Day Of Dates... (Slight R-18)

Chapter 48 - Day Of Dates...

A young pokémon researcher was leaning against the fence he just rebuilt. He was exhausted, hungry and sweating like crazy. His grandfather had woke him up early in the morning and set him to work. Normally he would've asked why he was doing all the hard labor around the laboratory. And why aren't any of the aides or volunteers doing it. But this time he kept his mouth shut and didn't comment back or whine about the tasks he was given for one reason and one reason only; he had fucked up colossally and as a result, his grandfather was beyond furious. He had never seen him so angry. Especially towards him. The young man shuddered in his place as he remembered the scary look his grandfather had as he chewed him out over his behavior the other day. He leaned against the fence post and let out a sigh. "Man, I hope Gramps doesn't stay pissed at me for long. I don't know how much longer I can take this."

"However long he punishes you, you deserve it Gary." He jumped from the sudden voice speaking and turned around while cursing under his breath. It was his sister Daisy. He was about to say something when she spoke before he could. "Grandpa wants you. He's in the study." Without waiting for a reply back, Daisy moved away towards another part of the pokémon preserve to feed the pokémon there.

Gary let out a sigh and headed towards the laboratory. He soon reached it and when he entered into it, he made for the study. He knocked on the door before entering and saw the old professor extremely busy with several reports that he was looking at. "I'm here gram…I mean Professor Oak." One of the things he was made to do was call his grandfather by that title. It was meant to teach him respect for others. The other reason was to also show him that just because he is an Oak too, it doesn't mean that he can get away with things. He waited a few minutes for him to reply back with why he was summoned.

He was about to start talking when Professor Oak spoke but did not raise his gaze to his grandson's. "Be patient. Your next assignment is on the way. Just wait quietly until its arrival." Gary felt his heart rate shoot up at the cold tone he was given. Never had he spoken to him like that before. He would much rather have his grandfather yell at him like he did the previously.

The young man stayed silent and waited until the door opened again behind him. "I'm here Professor Oak," said the new person. Gary turned around to see who the new person is. It was a female pokémon researcher who was wearing a long white lab coat over a black skirt and black button down blouse with long hair. The moment he realized who it is, he had a stunned expression form on his face. "Surprised?" He didn't respond back and she moved past him. "Believe me, I was too when the Professor told me he needed my help," said the woman.

Gary faced his grandfather. "Don't tell me my assignment is…"

"Your assignment is what I make it be," cut off the Professor with a stern tone of voice. Gary went quiet immediately and the new person didn't show any surprise towards the professor's cold treatment of his own grandson. "Now, you will aid Professor Johnson with anything and everything within the next couple of weeks. Understood?" Gary said nothing but barely nodded. "Good. Now wait outside." The young man left the room and waited in the hallway after closing the door. Oak let out a quiet sigh and rubbed his forehead with his hands. Johnson gave him a sympathetic look. "I hope I'm not too stern on him. But I don't know what else to do. And I'm sorry for calling you out of your vacation early."

"It's quite alright," replied Johnson. "After explaining what had happened, I'm sorry to say that I didn't have trouble believing it. Especially since I had my own recent encounter with him." Oak shook his head over that and apologized on behalf of his grandson. "You don't need to apologize for him. And no worries Professor Oak. I will keep my eye on him and will make sure that he learns to be better."

Oak allowed himself to smile a bit and stood up. "If there is anyone who can make him get better, it's you. You were able to affect him in the past. Perhaps you can do it again. And this time keep it permanent," he said. Johnson smiled a bit while also going a little red in the cheeks. She nodded at him and shook hands with the professor before she exited the office.

When she stepped outside the office, she saw the young man leaning against the hallway wall with his arms crossed. "Follow me," she told him while walking past him. After taking a few a steps, she glanced back and saw he hadn't moved. "I said let's go," she repeated.

Gary moved to her and she turned around to face him. "Let's get this straight Johnson. Just because you're a professor now and not some aid, doesn't mean you can boss me around. I don't care wha…" He couldn't finish because Johnson had grabbed his crotch and squeezed it.

"That's Professor Johnson to you Gary," said the girl with a serious tone. She studied his face and saw him trying to hold back his tears from the pain she was causing him. "Now you will do as I say and you will not complain over any part of it. If you don't…this is only the start."

Gary felt as if his entire body was being punctured by hundreds of needles because of the pain. "Please, Vanessa…"

"You dare plead with me?!" she screamed at him before crushing his delicate area by tightening her hold that made him howl with agony. "Not after the bullshit you did to me! And what you did to your friends! You will address me as either Professor Johnson or Ma'am. Understand?!" Gary quickly nodded his head and she let go of his private parts. He dropped to the floor, holding his groin while whimpering because of the extreme pain. "I'm going to make a call," she told him. "You better be in my office by the time I finish up with it." She turned around and walked to her office. Gary raised his head a little off the ground in order to see his new boss walk down the hallway with her long pink hair swishing from side to side from her movements.

High up in a mountain, a single cabin was located on a cliff. It was one of the training cabins that the Pokémon League had erected for authorized trainers to use. Speaking of trainers, there was a man with grayish blue hair standing near the edge of that cliff. He was overlooking the Indigo Plateau forest as the morning light became brighter. In the distance he could faintly see the stadium and the hotel. Behind the man were his pokémon and they all were silent. They were waiting to see what their trainer would decide.

