though he had suspicions about her possibly liking him, he couldn't believe what he just found out. He felt something stirring inside him and he suddenly felt this incredible pull towards her. He was about to say something to her when she separated from him. She gave him a warm smile as she wiped away her tears. "Thank you for being here for me Ash." And with that, Clair leaned in and gave him a soft kiss on the cheek. She turned red as she did so before leaving Ash alone in the balcony and went back inside.

Ash watched her go with a stunned look on his face until she disappeared inside. He turned his gaze towards the horizon, lost in thought with his hand on his cheek. Did that just happen? Why did I feel that way? He thought about Clair more carefully. Her personality. Her attitude. The way she held herself. How she looked. What she revealed to him. How she tried to stop him from making a mistake after the club. How she was mad at him for not believing in her more during the first time they trained. How she tried to protect Sabrina in her own way. How he felt so bad when he found out that she was thinking about becoming intimate with Drax. He felt the stirring feeling inside him become stronger as he thought about her and it was the same thing that stirred when he had thoughts about his girlfriends. I can't believe it…I…I have feelings for Clair. And she has feelings for me. His mind brought up the other girls who he had suspicions about and the stirring feeling within him remained. Is this…is this what I'm feeling for the other girls too? What is this going to cause to happen? He checked his Poketch and saw he still had a good amount of time until his match with Drax. He stayed outside and looked over the horizon as he thought some more. After several minutes, his mind landed onto a particular blonde girl that made him send out a mental message. Misty? Can you hear me?

A startled tone of voice was heard in his head. Ash?! Where are you?!

So you can still hear me. Cool. I'm in the balcony. Where are you?

Wow! You're getting better! And I'm in my sisters' room.

He smiled to himself. Thanks Mist. Is Daisy with you?

She is. Why?

I wanted to check in on her since she battled with Drax too. How's she doing?

Misty's voice in his head was now covered in a sullen tone. She's a little shaken up still. She told me, Vi and Lil how she was never beaten so brutally before. And before the battle, she ran into him earlier on in the mall and he was a complete jackass to her. How could someone be so cruel like that?

Ash felt anger rise in him but kept himself from showing it via his mental communication. I don't know Mist. There are so many rotten people out there. I hope she feels better soon.

Unfortunately. And she will Ash. Especially when you show that asshole what a real trainer is like.

I promise Mist that I'll show him how wrong he is.

That's my Pokémon Master. Ash couldn't help but smile again. I'm gonna focus on Daisy now okay?

Ash's smile faded away and his expression turned serious. Okay. Tell her from me that things will be alright.

Will do!

Their mental conversation ended and the raven haired guardian began thinking about everything that happened with Drax and what he learned about him. How he used Clair like an object. How he had said and did some things to Iris and Cilan to jeopardize their relationship. How he disrespected Daisy. The brutality of his battling methods. He felt his anger rise even higher and he gripped the metal railings hard, bending them. You will pay for this Drax. You will apologize for what you've done. Ash stayed out in the balcony a little longer, thinking about his upcoming battle and who he was going to use for in it.

When everyone went inside the suite while Ash and Clair talked, Iris and Cilan headed into their bedroom to speak in private while most of the others were in the living room. As soon as they entered the room, they began talking about what happened. Little by little, their conversation was becoming more and more heated and soon it turned into an argument. Cilan shook his head after Iris said something and said he doesn't want to hear excuses anymore. The purple haired girl however kept talking to her green haired boyfriend but he wasn't listening. "Please Cilan, he means nothing to me!" stated Iris after her last explanation.

"How can you say that Iris?!" shouted Cilan, outraged and feeling humiliated over what happened. His shouting caught Iris off guard and made her take a step back. "You became excited when you heard who Ash was facing him next! You let him kiss you! You two were even promised to one another and you never told me about that! You barely fought back! You looked like you were debating about what he said!" yelled Cilan, taking in some breaths afterwards.

Iris became angry at that. "You know I love dragons and admire dragon trainers! And you saw me get angry! You saw me shocked! How could you blame me for not taking action quicker because of that?!" she asked him.

"That's not the point Iris!" snapped back Cilan, deflecting her question. "You kept secrets from me!"

