I would have finished this chapter few days ago but I had a breakup and there were drama so it took time.

They thought it would be a fairy tale

(Ash quietly watching from the top of the hills as the traitors hypocritically walking through the forest like they had did nothing wrong)

No, it seems they were just delusional

(Ash's eyes was projected at the background and the said eyes opened)

They'd fix their lives

(The traitors happily talking to Cynthia in a café, not knowing that Jude was in the corner, making a call to someone as he watched the traitors)

Then be on their way to their happy ending

(Akeno watching the traitors from the shadows with spirits around her)

They shall realize life

(The traitors being defeated with a smirk by Ash.)

Was never like a bedtime story

(Ash slamming his foot and the traitors before they can react, as the scene shatters to reveal the five people standing on stones of various height, looking down at the traitors)

And then they will learn

(The camera focuses on the order of the height of the stones they are standing on. Jude, who is smirking at them, Akeno, who playfully smiles, Phillip, who narrowed his eyes, Pakura, who opened her amethyst eye and looked away, holding her left arm and Ash who glared at them hatefully with red eyes)

That PAL is no place for backstabbers

(Ash fires a gun at the screen)

And it seems we weren't prepared

(Ash practicing his sword skills, but suddenly sees a younger and a happier version of himself having fun. A distressed Ash falls to his knees in Pakura's room as his telekinesis started levitating everything around him.)

To Pay the Ultimate Price

(Pakura falls into a black pit with a silhouette in the background, while various demoniac creatures appear, as they were engulfed by blue fire.)

Can We Persevere?

(Ash stands on the bowsprit of a ship, as the other Elite members stand behind him)

Actually move on?

(Jasmine placing her hand on Phillip's, smiling at him)

When all hope is gone

(Ash walking over to a depressed Pakura sitting on his bed and tenderly cupped her cheek as she looked up. The camera focuses on her eyes as she narrowed them slightly in contemplation)

There is one thing we can do

(Shiki and Amethyst walking away from a gravestone that is placed with a bouquet of flowers)

Let's fight on!

(Ash's Decidueye battling Lance's Dragonite)

Day by day and not be consumed by our sorrows

(Pakura, Shiki, Ash Amethyst about to face off Champions and traitors, and throwing Pokéballs to reveal their Pokémon)

Our past won't hold us down

(Pakura activating her Pactum Card and donning a pink fairy-like armour and a pair of dual swords that comes with it to fight a silhouetted opponent holding a katana)

We will break free

(Phillip practicing his abilities with the help of his machete and making all metal objects fly around him. Amethyst and Ash killing those who stood their way as they fought demons. )

Though our hearts are torn

(Ash and his Elites being surrounded by a new threat, five giant head silhouettes smirking down at them as they prepared their abilities)

But Love and Time will help

(Ash walking in the forest with Espeon and Lucario, and turns around)

Move onward, don't give up

(Pakura, Phillip, Akeno and Jude standing behind him, as Pakura offers him a hand)

So let's fight on!

Now onto Philip battle

"Beartic use ice beam." Glacia said as Beartic opened his mouth releashing an beam of ice towards Empoleon

"Empoleon dodge and use Hydro Pump." Philip said as Empoleon jumped into the air and released a torrent of water hitting Beartic

"Beartic use Ice Punch." Glacia ordered as Philip smirked back

"Empoleon drill peck." Philip countered

"Charge at it head on!" Glacia shouted. As the two moves clashed, both sides struggled for dominance.  After 10-15 seconds, Empoleon won and broke through the ice punch, hitting Beartic and knocking it back

"Not bad Philip!" Glacia commented "But it's not over yet! Beartic use Blizzard followed up with giga impact." Beartic did as he was told and summoned a blizzard, then Sylveon used protect on the stadium to prevent the audience getting hit by the sub zero move. Empoleon was now surrounded in snow, unable to see Beartic

"Empoleon! Listen closely to your surroundings" Philip advised "Then use steel wing!"

Empoleon knew what Philip wanted it to do. It sat down in the snow, waiting for Beartic to strike.

"Now Beartic!" Glacia shouted, then Beartic came charging from behind with a giga impact.

"Now Empoleon!" Philip yelled, then Empoleon used steal wing, and to everyone's surprise, caught the giga impact, and used the steel wing to smash it into the ground. When the blizzard ended, Beartic had swirls in its eyes

"Beartic is unable to battle. Empoleon wins. Elite Glacia, please send out your next Pokémon."What?! But Beartic came at you with so much speed!" Glacia, Philip smirked

"A magician never reveals his secrets." Philip said

"Right you are. Now! Frostlass, I choose you!" Glacia shouted as the snow land Pokémon appeared

"Empoleon come back! Now Raichu, Come on out!" Philip shouted as the mouse Pokémon appeared on the battlefield

"Both trainers ready?" Evan askedGlacia and Philip nodded

"Alright then, battle begin!"