After some time, the man came to a decision and turned around to face his pokémon. "It's been a long time coming. We will go greet the Aura Guardian and see if he is still the same person. Since he was the first one to beat you…" The black humanoid pokémon crossed his arms at that. "…and you…" The blue and white eon pokémon looked away from those words. "…I hope he has become stronger. Because we have become stronger. And now we have the ultimate team. We have plowed through every one we've come across since then. I want a good battle but we will still triumph. When we win this match, we will finally be ready to beat each and every Elite Four member and then the Champions. Then, we will knock down the Master and take the crown." The pokémon merely nodded silently at his words but with serious gazes on their faces. The man reached into his cloak and pulled out a photograph. He looked at it for a moment. "I do this for you. I hope I can make your dreams come true." The man's eyes watered as he stared at the picture. A single tear escaped from his eyes and landed onto the photograph. He hurriedly wiped it clean, worried that it would ruin the old picture. But luckily nothing happened. He let out a sigh of relief, looked at the photo again before placing it back inside his cloak. "Time to go." He returned his pokémon except for one and climbed on top of its back. "To the hotel Latios." The legendary quickly took to the sky and flew towards the hotel in the distance.

At the hotel penthouse suite, a large group of family and friends were already up and everyone was in the dining room enjoying their breakfast. Several conversations were going on at once between different groups of people. Not all were partaking in them though. Several were being quiet, but for different reasons.

Liza was one of them and she was just thinking about how she could talk to Ash about her being promised to him because of the Gauntlet. And how she really feels about him.

Clair was also silent. She was thinking about how Ash dedicated his last match to her. Sure, he did do it for Iris, Cilan and Daisy too. But that was something that no one had ever done for her. And she was thinking about how she felt when in his embrace.

Daisy was another one who was silent but would periodically glance at the other girls who she found out have feelings for Ash before going back to her plate. When Lily and Violet asked her what was wrong since she was so silent, she merely shook her head and answered that she was just thinking. Her two sisters gave her concerned looks but didn't push her. They knew to leave her be for the time being when she was acting like this.

Lizabeth, Shauna and Giselle however, were not keeping silent. Instead, they were whispering to one another about what they could do to increase their chances so things could work out for them all. The valedictorian had become friends with the two as well since they were each going through the same thing. The three of them wanted to talk to the other two girls about what they talked about with Cynthia and Sabrina. But they didn't have a chance yet. Each of them had a feeling that something happened since both of them seemed to be out of it after their conversation.

Natasha was another one who was really quiet. But that wasn't because of her inability to speak. And once again, she was sitting beside Ash but also next to Leaf this time. The red head was eating her food while thinking about everything she had witnessed yesterday that her savior had done. It boggled her mind that he and his pokémon are so strong. That he was able to capture one of the most powerful pokémon in the whole world. That he had Rayquaza's respect. Not to mention the incredible bond between him and his pokemon. That he trusted them and they trusted him. She glanced at him from the corner of her eyes and saw him practically inhaling his food. That is until Sarah smacked him against the back of his head and told him to slow down. Ash merely brushed it off and continued his wolfing down of his meal. Seeing that happen brought a smile to her face. The red head then continued her meal while thinking about what she had to do.

While everyone was enjoying their time, a certain girl was lost in her thoughts. She wanted to know just how in the world she was going to come clean to her beloved that she was pregnant. She glanced at Joy, trying to catch her eye so she can somehow give her a look so she can know that she needed someone to talk to. But the nurse was busy speaking excitedly with her boyfriend Richie. Catching some words from their conversation, she understood that they were talking about how to battle and then capture a wild pokémon. That made her smile a bit as she thought about the first time she had to do that. Not wanting to bother her friend, she took another bite of her food and looked at the love of her life. She watched him eat his meal while talking and joking around with their friends. I have to tell him. But how? And when? Should I wait till after the final match? What should I do…

While the pregnant girl was lost in her thoughts, a certain young teenage couple was talking to one another about what they were going to do. They wanted to tell their families that they had officially gotten together. "When do you want to tell them?" asked Max quietly.

"Well, the sooner the better I think," replied Bonnie. She glanced around at the table and saw that mostly everyone was in a good mood since they were talking and joking around. Only a few were being quiet but that was normal to her. Well, as far as she knew anyway. She thought for a bit before facing the boy with glasses. "I think we should do it now."

Max's eyes went wide. "Now?!" he asked her in a surprised whisper.

Bonnie rolled her eyes at him. "Yes, now. They're all in a good mood and when else will everyone be together?" Max thought for a bit until he commented back that she had a point. "Of course I do. Now let's do it." She grabbed hold of his arm and stood up, making him stand up as well. "Everyone! We have something to say!" The dining room gradually quieted down and all eyes moved onto Bonnie.

Seeing everyone's attention was now on her made Bonnie go red. She opened her mouth to say what she planned on saying but nothing came out. Realizing she was having stage fright, Max grasped her hand so she could calm down and show her support. The blonde teenager thanked him quietly before she began speaking. "Max and I wanted to say that after hanging out together for a bit and talking yesterday, we decided to make it official. He and I are together and wanted to let you all know." When she finished speaking, their friends and family beamed at the two while some wolf whistles were made. That made the couple embarrassed, turning red.

While Norman gave his son a nod with a smile, his mother went a little overboard. "Oh my little Maxie is growing up!" cried Caroline. She got up and went to hug the two. After hugging Bonnie and telling her how happy she is, she turned to her son and gave him a bear hug.

"Moooom!" whined Max, feeling embarrassed over how his mother was acting. He looked at his sister and father. "Help me!" he requested but the two just laughed at him. Seeing that he had no way out, he accepted his fate and allowed his mom to smother him with her motherly affection.

Clement was looking at his little sister with happiness. He thought that they might be a little young but then again, his parents got together when they were young too. But good thing they didn't have kids till much later. He would have to make sure that they wait too. But for now, he congratulated her, told her that he will always support her and to let him know if she needs anything. Bonnie thanked her brother, hugging him and told him that that she's very glad for that. When the siblings separated, the girl went up to her boyfriend who was finally freed after he complained that he was being crushed. May and Norman also congratulated the two. Seeing his sister with Max made Clemont think that the two made a good couple. But then a certain image popped up into his mind that made him feel slight jealousy. He pushed past it quickly enough though and focused on what was happening.