Iris took in a sharp breath but didn't back down. "I'm not the only one with secrets!" Cilan asked her what she meant with that. "You know exactly what I'm talking about! All those connoisseur conventions you go to every few months. What have you been doing there huh?!" she asked him.

Cilan shook from that before responding back. "You know that's one of my passions and I've never betrayed you!" he growled at her.

"Then why was Burgundy with you every time you went?!" she asked him with venom.

Cilan's heart thumped loudly. "First of all, of course she would be there. She is a connoisseur too. But that doesn't mean we did anything together while there Iris. I never spent much time with her. I'm not one to cheat and you should know that by now," he told her.

Iris however merely smiled weakly back at him, making him become confused. "I never said you cheated. You're lying to me Cilan." He was about to open his mouth when she silenced him with what she said next. "Did you forget about Georgia?"

Cilan's face lost color, going pale instantly. "G-Georgia?"

Seeing his reaction, Iris knew she had struck gold that he had forgotten about her being there too. "Yes Cilan, Georgia. Did you forget she and Burgundy are good friends? That she is one of my biggest rivals? That we keep in touch? Every time you went to one of those conventions, she was there too and you saw her. Remember?" Cilan began sweating bullets now. "She saw you and Burgundy having so much fun together and from what she said, it sounded like you were having the time of your lives," revealed Iris sadly.

Cilan looked like he was slapped. "I'm…I'm sorry for not telling you. But nothing happened between us Iris. I swear it," he told her.

Iris shook her head. "Then why lie to me Cilan? Why keep it a secret? Whenever I asked about how it went, what you did or who you saw, you never told me you spent time with her."

Cilan was feeling embarrassed and ashamed at being put on the spot like that but then anger sprang up within him. "What about you Iris?! You lied to me about Drax and how you two were promised to each other! That's worse!"

Iris gasped from his words and clapped her hands over her mouth. She was frozen for a few seconds before getting out of it. "How is that worse?! I didn't mention him because it was so long ago in my past and I forgot about it! It's not like I was constantly dealing with him while with you! Unlike you doing that to me with Burgundy!" she snapped at him.

Cilan shook with rage at that. "You expect me to believe that you just forgot about being promised to someone? Someone who you have great respect for? Someone who is everything that you're looking for? And what about everything else regarding how we got together Iris?!"

Iris's heart began beating faster. "What are you trying to say?" asked Iris quietly.

Cilan's angry demeanor did not soften. "Maybe this was supposed to happen! To show that we're not supposed to be together!" he shot at her.

Iris was shocked at what he said, becoming quiet for a moment until she snapped out of it. "Maybe you're right!" she replied back angrily.

"Fine!" barked Cilan.

"Fine!" snapped Iris back. She quickly exited the room and Cilan glared at the door closing behind her before he started pacing in the room while thinking about everything that just happened.

When Clair went inside, feeling much better, she went to her room and found Sabrina, Cynthia and Liza there. The three went to her at once. "Are you alright?" asked Sabrina.

Clair smiled and nodded her head, surprising her friends. "Yea. I'm good."

"Really?" asked Cynthia, tilting her head while Sabrina and Liza glanced at one another. "Because we thought that you would be feeling like shit right now after telling Ash what happened," remarked the blonde champion.

"Well, I was to be honest," started Clair slowly, making her friends give her gestures to hurry up and explain. That made her chuckle before continuing. "But man, Ash has a way with words. Never thought he would be so damn smooth," she admitted, turning red. Understanding dawned on her friends and the three girls shook their heads while laughing quietly. "And…I hope you don't get mad at me," said the blunette, making two of her friends look at her carefully now. "But I gave him a thank you kiss on the cheek for helping me."

Her friends were surprised at her action but Cynthia and Sabrina said it was fine. Clair thanked them for understanding. Seeing how unnaturally quiet Liza was being, she turned to her. "So where's your teasing and insulting comments? C'mon, I'm waiting," remarked the gym leader. Liza however just sat down on one of the beds and put her head in her hands. "Liza?"