"Raichu use Thunder on Frostlass." Philip ordered as Raichu released a big Thunder hitting Frostlass who screamed in pain

"Frostlass Hyper beam." Glacia said as Frostlass opened her mouth as Phillip smirked

"Take it." Philip said as Raichu nodded as the hyper beam hit him as smoke rises as the crowd

waited in anticipation as the dust cleared revealing a smirking Raichu

"Sheer cold." Glacia said as Philip smirked grew as he looked at Raichu who smirked as well as Frostlass released her sheer cold attack freezing the field

"Reversal." Philip said as Raichu did as he was told as it sent Frostlass attack back towards Frostlass knocking it with one KO

"Froslass is unable to battle. Raichu wins. Elite Glacia, please send out your last Pokémon."

"Abomasnow, I choose you!" Glacia sent out the Frost Tree Pokémon. As soon as Abomasnow appeared in the battlefield, a brief blizzard occurred, covering the grass field with snow.

"Huh, it looks like her Abomasnow's Ability is Snow Warning." Ash commented.

"Indeed. I wonder what Phillip would do?" Pakura replied.

"Raichu, return for now!" He returned Raichu back to her Pokéball. 'Hmm, should I send out Empoleon again, or a new Pokémon? I never really seen an Abomasnow in battle because Pakura doesn't own one. Oh well.'

"Phillip, will you use me for this one?" Parichsu asked. Dedenne blinked up at Phillip for his answer.

"Not today, Parichsu. I'll use you next time." Phillip replied, petting Parichsu on the head, at the same time taking out another Pokéball.

"Alright." Parichsu nodded, though she sounded a little disappointed.

"Metagross, I need your help!" He sent out his Iron Leg Pokémon.

"Now...Mega Evolution, commence!" Metagross' Mega Stone was reacting to Phillip's Mega Stickpin, and Metagross Mega Evolved into Mega Metagross.

This Mega Evolution interested a certain Steel-type Champion, namely Steven Stone, as he never knew until now that his main Pokémon, Metagross had the potential to Mega Evolve. He wondered if he should ask one of them for a Key Stone and a Mega Stone for his Metagross. Just then, the door opened, and Jasmine came in, looking happier.

"What did I miss?" Jasmine asked, sitting at the front row with the PAL Elites.

"Phillip took down Glacia's Beartic with his Empoleon in the first round, and her Froslass with his Raichu. Her fatal mistake was to use Attract, as Phillip's Raichu is female." Ash explained to Jasmine.

"They are now beginning Round 3."Pakura said

Glacia wondered how she could counter Phillip's ability to command Pokémon without saying anything and what she should do about it.

"Both Trainers ready?" Evan asked Glacia and Phillip nodded. "Alright then, battle begin!"

"You may have the first move." Phillip offered.

Glacia smiled. "Wrong move. Abomasnow, Earthquake!"

'Ground-type moves are super effective. Clever, but.....' Phillip thought. 'Metagross, Magnet Rise!' Mega Metagross' body became surrounded in yellow and it rose off the ground, effectively avoiding Earthquake.

'Now, Gyro Ball!' Phillip inwardly commanded. Mega Metagross slammed into Abomasnow, sending it skidding backwards.

"Shadow Ball!" Glacia countered. Mega Metagross was hit by Shadow Ball, but it simply shook its head and got back to battle stance.

'Flash Cannon!' Phillip countered mentally, and Mega Metagross shot a powerful one at Abomasnow.

"Dodge, and use Bulldoze."

'Use Magnet Rise one more time, and counter with Sludge Bomb!' Phillip nodded to his Pokémon. Mega Metagross managed to avoid the Ground-type move by using Magnet Rise, and from where it was floating, it shot a Sludge Bomb with Abomasnow. Luckily for Phillip, the Sludge Bomb managed to poison Abomasnow.

"Abomasnow, Grass Whistle!" Glacia commanded. Despite the poison spreading, it managed to use the move, causing Mega Metagross to fall asleep, deactivating Magnet Rise.

'Metagross, Sleep Talk, hurry!' Sleep Talk turned out to be Psychic, and while sleeping Mega Metagross threw Abomasnow against the wall. Abomosnow got up, glowing purple, signifying the poison status. At the same time, Mega Metagross woke up

"No way..." Glacia gasped.

"How did it wake up so fast?"Phillip smiled. "When a Pokémon is affectionate with a Trainer, a Pokémon would do anything to show their best side to their Trainer, including fighting off status conditions. In this case, my Metagross shook itself awake so I wouldn't worry about it. Isn't it right, Metagross?"

"That's right, Phillip." Metagross replied happily."Amazing...the friendship between the PAL Elites and their Pokémon is so deep...no wonder they stand out among us, and you can command without saying anything." Glacia muttered.

"But, I'm not giving up just yet! Finish it with Sheer Cold!"

'Use Psychic one more time to send it back!' Phillip thought, and Mega Mategross obeyed. Phillip told Mega Metagross to use Aerial Ace, which finished off Abomasnow.

"Abomasnow is unable to battle! Mega Metagross wins! Which means, the winner is Elite Phillip!" Evan announced.

"Alright, Phillip won!" Akeno cheered.