Two from the group were feeling happy for their friends and what they were seeing occur in front of them. But then when they glanced at each other, their happiness died down some. Both were feeling anger and sadness spring up within themselves at the sight of the other. They had another argument in the morning after they had woken up. They just didn't know why but ever since the altercation with Drax, every little thing was blown out of proportion from both of them. The purple haired girl and the green haired young man hurriedly moved their sight away from each other to prevent themselves from starting something.

The raven haired guardian watched the teenagers embrace one another, which made him smile. He knew that the two would be good for one another since they had similar personalities but also complimented the other well with their differences. He happened to glance at the red head next to him and saw a surprised expression on her face. "You alright?" he asked her. Natasha snapped out of it and faced him. Yes. Just surprised that they got together. Aren't they a little young? Ash looked at the two again before he nodded in response. "They are. But you can't really explain things when it comes to matters of the heart." She gave a stunned look over what she heard him say. He noticed that and turned to face her as he chuckled. "Yea, I have my moments." She couldn't help herself and giggled quietly as Ash looked around the dining room. He saw that many were talking to the new couple. They were congratulating them while also teasing the two. He then noticed his friends Iris and Cilan having a mix of emotions within them. He wondered why that would be and why this was the second time he sensed the two having weird feelings…

Natasha looked at Ash as he pondered quietly over whatever he was thinking about. She gazed at him for a little bit before turning away. This might be a good time. Everyone is happy right now and hopefully that will allow him to not get too angry with me. But then, what if he does get angry? She wanted to tell him but was so scared of things going sour. But right when she was about to stop because of her fear, an idea came to her head. She turned her face towards him again. Ash? He moved his gaze onto hers. "Yeah Natasha? What's up?" The red head took in a deep breath. Remember how I wanted to tell you something? Hearing the important tone in her mental voice, he sat up straighter and waited for her to continue. She saw the way he was looking at her. She never wanted him to stop looking at her like that. Natasha could feel her heart begin to beat faster with every passing second. But she forced herself to continue with her idea at least. If…if I had done something…bad…a mistake…in my past…will…will you forgive me for it? Or would you…be angry with me? And tell me to…to go?

Ash gave her a sympathetic look and was quiet for a few seconds. The others in the group went back to their meals after congratulating Max and Bonnie. "What did I promise you?" he asked her quietly. Natasha did remember what he promised her but she couldn't respond. "I promised you I would never tell you to go, to leave. Everyone makes mistakes. The important thing is to realize it and try to fix things if possible. And if not, then to never do it again." He smiled at her and she felt like she could come clean to him. But she couldn't believe what he said. Thank you Ash. But how could you be so forgiving? So trusting? He chuckled a bit. "Well, like I said before…"

Ash someone is here! The guardian stopped his speaking and turned to face Sabrina and Anabel. They had sensed something right when he did. The three caught one another's look and his eyes glowed blue suddenly that made Natasha gasp. Her gasp made several turn to them. But when Ash stood up, whirled around and faced the dining room entrance with a bright blue sphere of aura energy appearing in his hand, everyone noticed the glow and went quiet. He held up the aura sphere, ready to hurl it. Natasha could feel the energy radiating off of it and him and so could the rest. "It's rude to eavesdrop let alone come into a place without an invitation," spoke Ash seriously towards the entrance.

Before anyone from the group could say anything, they heard someone speak, which startled them. "Relax, I mean you no harm." A man with grayish blue hair stepped into the dining room with his hands raised. "I do apologize for the rather rude intrusion but I wanted to visit my opponent before our match. It's been a while Ash." Realizing who it was now, many in the group calmed down but stayed vigilant. Several of them had their hand hover over their poke balls.

"How did you know where I am and how did you get in here Tobias?" asked Ash while still on guard with the blue sphere still up.

Tobias chuckled and lowered his arms. "I flew here with Latios and landed in the balcony. You should really lock your balcony doors. And President Goodshow did mention that he would give you the best damn suite in the place during his interview after the stadium attack. Where else would you be?" he asked rhetorically with a slight grin.

Sensing no hostile emotions from him and seeing that he was acting normally for the time being, Ash relaxed. The blue sphere disappeared and his eyes turned back to brown. "Alright. But you could call next time or use the door," he advised the older man.

Their new guest chuckled a bit. "I do apologize," said Tobias. "But I've never been a fan of stairs or elevators." He took a few steps closer to Ash and the group who stayed in their positions. Seeing the rather serious expressions on their faces, Tobias became worried. "You did hear me when I said that I mean no harm right?"

The red haired mermaid stood up and then spoke. "We did hear you," answered Misty.

"But we've had some rather unpleasant experiences lately," added Dawn following her lead by standing up with several others doing the same and nodding in agreement.

"And we've had enough surprises for the time being," continued Serena. Her statement and tone of voice made the girls who are hiding feelings for Ash become worried over that.

"So excuse us for the lack of trust right now towards others who we don't know that well," finished May.

Seeing how the group was standing together without hesitation made Tobias become surprised. He hadn't seen anything of the sort for a long time. Not since he left his home town. Not since he made that promise to everyone he knows. And not since he had to do the one thing he thought he would never do. He glanced around at the group as he began speaking. "I can understand what you mean and I do not hold anything against you. But you must know that I'm not here to cause trouble. I'm merely here to…" He stopped talking abruptly the second he saw the red haired beauty. His mind formed an image on her, which made his eyes grow wide and he couldn't believe it. It couldn't be possible. "Anastasia?"