Becoming concerned, the three girls gathered round the caretaker and sat down beside her. They waited for her to talk and a few minutes later, she did. "It's…it's about my caretaker duties and...and Drax." And with that, Liza started explaining everything to Sabrina and Cynthia about the test her ancestors made, what it entailed, the trainer who beat it to catch up the two before explaining to all three what she noticed about Drax. "It's him…he's the one who won the gauntlet! He's the one I'm promised to and have to get with to not sully my family name!" she finished up saying before starting to cry loudly.

Her friends were beyond stunned and were worried about her. But the three quickly snapped out of it and began comforting their close friend. "Don't worry," said Cynthia after a moment. "We'll figure something out."

Liza sighed but then Sabrina spoke up. "She's right. We won't let anyone force you. Not even the League."

"Told you we got your back," added Clair.

Liza looked up at her friends and saw them smiling at her. She sniffed before pulling the three into a hug. "Thanks you guys. What would I do without you?" she asked them rhetorically.

"Probably annoy someone else," remarked Clair at once.

"Bitch," whispered Liza, making the four of them laugh out loud.

Some time passed and an alarm sounded out in the balcony. The raven haired guardian dismissed it and went inside the suite and headed to his room. He woke up his starter, explained that they have an important battle to prepare for before the two headed out of his room. He saw that almost everyone was in the living room except for a handful. Ash told them to get ready to leave if they want to watch the match, to find the others and tell them the same as he went to the red head's room. "Hey, I have to go for my match. Do you want to stay or go with us?" he asked Natasha after stepping inside and seeing her sitting on her bed. She was lost in thought about when and how she should come clean to him and this was a perfect thing to distract her from it. And perhaps, it may allow her to figure out the way to do it. I'll come. I don't want to stay alone. She stepped out with him and the two entered the living room seeing everyone there now. Ash noticed Iris and Cilan having weird auras but when he glanced at them, they merely nodded at him. Deciding to worry about that after his match, he turned to face everyone. "I'm gonna go take care of something before getting to the stadium." He glanced at the red head again. "Would you mind staying with the girls?" She looked at him and shook her head before moving towards May, Leaf and Misty who welcomed her.

"What are you going to do?" asked Dawn.

"To prepare for my match," replied Ash before he and Pikachu disappeared.

The guardian and starter reappeared on New Island in front of his large group of pokemon. Immediately his pokémon went up to him, happy to see him. Pikachu jumped off of Ash's shoulder in time to avoid the sudden multiple tackles. Ash was pushed onto the ground and many of his smaller pokémon nuzzled him affectionately. Many of his pokémon, including Lucario, Gardevoir and Mewtwo smiled at the sight of him being smothered by them. "Yea, I'm glad to see you guys too!" His pokémon finally let him stand back up and he looked at them all. "How have you all been?" he asked them. He was answered with many roars and it looked like some were itching for a battle. He smiled at them. "Good to hear." His happy expression turned serious and seeing that change, his pokémon grew serious too. "It's the semi finals of the tournament. And we're facing someone who goes by Dragon Master Drax. He is strong. But he's also got a bad attitude. We will not hold back this battle." His pokémon nodded in understanding.

"I feel there is more you want to say," commented Mewtwo.

"I do. Its time to fully embrace who I am and we need to make a quick pit stop in Hoenn," replied Ash.

His pokémon and ally knew what he meant by that. Gardevoir moved towards him. "Ash, are you ready for that? And will you have enough time to do that before your match starts?" she asked him.

Ash faced her, checked the time and nodded. "Yes, and I believe so." He went inside his island home to change into some new clothes. When finished he stepped back outside and went towards his pokémon. They stood at attention and he looked at them trying to pick who will be battling. Finally he decided who would battle, told them to be ready and Ash then faced Mewtwo. "Would you be so kind buddy?" he asked the psychic feline. A second later, Ash, Mewtwo and Pikachu vanished.

The four of them reappeared in front of a large spiral tower. Ash raised his gaze and saw that the tower went so high up into the sky that the tip was covered in some low floating clouds. He looked at the entrance and saw it was boarded up. He quickly brought out a poke ball and his Pidgeot appeared. "You do know I can just teleport us up there right?" reminded Mewtwo.

"I know. But this is a test just like everything else," replied back Ash as he climbed onto Pidgeot and Pikachu tightened his hold onto his jacket. Ash faced his friend. "Were you testing me too?"