All eyes went onto Natasha and as a result, she became very frightened. She didn't know why this new person who she never met before was staring at her as if he knew her. And she definitely didn't like the way he was looking at her either. Fear filled her when he started moving closer to her, frozen in her spot. He was only a few feet away from her when his path was blocked. "Back off," warned Ash in his serious tone of voice. Seeing his reaction, many from the group moved closer to the three.

Tobias looked at Natasha for a moment before he snapped out of his stupor and looked at Ash. He noticed the angry look on his face and then he looked at the red head again. The image his mind formed onto her faded away and that was when he realized it; his mind was playing tricks on him. "I'm sorry," he apologized. "I thought…I thought you were someone I knew since you look so much like her from my past. Forgive me if I scared you." He took a couple steps back to show he wasn't a threat.

Ash glanced at Natasha and she looked at him. I'm okay. He gave her a slight nod of his head before facing Tobias once more. "So why are you here?" he asked.

Tobias was quiet for a moment while he processed what just happened to him. He let out a sigh a moment later and explained the reason for his visit. "I came here to speak to you for a bit about our upcoming battle. Can we talk somewhere in private?" he asked.

Ash glanced at his family and friends before looking at the newcomer once more. "Alright. Let's go to the balcony," suggested the guardian and he agreed. The two left the dining room and headed to their destination while the rest cleaned up since they were done with breakfast. Once outside and away from the door, the two finalists faced each other. "So what did you want to talk about?" asked Ash.

"Before that, I want to apologize again. I didn't mean to frighten the girl…"

"Her name is Natasha," interrupted Ash.

Tobias nodded his head. "Natasha. I didn't mean to frighten her. She just very much looks like someone from my past…" He went quiet for a moment and Ash could sense some sadness coming from him. He waited for him to continue and after a little bit, he did. "Anyway, here is the reason why I came to see you before our match. I wanted to tell you that I'm expecting a great battle from you. You're the first trainer to ever defeat my Darkrai and Latios. I hope you have become stronger."

He titled his head a bit from that. "Is that so?" asked Ash and Tobias replied back that it was. "Why?"

He grinned in response before telling him. "Because I like a challenge. I have my own goals and I'm sure you have your own. But in order to reach it, I have had to face many things. As a result I have come to look forward to them. Because each one beaten means I am one step closer to completing a promise I made long ago. And I have formed the ultimate team."

Ash wasn't expecting Tobias to say something like that. "I understand." He thought for a moment with curiosity filling him but kept it civil. "I have my own promises to keep so I know the feeling. And you said you have made the ultimate team?"

Tobias gave him a look of respect. "So you do as well huh? Maybe we'll share our promises to one another one day." Ash replied back that perhaps they will and Tobias nodded at that. "And that is correct about my team. I have done much research and traveled around the world many times to acquire what will help me get to the top," revealed Tobias. "My pokémon are well balanced, they have become much stronger and we are ready. But I wanted to let you know in person something besides that; my team is made up of all legendary pokémon." Ash raised his eyebrows in response, making him chuckle. "I wanted to warn you and give you a fair shot. I could even tell you who they are to even the playing field. But I will still win in the end," he finished up with a smirk.

Ash cracked a grin in return since he could sense that he was being genuine. "I see. Well, I'm glad to hear that because after Drax, I'd hate for you to be easily defeated since I like challenges too. And that's alright. I'd rather wait to see who you have. I already know about two of them. I guess we'll just see who will win." Tobias chuckled a little but before he could reply back, one of his poke balls opened up and a dark figure appeared. "Hello Darkrai," said Ash without fear.

The black legendary nodded at him before he began speaking with his telepathy. "I wish to face the one who defeated me in the finals," expressed Darkrai.

"Understandable. Let's see if he accepts." A blue orb appeared in Ash's hand and then his grass starter from Hoenn, Sceptile appeared. The tall green lizard stood up straight and placed a twig in his mouth. He crossed his arms and eyed Darkrai. "Scep sceptile scept," he greeted the legendary with slight taunting.

"Oh we'll see who will win. I won't be going easy on you this time," remarked Darkrai. The two pokémon eyed each other with respectful and challenging looks. "Be prepared." And with that, the legendary returned himself to his poke ball and Ash returned his pokémon.

"This out to be interesting," commented Tobias. "I've never seen Darkrai be so focused about a battle." He extended out his hand towards Ash. "Let's make this the best final ever witnessed in the world. I hope you're ready Ketchum for our battle tomorrow. You did get the message right?"

"Yes, I got the message in the morning. And no worries, it will be the best tournament final ever seen. You can count on it," said Ash. He grasped his hand and they two shook on it.

They separated and Tobias brought out his Latios who hovered beside him. "Good. I'll see you tomorrow at noon then. You know about two of my pokémon. You may have a plan for them. But I hope you're strong enough to at least put up some fight against the other four. They've been getting rather bored lately," commented Tobias and Ash merely chuckled. Latios flew up into the air at that point. "Prepare yourself," shouted out Tobias as he flew into the distance on top of Latios.

Ash watched him fade into the horizon before heading back inside. When he entered the living room, he saw that everyone was there. They asked him if everything was alright and what Tobias wanted. He told them about what he said, how excited he was to battle him and they understood. "Hey Ash." He turned his attention onto Sarah. "When do you want to go?" she asked him.

Earlier on in the morning, when she, Ash, Leaf and Anabel woke up, they fooled around a little bit with some teasing actions and morning kisses. Afterwards, they had decided on a few things together about their dates for today. Each of the girls wanted some time alone with Ash and so came up with the plan that they would go on separate dates that day. And in order to save time so they could all do so, they told Ash that they don't want some fancy night out. But instead they would let him know what they wanted to do right before heading out. The three girls had also decided that Sarah would go first and have her date in the morning. Anabel would have her turn in the afternoon and Leaf's date would be in the evening.

Ash glanced at the time and saw that it was 840am. "We'll leave at 9. Meet me in the balcony okay?" he told her and she agreed. The blonde girl left the living room to get ready for her date. As the others in the group went their separate ways, Ash went up towards the red head. "Did you have anything else to tell me?" he asked her. Natasha wanted to tell him but didn't want to mess up his day with his girlfriends. She had forgotten about that when they told everyone what they were going to do that day. And she did have a little bit of time left. It's alright. I'll tell you later. You should go get ready. "Are you sure?" he asked her and she said she was. "Alright. If you need anything, don't hesitate to ask. Okay?" She smiled slightly at him and left to go to her room. After watching her go, he then went to see his friend from Kalos. He went to his room and knocked on the door. "Clemont?"

"Yea, come in," he replied from within the room.

Ash entered the room and saw his friend getting ready to work on his invention. "Any progress?" he asked him.

Clemont shook his head as he placed a tool on the table. "No. I can't isolate the problem by itself. It's driving me mad." He let out a sigh to calm down and faced his friend. "Anyway, what's up?"

"I need a favor," said Ash. He moved closer to Clemont and took out a small black device from his pocket. "Is there a way that you can break into this thing and see who it belongs to?"

Clemont took the device and looked at it. "A smart phone? Where did you get this? And you have no idea who it belongs to?" he asked as he began looking it over and noticed the damages on it.

"From Lance who found it at the Skull Brothers' hide out. We think it's theirs but we want to know for sure and see who they were working for," answered Ash. "You can use it and look at some of the stuff in it. But Lance had his best try to get into the more personal and important files but he had no luck."

Clemont's eyes widened at that. "If his best can't do it, what makes you think I can?" he asked him.

"Hey, c'mon man. I've seen you make things that no one else has," reminded Ash. Clemont turned on the phone and went through it while Ash continued talking. "Just do your best buddy. If you can get into the harder to crack stuff, then great. If not, then that's cool too. But I only ask you because you're the only one who I can trust with something like this."

Clemont stopped what he was doing and looked up at Ash. He had opened up the personal files in the phone and was about to select the video folder. "Thanks man. That means a lot to me that you trust me like that." Ash nodded at him and Clemont looked at the phone again before continuing what he was doing. "I'll do my best. I'll try to see who this belongs to and what else is in here."

"Thanks buddy. Let me know when you get something out of it." Ash left the room and Clemont took out his laptop and some tools from his backpack and went to work on the phone. Ash let out a sigh as he went to his own room. Good thing I deleted the rape video. I don't want anyone else to see that. Natasha has been through enough. Ash entered his room and quickly changed into a pair of blue jeans, black shirt and black jacket. After he got ready, he left his room and headed out to the balcony.

When Ash stepped into the balcony, he didn't even have to wait for a minute until Sarah appeared. The moment he saw her, he just couldn't help but stare at her. She was dressed in similar attire that he first saw her in; a blue buttoned down blouse with no sleeves along with a red skirt that reached down to the middle of her thighs. Though she was dressed somewhat modestly, her clothing still accentuated her athletically toned yet curvy body. She smiled at him with slight embarrassment. Though it still covered her up well, she had never worn such a short skirt before. "Hey Sarah. You look great."

Her cheeks reddened. "Thanks Ash. Are you ready to go?"

"Yup. But where do you want to go?" he asked her.

She was quiet for a second. "I want to go to Cherrygrove City."

Ash wondered why she would want to go there. "Isn't that your hometown?" he asked her.

She smiled, feeling happy that he remembered that about her. "Yes. I want to show you something."

"Okay. No problem." He grasped her hand and closed the distance between the two before they vanished in a blue glow.

Several girls were speaking with one another inside their bedroom. Misty, May, Dawn, Serena, Cynthia, Sabrina, Leaf and Anabel were busy discussing what they had found out before and what the Sinnoh champion and Saffron gym leader were told by their two friends. "So they told you just like that?" asked May after finding out how Clair and Liza just came clean. Even though it was borderline accidental.

The two nodded. "Yea. After Liza let it slip how she was happy to find out it was actually Ash who won the gauntlet, she told us that she loves him. And after that, Clair confessed too," clarified Sabrina.

It was quiet for a moment. "Okay," started May. "And you said that they pretty much confirmed what we saw? That Lizabeth, Shauna, Giselle and Daisy have feelings for Ash too?" she asked them and again the two nodded. They turned to face the red haired mermaid who was being unusually quiet. "You alright Misty?" asked the brunette.

The Cerulean gym leader faced her sister and friend. "I…I don't know. Even though we thought we saw something when they helped us out…even though we discussed it…I didn't think it was true." She looked down at her feet. "I just don't know what to think or feel about all this." The girls in the room didn't say anything. It was weird seeing her like this. No remark, no comment, nothing at all. Usually it would be her who brings something up or takes the helm. But not this time. It was quiet for a bit as each girl thought about what they learned and discussed until the door opened.

They looked towards the door and saw a purple haired girl enter the room. "Hey guys. I was wondering where you all were," said Iris as she closed the door behind her.

"Well, no need to worry cause you found us," remarked Dawn and Iris rolled her eyes. "What's up?"

"I wanted to know if any of you wanted to hang out today?" she asked the group of girls.

"Sure. It's not like we have any plans for now," stated Serena.

"Speak for yourself," piped up Leaf. "You forget that Anabel and I have our dates with Ash today?"

"Oh relax will ya? We can still spend some time with them until he and Sarah come back," reminded Anabel. Leaf muttered something under her breath at the Salon Maiden but they heard her. A few laughed out loud, making Leaf cross her arms and glare at them.