Mewtwo smirked. "Of course."

Ash shook his head. "Why am I not surprised? Pidgeot, to the top and as fast as you can go."

Pidgeot let out a chirp of happiness. She really loved flying fast. "Pid pidgot!" She opened her large and beautiful wings before shooting upwards with one flap of them. She quickly increased her speed and Mewtwo followed beside them. The psychic feline glanced at his friend and saw his expression completely serious and he could sense his anger boiling. Something must have really pissed him off. I pity the fool who did that.

It didn't take long but soon enough they reached the top of the tower and Ash felt the coldness from the clouds and felt his breathing becoming a little ragged. "Pidgeot, clear away the clouds." His falcon quickly got rid of the nearby clouds to reveal the top of the pillar and an altar. Pidgeot landed onto it and Ash jumped down as Mewtwo landed beside him. "Thank you," said Ash before returning the falcon. The raven haired guardian glanced at Pikachu and then at Mewtwo. Both of his friends gave him looks that clearly said they're with him.

Ash took a step forward towards the altar and immediately a voice was heard from behind him. "Who dares enter the sacred temple of the Lord of Dragons?"

The three whipped around and saw three people there dressed in black and white clothes with their faces masked. They were surprised that they couldn't sense them until now. "I, Aura Guardian Ash Ketchum, have come to challenge the Lord of Dragons to seek his reward," stated Ash.

The three took a step forward and each took out a poke ball from beneath their cloaks. "So be it. If you can beat the three of us at once, you will have proved yourself worthy to face the Lord of Dragons. If you succeed in completing his challenge, he will grant you the reward you seek. Are you ready challenger?" said the middle person.

Ash and Pikachu glanced at one another before facing the three once more. "We are," he said before Pikachu jumped onto the floor with its cheeks sparking. The three altar protectors were astonished at the challenger's choice of pokémon but nonetheless, they tossed out poke balls right after. An incredible battle ensued with their three pokémon against Pikachu.

Near the Indigo stadium, inside a cave at the base of a mountain, a tall man with silver hair was digging through his duffel bag while his large dragon was resting beside him. Drax took out three stones from inside it before placing them on the ground. He dug through the bag once more and pulled out the other item he was searching for. He looked at it for a second before facing Salamence. "This one has been causing us trouble but will be helpful in the upcoming match. The guardian is stronger than anticipated. He blocked your attack like it was nothing. We will show that I am in charge," stated Drax and the blue dragon nodded its head. Drax placed the ultra ball he took out on the ground and then unclipped the other poke balls around his waist before he tossed them. His five other dragon pokémon appeared with loud roars before standing attention and faced their trainer. He checked his Poketch and saw he still had about an hour before his match started. "That's more than enough time. We have some business to attend to before our next match." His pokémon made no sound except for slight growling when he picked up the ultra ball.

Drax opened the ultra ball and the pokémon appeared with a loud cry of its name. Instantly it went on guard while looking for a way to escape. It saw that the only exit was blocked by the silver haired man and his pokémon. Realizing it was trapped, it snarled loudly at Drax. "Silence!" shot the dragon trainer but it would not heed his command. "If you will not heed my commands willingly, you will be forced to! Do not anger me!" The pokémon instead shot a Dragon Pulse at the trainer but it was blocked by one of his dragons. "So be it," stated Drax coldly. His six dragons advanced onto the lone pokémon and attacked it without mercy. The lone pokémon did its best to evade and counter, managing to hurt them back with its own attacks but its opponents were too strong, too skilled and working together. It was soon overwhelmed by their attacks and dropped onto the cave ground while wheezing for breath. Drax's pokémon backed away a few steps but kept their gaze on the defiant pokémon.