Serena finished up her laughing and faced Iris. "So what do you have in mind? And where's Cilan?"

"What am I, his keeper?" she asked them and the girls just shrugged. "He's probably out doing connoisseur things and I really don't want to deal with that," answered Iris and the girls giggled. "I don't know really. I'm up for anything actually. We can battle, go to the mall, the arcade, train again or whatever. I just don't want to do nothing," she finished saying.

The girls thought for a bit before the petite blunette took control. "Alright. Let's go have some practice battles," suggested Dawn as she stood up and they all looked at her. "It'll be good training and it'll help us keep busy." Her sisters understood the hidden message in her words and agreed with her.

"Great. Let's go get our pokémon and meet in the balcony. We'll move the things out of the way," said Iris as she headed out the room with a few from the group following after her to get theirs as well.

Far away from the Indigo Plateau, a blonde girl and a raven haired young man appeared out of thin air in front of the pokémon center of Cherrygrove City. Sarah's smile became larger as she looked around. "I didn't think being back in my hometown would make me feel so happy." She turned to look at him. "Thank you Ash."

"Hey, no problem Sarah. Anything for you," he told her. Sarah blushed over what he said to her and she couldn't help herself anymore. She gave him a quick but heated kiss before hugging him tightly. "So, what did you want to show me?" he asked her afterwards.

"You'll see." She released him, grasped his hand and then led the way. On their walk, they didn't bump into anyone. It was still morning and many were either at work already or still snoozing away in their homes. They continued through the town while Sarah pointed out some of her favorite places to visit and train. They also talked about many different topics such as training, some of their favorite pokémon, what they wanted to do one day and so on while cracking some jokes here and there. "That was too funny!" laughed Sarah as Ash delivered the punch line to his joke. The two laughed heartily while rounding a corner to a street. She looked to her right and stopped walking. "We're here," she told him.

Ash looked at the place they stopped in front of. It was a modest two story house with a small front yard and an attached garage painted white with a brownish red roof. There were no lights on and no car in the drive way. "Is this your home?" he asked her.

"Yup," she answered while leading him towards it. Sarah separated from Ash to unlock and open the door before the two stepped inside. She turned on the lights and faced her boyfriend. "Welcome to mi casa."

Ash looked around the living room and spotted the simple but nice furniture. It was set up in a way to feel inviting and open but also cozy at the same time. "It's a nice set up you got here," complimented Ash.

"Thanks. Problem is that I don't spend much time here," she admitted and they both chuckled. "Would you like anything to drink?" she asked him and he said water would be fine. She headed into the kitchen with him following after her. "I bet you're wondering why the house is empty huh?" she asked him while pouring a cup of water for him.

"You got me there," he replied back. He took the cup from her and drank some water. "Thanks," he said afterwards.

She smiled at him. "You're welcome. And nobody's home because…I'm alone," she admitted with her smile fading away.

He tilted his head. "You mean…alone, alone?" he asked her and she nodded. "Why?"

She let out a sigh. "I'll tell you. But first I want to show you something." She led him back to the living room towards the fireplace. She stopped about a foot or so away and pointed at the framed pictures there. Ash went to them and the first picture he noticed was of a happy couple who looked to be in their late twenties or early thirties. "Those are my parents," said Sarah. He nodded and went to the next one that depicted a male who looked to be in his forties with black hair. "That's my uncle," she told him and again he nodded. He continued on looking at each picture with her telling him who was in it and what was going on. He then reached the last picture at the end.

Ash let out a gasp when he saw it. It was a picture of himself back when he was younger. He was holding up the Orange League trophy with his pokémon around him. The title read "NEWEST AND YOUNGEST ORANGE LEAGUE CHAMPION: ASH KETCHUM". He looked at it for a bit before turning his astonished gaze to the blonde girl next to him. "Why do you have this? Why is it framed?" he asked her.

Sarah went red with embarrassment and lowered her gaze to the floor. Ash waited for her to answer, keeping silent. She slowly raised her head, showing slightly watery eyes. "Because I've been through so much in my life. But it was because of you that I was able to move on. You were my inspiration to never give up and to go after my dreams when I was younger and going through a very hard time."

Ash's eyes widened in surprise over what she just revealed. "I was?" he asked her in a whisper. She didn't answer him. Instead, she went to one of the couches and sat down before she buried her face in her hands. She wanted to tell him but didn't know where to start from. Ash made his way to her and sat down beside her. "Sarah?" he said softly.

She took in a breath before lifting her head and looked at him. "It's a long story."

He let a small smile form his face. "I'll gladly listen to it all."

Her lips quivered a bit but quickly controlled herself. She thought how she should start for a moment before she started speaking. "I've been alone for a long time but I wasn't always alone. Though I was an only child, I never felt loneliness. My parents took great care of me and we did a lot of things together. From camping trips to movie nights and other things. I even had several friends who I would play with all the time and their parents were friends with my parents." She took a second to organize what she wanted to say next and Ash placed his drink onto the table. "Everything was going well in my life. But then one day when my parents went out for a date while my uncle baby sat me, they never came back." Ash had a frown form on his face and Sarah took in another breath before continuing. "I found out that my parents were in a horrible car accident and died because of it."

"I'm so sorry Sarah," remarked Ash quietly. He took her up into a tight hug, trying to show that he was here for her.

Sarah reciprocated the hug and felt some comfort from the embrace. It allowed her to continue. "I was barely nine years old then and was just starting my classes to become a pokémon trainer. Everyone I ever knew, from my friends and my parents' friends, abandoned me because I was constantly in a gloomy mood." Ash shook his head in sadness that people would just leave her like that. "All except for one. My uncle took me in so I wouldn't be in foster care. But no matter what he did, I was still depressed. I stayed like that for a long time, wondering why they were taken from me. I wanted to know why Arceus could be so cruel to allow that to happen. I wanted to know why that person who was drunk thought he could drive. He lived through it but my parents didn't. I felt like I was cheated and that it was so unfair." Ash felt so horrible hearing what she went through. He started rubbing her back gently and she leaned her head against his chest. "Nothing would cheer me up or break me out of my sad state."

Sarah went quiet for a couple minutes again and Ash said something. "But you were able to get out of it," he stated.

Ash waited for her to reply back since he sensed her trying to keep herself in control. Her emotions were starting to act up over her telling her life story and what she went through since that day. She looked up at him a moment later before nodding her head. "Yea," she said quietly. "When I was almost ten years old, something happened that helped me." She looked towards the pictures on top of the fire place. "I was sitting in this very living room and my uncle was flipping through the channels on the TV. I was in my same sad state until I noticed what was on the TV. He stopped on an amazing battle going on between a Charizard and a Dragonite. I had never seen such an intense match. I was entranced by it and watched it with all my attention. And then it showed their trainers. It showed the Champion Drake first before it showed the challenger." She turned her gaze to him, looking at him intently. "You."

Ash knew his cheeks had reddened over how she was looking at him and the way she said 'you'. "I couldn't believe it. You were so young, probably just a little older than me and already battling against a Champion. I was already giving my attention to the battle but after seeing you, my eyes became glued to the match. I watched you win with your Pikachu. I watched you get your trophy and raise it above your head with your pokémon beside you." She lowered her gaze and took in a breath to rest for a moment. He waited for her to continue and she did soon enough. "When I saw that, I felt something inside me. Whatever it was, it helped me break out of my sadness. It made me realize that if you can do that, if someone so young could achieve greatness, then I can overcome my problems and get somewhere in life too. That I shouldn't let losing my parents keep me from living my life."

Ash couldn't believe what she just said. That somehow it was because of him that she was able to move on from what happened to her. He wanted to say something to her but didn't know what. She started speaking again and he decided to wait. "My uncle saw the look on my face and he bought that picture for me. He gave it to me on my tenth birthday, right before I went to get my starter Cyndaquil from Professor Elm. Do you know what he said?" Ash shook his head but kept his eyes on her. "He said; 'If he can do it, so can you. Whenever you feel like your lost, stuck or that you're not good enough, look at this picture and remember what a young boy was able to do because he never gave up.' And that's what I did Ash," she said. She moved her gaze back to his and looked into his brown eyes with her yellow ones. Ash could see her eyes shining from her tears. "During my journey, whenever I felt like I wouldn't achieve anything or I felt sad again, whenever I was going through a hard time, I looked at your picture. It would remind me to not give up and to keep my dreams alive." She hugged him tightly all of a sudden. "That was the only thing that kept me going. I traveled all around Johto, beating the gym leaders, training hard, focusing on becoming stronger and smarter, not bothering with anything else." Ash kept quiet but was listening to every word she was speaking with rapt attention, while trying to understand everything she was telling him. "I had finally beaten Clair right when I turned fourteen. It took me so long because my uncle couldn't support my traveling expenses and so I had to get a job every now and then. I was getting ready to enter my first tournament soon after that win when my life was turned upside down again."

"What do you mean?" asked Ash, speaking up finally. "What happened?"

Sarah raised her gaze to his from within the embrace and he saw her eyes over filling with water. "My uncle became sick and then passed away because of cancer." She couldn't hold them back anymore and let out tears. She started crying and Ash took her up into a hug. "I was finally starting to believe that things could get better…Why did that have to happen? Why does life have to be so cruel? He was there for me always…" She sobbed for a bit and he felt even worse over her losing yet another loved one. "I was able to see him one last time before he passed on. He told me to never give up on my dreams and to only do what is right, even if it's not easy. I promised him I will do my best."

She barely got that out before she started crying loudly for a few minutes, unable to continue speaking while Ash gently massaged her back. "He's in a better place now Sarah. And I bet he's proud of you," he told her gently.

It took her some time but then she calmed down enough to talk again. "He left me this house and some money he had saved up while working day and night. It took me a long time to get over his death. Until then, I became a shut in again and didn't follow my promise. I thought 'what's the point?' and I was depressed again." Ash was having his eyes fill up with tears now. He was doing his absolute best to be strong for her, to allow her to get all of this off of her chest without him getting emotional but he was having a very hard time with that. "My pokémon were starting to become lazy and depressed too because of me. But then something happened that helped me break out of it again. A couple months after my uncle's funeral, a letter came to me and it was from my uncle." Ash became confused and she noticed it. "I was confused at first too until I opened it. It was a post dated later he had written when he first got sick." Ash had an understanding look form on his face and then focused on Sarah when she continued speaking. "In the letter, he said that he knew that I would face tough times but to always remember that death is a part of life. That instead of dwelling on that, we should focus on the living part of life. To enjoy the good things in life. That I shouldn't let this consume me because any moment can be our last." Sarah started crying again, unable to continue with the memories of her past making her become very emotional.

Ash didn't know how he was doing it but he was keeping his own sadness from taking him over. But he tightened his hug on Sarah who felt comfort from it. After a little bit of time, she composed herself. "After I read his letter, I cried myself to sleep in the living room. When I woke up, I read the letter again. And that's when I saw something else he wrote that I didn't notice before the previous night. He said to remember the boy who followed his dreams. I took out your picture and looked at it again. And that's when I decided something." She looked at him, making eye contact with her golden wet yellow eyes. "I decided to not let the bad things hold me down anymore. I decided to fulfill my promise to him and to become the best I could be. And I also made a promise to myself too." She took in a breath before letting it out. "I promised to myself that I would one day find you…battle you…and win or lose, thank you for inspiring me." She gazed into his eyes before she leaned in and placed her lips onto his softly. She held it there for a few seconds before separating and she kept her eyes locked onto his. "Thank you Ash for everything. For helping me, taking me in, teaching me, protecting me, for loving me and for being my Inspiration. I only hope that I can be something to you as well."