Drax walked forward and when he reached the weakened pokémon on the ground, placed his boot on the base of its neck. The pokémon whimpered from it but the Dragon Master didn't care. "You have power but you are no match for me. You will obey or you will be beaten every time you challenge me." The pokémon glared at him but it didn't affect him. "Defiant to the end. A true dragon. But you are forgetting that dragons are honor bound to submit to the one who captures them." The pokémon's glare faded away and it looked away, sadness filling it from the truth. "That's what I thought. You will obey me. Or you will bring dishonor on your kind." Drax went silent for a moment to let that sink into the pokémon's head. "Now I have an important match coming up. I only had to use one or two pokémon so far in the tournament. But my next opponent is strong. Though I will beat him, I'm not taking any chances with him. You will aid me in defeating him or I will make sure that the rest of your days are filled with agony for failing me. Understand?!" The pokémon glanced at Drax again for a moment before looking away. Realizing it had no choice, it closed its eyes and slowly nodded. "Good." Drax took his foot off its neck and went towards his duffel bag again while his other pokémon kept watch on the hurt one. The Dragon Master took out several restorative potions from his bag. He went back to his pokémon and applied the potions onto his dragons, leaving the defiant one to the end. After doing that, he gave three of his pokémon the stones before returning them all except for two. He looked at one of them. "You will sit this battle out." His pokémon nodded and was returned. Drax then locked eyes with his Salamence. "Time to go." Salamence lowered itself so Drax can climb onto its back and the blue dragon flew out of the cave before rising into the air. The silver haired Dragon Master had a large grin appear on his face. You have no chance Guardian.

In a large castle that stood in the middle of the Kingdom of Rota, the young blonde Queen was in her room lying on her bed. Ilene was staring up at the ceiling, exhausted. She had been extremely busy since her return yesterday in the evening. The moment she came back home, she was bombarded with important tasks and updates from her advisors that had come up during her absence. She stayed up late into the night and only had a few hours of sleep before being awakened early in the morning that day. But thanks to her trusted advisors, Riley's suggestions and her own quick thinking and decision making, she finally finished all that needed to be done for the moment to keep her kingdom running smoothly. She shook her head suddenly. That's the last and only time I take a couple weeks off for a vacation without setting things in place for unseen problems while I'm gone, thought Ilene.

She took in a long breath and exhaled. There was a good aspect about her being so busy though. It allowed her to not think about what had happened the day before. And right now, she was too tired out to even think. Ilene was about to close her eyes to sleep a bit when her door was knocked on. Letting out a disgruntled groan, she ignored it and turned to her side. The knocking continued. "Ugh, what is it?" she called out with an annoyed tone of voice.

"My Queen, I only wanted to remind you that the next match is about to begin," came Riley's voice through the door.

Ilene's eyes snapped open. "Alright. Thank you," she replied back calmly as she sat up. Before leaving, Riley said that he'll have it ready for her to watch in the main living quarters. The young woman stood up and went to her dresser to check on her appearance. Her face showed tired reddened eyes and her royal attire was wrinkly since she was lying down with them on. It'll have to do. I don't want to miss his match. Her mind formed her Knight's image in her head, making her both a little happier but also a little sullen. She shook her head, clearing the image from her mind and walked out of her room. Soon enough, Ilene entered the living quarters and true to his word, Riley had readied the match for her to watch. "Thank you Master Riley. And is everything okay with you and Daisy?" asked Ilene as she sat on the couch.

Riley nodded. "No problem my Queen. And yes, I have spoken with her a little earlier on." Ilene smiled at that, saying she hopes the best for them. Riley thanked her as he sat down as well and she turned her attention to the screen. The television showed the stadium filled up with the announcer speaking about the last match, getting the crowd pumped for the battle. "I believe Ash will do well," commented Riley.

Ilene agreed with his statement. "As do I. My Knight will win." Riley gave a curious glance towards his Queen, sensing her emotions spike a little. But Ilene didn't notice because her attention was on the screen. As the two watched the broadcast of the match, Riley periodically checked on her expressions and reactions.

At the Indigo Plateau stadium, five people were inside the VIP room of the stadium. Each was anxiously waiting to see the next match that would determine the final round matchups of the tournament. One of the four, an elderly man who had a bundle of energy, turned to look at the rest. "So, before it starts, you guys sure you don't want to switch up the bets?" he asked them.

Three of them chuckled while the fourth merely stayed quiet. "It's already been decided on Charles. No changing minds now," replied Diantha.

"Alright, just making sure." Goodshow turned back around, grabbed some chips and tossed them into his mouth. "Steven, how come you didn't invite Ms. Snow?" he asked without looking at the champion.

Steven reddened from the sudden question and that his fellow champions were eying him curiously. "Ah, I…"

Alder clapped his back, making Steven yelp all of a sudden. "We wouldn't have objected. And Cynthia's not that angry at her anymore. Nor is she here. Then again, it would be wise to not mention anything about Snow in front of her for now," he advised the younger man. Steven sighed before going quiet. They let him be and conversed with one another while waiting for the match to start.

The large group of family and friends reached the stadium with some minutes to spare. They walked in and noticed something different. There were now league officials standing at each and every stadium entrance and exit. Knowing it was because of Ash's last match and what happened, they took up seats in the front rows of the stands. Ash's girlfriends and the girls who have feelings for him all sat near each other across two rows. Their family and friends sat around them. Iris and Cilan sat next to each other to not draw suspicion from others that they were on rocky roads but did not interact with one another. The group made some small talk here and there while the stadium filled up and Sabrina's parents felt some excitement. It had been a while since they had been to a tournament in person. "Is it just me, or is the stadium more packed than before?" asked Caroline, noticing more people than usual.

"There's definitely more people," replied Norman, seeing some standing or sitting in the aisles, unable to find seats.

"Second to last match of the tournament with Ash and Drax competing. One Aura Guardian and the other a Dragon Master. This should be interesting," said David.

"I'm surprised we found seats together," remarked Kate. "And I wonder if the crowd will go crazy this time too," she thought

That made the group become worried but before anyone could comment, the announcer started speaking. "LADIES AND GENTLEMAN!" The crowd quieted down to hear him. "THANK YOU FOR JOINING US FOR THE LAST PART OF THE SEMIFINALS OF THE SPIRIT TOURNAMENT!" The crowd roared and cheered. "IN OUR LAST ROUND WE HAD TOBIAS BEAT JIMMY AND ADVANCED TO THE FINALS! NO SURPRISES THERE!"

"HEY!" Ash's group turned to see the young man who shouted and saw him standing up in the stands. He was angry about what was said. He lost sure, but he fought valiantly, taking out Latios before Darkrai completely overwhelmed him. They saw his girlfriend pull him back down to sit on the stands. They shook their heads, chuckling a bit before listening to the announcer again.

"THAT LEAVES US WITH THIS BATTLE TO DETERMINE WHO WILL FACE TOBIAS, THE TRAINER OF LEGENDARIES IN THE FINAL MATCH OF THE TOURNAMENT!" Once again, the crowd roared and cheered but even louder this time. "LET'S BRING THEM OUT! OVER ON THE RED SIDE, WE HAVE A TRAINER OF DRAGONS WHO HAS DOMINATED EVERY SINGLE MATCH OF HIS WITH POWERFUL POKEMON! DRAGON MASTER DRAX!" The moment the announcer stopped talking, a loud roar was heard from above that made everyone look up towards the sky. The saw a large blue pokémon rocketing towards the field but at the last second he pulled up, leveled out and a tall trainer dressed in black and white jumped down from him and landed in his trainer's box. Salamence hovered beside him before letting out a loud roar again when Drax straightened out. The crowd shouted and cheered seeing the Dragon Master. Cilan glanced at Iris to see if she had any sort of reaction towards Drax's appearance but he couldn't see anything since her expression was neutral.

"Some entrance that was," said Serena sarcastically.

"I like Ash arriving in his pajamas the best so far," commented Dawn making several of the girls from their group giggle while others glanced at one another and just shrugged.

"Of course you do," shot May, making the blunette blush.

"She's not the only one who did I bet." Misty nudged the brunette who smiled sheepishly.

"We all did," admitted Sarah and they laughed with Cynthia smiling in agreement.

"Wonder how Ash will make his entrance?" asked Anabel, saying what was on Sabrina's mind.

"We'll find out soon enough," answered Leaf before the announcer started speaking again.