Sarah finished her story of her life and leaned her head against his chest, freely letting her tears go while in Ash's embrace. The raven haired guardian was thinking a mile a minute. He couldn't believe how much he had affected her life. How he was the one who kept her going somehow without knowing about it at all. He thought about everything she told him. Having decided on what to say to her, he placed his hand underneath her chin and gently raised her head so he can look into her eyes. "Sarah Wiseman…" started Ash, speaking softly while Sarah was listening to him with her heart hammering. "I cannot believe that I made that much of a difference in your life. And without even knowing about it. I'm humbled by your words and I'm so sorry for what you've been through." She let out some more tears. "I will do anything and everything I can for you." She smiled slightly over that. "And, I have to tell you this too; the first time I saw you at this tournament, I was nervous."

Sarah couldn't believe what she was hearing. "Really?"

He rubbed the back of his head. "Yea. Even though at the time I was only thinking about the girls, I couldn't help but notice how beautiful you are. It had been three years since I had disappeared to prepare for the darkness. Coming back and having to face the number one contender against the Champion of Johto…who is also very attractive…" Sarah blushed at that, unable to help it. "…right off the bat made me very nervous. I just tried to stay as cool as possible, not letting it get to me," he admitted to her.

"So that's what you were doing," remarked Sarah with understanding dawning on her. "You sure did annoy me though with that calm attitude of yours," admitted Sarah cheekily.

He chuckled. "My bad."

Her smile grew. "It's alright. You know, after our battle, when we exchanged numbers, I was hoping that you would call me. That you would ask me out."

He raised one of his eyebrows. "Really?"

She nodded. "Yea. Because after interacting with you, I saw how respectful you are and I knew then that I was right; I had thought that you were one of a kind even before meeting you and I was right. No other could ever measure up." She turned crimson after admitting that but kept her gaze on his.

Ash went red too but also chuckled a bit. "Well, what do you know?" She gave him a confused look and he explained. "It's just funny how things end up being. Who would've guessed that I, me, would be an inspiration to someone else? Let alone a girl. And what are the odds of said girl and her inspiration getting together? How often does that happen?" he asked her.

She thought about what he said before answering back. "Not often at all. Rarely."

"Exactly. And let me tell you this too." Sarah went quiet to hear him. "Your courage, your respectful ways towards others, your love for battling, your determination to do your best and keep your promises…and your love for me, your faith and loyalty in me, is incredible. That means so much to me. That you don't allow others or live events to hold you down, to change your mind or your heart in what you know is true and pure. You fight for what you believe in…wait, that's it! I finally figured it out." She tilted her head a bit at that, making her hair cover part of her face. He moved it gently behind her ear before continuing on, making her heart beat faster over his action. "You are my Fighter…my Faithful Fighter." Sarah let out a small gasp at what he said and she was filling up with emotion. "And let me tell you this; we barely know each other for a few weeks…but its like we know one another for years. I will do anything and everything for you Sarah. I will always love you, treat you fairly and I will never, ever hurt you for any reason. I swear it." With that promise, he leaned in and gently placed his lips onto hers.

Sarah felt like she was going to melt. Her heart was beating madly and she felt like she was complete. She had never felt anything like this before. She never thought she would have her Inspiration. The boy who gave her courage to go after her dreams, to not give up, be hers. She kissed him back and soon their love erupted passionately. She pushed him backwards onto the couch and climbed on top of him. She ran her hands through his hair and she felt his hands rubbing her side and leg. She was becoming enflamed and was having a hard time controlling her actions. Finally, after several minutes of intense lip locked action, the two separated. Yellow and brown eyes looked into one another, seeing the love they have for one another. "Ash…" she said softly before saying her next words in barely a whisper. "I want to become one with you."

Ash raised his hand and cupped her cheek while looking into her unique golden eyes. She leaned into it, loving his touch. "Sarah… I love you. I'll go with the pace you want to go but we don't need to do this and I don't want you to regret it. I don't want you to think you need to do this because of what was said earlier to you by Gary or what I've done with the girls."

Sarah shook her head. "It's not that at all. I truly do want this." She grasped his hand on her cheek with her own. "I will never regret doing anything with you for you are the man for me. After meeting you at this tournament, I realized why I never wanted to talk or interact with any other guy and why my focus was on you. It was because you held my heart from the second I saw your battle with Drake. It was because of you that I was able to break out of my depression and live life. How could anyone else be for me?" Ash had no response to that and Sarah took advantage over that. "I want to experience what real love is. I already had my first kiss with you. I want to experience everything else with you and only you," she said, keeping her eyes locked onto his.

Ash was beyond astonished as to what she just revealed. He couldn't believe it. How could he mean so much to her when he had never met her until the Spirit Tournament? "Sarah…I don't know what to say to that. But I will not do anything to ever hurt you or to take advantage. But I need you and want you to know that I love you and we will always be together. "

A large smile formed on her face after he said that. "And that's why you're the perfect guy for me Ash." Sarah cupped his face with both hands, lowered her head to his and kissed him. He returned the kiss and soon he felt her tongue trying to get into his mouth. He let it and returned the favor. He could feel her body against his, making him become enflamed. He ran his hand up and down her leg while his other hand rubbed her side. She moaned into his mouth and he felt his heart beat increase from it.