"AND NOW FOR THE GREEN SIDE! YOU ALL KNOW WHO HE IS! THE SAVIOR OF THE TOURNAMENT, AURA GUARDIAN ASH KETCHUM!" A large light blue sphere appeared in the trainer's box on the green side immediately after he stopped speaking. A pair of dark blue eyes glowed from within and streaks of white electricity shot up and arced around the blue sphere that cackled, making the crowd gasp and awe over it. The sphere of aura burst open with rays of blue light racing over the stands into the air. In its wake, it revealed the raven haired guardian with blue glowing flames dancing around him with his loyal Pikachu on his shoulder. His aura died down and they saw that he was dressed differently than usual. A blue fedora hat was on his head and a blue cloak was wrapped around him at first. Until he flung it open to reveal him dressed in his guardian's attire of blue pants, black long sleeved tight shirt with a blue vest over it, black gloves that left his finger tips exposed and black combat boots.

The crowd was silent at first before most of them erupted in cheers as his aura faded away. They had never seen an entrance like that before. Many females in the crowd were screaming their hearts out to him, seeing how dashing he looked in his Guardian's uniform. Even his girlfriends were unable to resist shouting out words of affection for him. "Now that's an entrance!" praised Cynthia after sitting back down.

"You said it!" agreed Sabrina with a large smile. The other girls who were hiding feelings for him were blushing slightly at the sight of him while complimenting and encouraging him. Clair nodded her head along with the rest but kept silent, watching Ash and Drax walk up to the referee in the middle. She couldn't take her eyes off the raven haired man.

A good amount of spectators however were still uneasy about what the guardian had done and did not cheer for him. Yet, they were all gossiping and murmuring since they had heard rumors of him and Drax having an argument at the mall before the match. They and everyone else watched as the two took the microphones and looked at one another. "I hope you're ready Ketchum. That stunt you just did, didn't even faze me. I will show everyone that you're not all powerful," boasted Drax.

The young man's eyes narrowed. "You will learn to watch what you say. And you will apologize for what you've done to my friends," replied Ash with a serious and angry tone of voice.

Drax however only smirked. "Let's see if you can make me do that Guardian." He then glanced towards the stands and looked around a bit. "I hope your friends and family are here too. I want them to see that you're nothing. Especially the one that was promised to me. She will see what she could've reached if she remained with me." Drax glanced at Ash and his expression turned even smugger. "But the people here came to see a grand battle. Don't lose too quickly against me." They didn't shake hands and went to their respective sides on the field. Witnessing the tension between the two powerful trainers made the stadium buzz with many conversations going on over it. Iris went red but kept her expression neutral when her friends glanced at her before facing the field again.

The referee raised both green and red flags before speaking. "This is a six versus six, one on one match with no time limit. As a reminder, for the final two rounds of the tournament, substitutions and mega evolutions are allowed."

Because of the last match, the crowd knew this but Ash and his group didn't. Cynthia knew as well but had forgotten about it because of everything that had happened. Though Ash wasn't troubled, his group was. "Mega evolutions are allowed?!" asked Giselle. "How come we didn't know?!"

Clemont took out a small thin book from his pocket and quickly scanned through it. "Looks like it was in the rule book for the tournament."

"Do you always keep that with you?" asked Bonnie and he replied back that it's so small that why shouldn't he. Bonnie rolled her eyes at her brother making Max laugh. Clemont told the two to shut up, which only made them laugh harder.

The blunette fighter from Hoenn spoke up then. "No good came from it though since Ash didn't know," remarked Shauna. "Hope he's able to get past that if Drax decides to mega evolve." She hoped this won't cause too much trouble for him.

"He'll be fine," spoke up Daisy. "Look at him. He's not even troubled about it." They all looked more carefully at Ash and saw that there was no indication that he was worried.

"Maybe he knew or maybe he has plans to deal with that," suggested Lizabeth.

"We'll find out soon enough," said Clair and the group focused on the match in time to see Drax toss out a poke ball.

A Dragonite appeared with a loud roar and took up a battle stance on the field. Drax's Salamence laid down behind his trainer, wondering if he'll get to battle. Ash stood up straight and crossed his arms before his eyes glowed blue. A blue orb appeared on his side of the field before it turned into a poke ball. It opened and a large black and purple bat like dragon appeared with large ears. Noivern let out a powerful sound wave as it appeared that traveled over the entire stadium, making many shiver from it. "Begin!" shouted the referee...