Ash had to separate from the others, as he had to go to the Launch Room to get to the battlefield, since his battle with Trip was the very first one. He went down a series of staircases before finally reaching a door, and Ash knew he had reached the Launch Room. The Launch Room was a small chamber where trainers go to be launched in the battlefield. Due to the fact that the platform can only hold up to 200kg, during tag battles, the League Officials had no choice but to let participants enter through the exit during tag battles, since to put it nicely, they think some of the trainers are on the wrong end of the scale.

Ash took a tiny sips from glass of water, and sat down on a couch, waiting for the time where he'll have to step on the platform.

"So, it's time to take that guys down, huh?" Espeon asked eagerly.

Ash smirked. "Yes. I know, Espeon, I'll have to leave you out. I'm saving you for the Finals."

"That's if you get to the Finals." Lucario said.

Ash shook his head. "I definitely will. I mean, I defeated Paku, and I'm absolutely sure she can defeat the strongest regional Champion here. I hope I can face her again in the Finals, the battle with her was the most fun I ever had."

A pleasant female voice announced it was time to get to the battlefield, and Ash stepped on the platform with Espeon on his shoulder and Lucario beside him. A glass box was lowering around them, effectively trapping them in the platform. He can hear Ken's announcement as the platform began to rise, which caused Ash to be in darkness.

"Continuing the Pokémon World Championship at the PAL Battle Arena, beginning from now would be a single battle consisting of each trainer using three Pokémon. The stadium would change randomly after every battle, and the first battlefield of Round One of the top 128 battles would take place in Grassy Terrain." said Ken. Here, the neutral battlefield went downwards, similar to how they changed the battlefield in the Sinnoh League Ash participated in years ago, and was replaced with a grass battlefield.

"And our first competitors are Champion Red and Trainer Trip!" That was when the platform pushed Ash out to the battlefield. Opposite him, Trip was also pushed out to the battlefield as well.

As soon as they were launched into the battlefield, Trip pointed at Ash. "You! How dare you send our friend home when she did nothing wrong!" Trip shouted.

Ash shook his head. Trip is trying to get Ash agitated and hopefully do something reckless so that he'll be defamed.

"She smashed Paku's Keystone on purpose just because Paku didn't let her in on the Battle Rounds for the Contest due to her horrible Appeal. She even refused to pay Paku back, and we do not tolerate this kind of behaviour in PAL." Ash replied calmly.

"You tell him, Prince Ash!" someone shouted, and everyone else cheered in favour for Ash.

"Should we start our battle?" Ash gave a fake benign smile to a furious Trip.

"I'll get you for this." Trip growled, as he sent out his Jellicent, which made Ash realize Trip's Frillish evolved.

"Infernape, lend me your aura!" He sent out the final form of Chimchar.

"Are you stupid? Why are you sending out a Fire Pokémon against a Water type like my Jellicent?" Trip demanded.

"If I can stand a chance against Jude's Jellicent, I can defeat yours. After all, your Jellicent is weaker than his." Ash replied. 'I better avoid contact moves, since his Jellicent has the Ability Cursed Body.'

"Battle begin!" Evan announced.

"Jellicent, start things of by using Shadow Ball!" Trip commanded.

Ash smirked. "Hit it back with Hammer Arm." Infernape's forearms glowed white and it hit the Shadow Ball, sending it back to Jellicent, hitting him, Jellicent managed to get up, however.

"Jellicent, attack with Hydro Pump!" Trip said.

"Flamethrower, go!" Ash pointed to Jellicent. The Hydro Pump and Flamethrower clashed, and it seemed to be a stalemate, until the Flamethrower managed to overpower the Hydro Pump, effectively hitting Jellicent again.

"Grr...Jellicent, get up and use Bubble Beam." Jellicent shot out multiple bubbles form his mouth at Infernape.

"Infernape, use Ember to disperse the bubbles!" Infernape obeyed, and dispersed the bubbles quickly.

"What's wrong Trip? Can't get an attack on my Infernape?" Ash laughed.

"I'll get you for this! Jellicent, use Double Team, and when Infernape destroys the copies, use Dark Pulse!" Jellicent made multiple copies of himself, and surrounded Infernape.

Ash sighed. Didn't Trip learn from Pakura's battle that the PAL Elites can tell which one is the real one among the copies since they can use aura to detect them, therefore making Double Team useless?

"You're making it too easy. Infernape, use Flamethrower on the one North West from where you're facing." Infernape did, and sure enough that is the real Jellicent, and as soon as he got hit, the copies disappeared.

"Stop playing and attack already, Ash!" Espeon was getting bored with Trip's attempts to hit Infernape.

"Alright, alright, Espeon. Infernape, use Sunny Day!" Ash said, and Infernape made two white orbs appear his hands, and released the two white orbs into the sky. The orbs combine as one and formed a bright sun over the battlefield, which effectively cut Water-type moves in half, and power up Fire-type moves.

"Jellicent, Hyper Beam!" Jellicent charged up a Hyper Beam, and aimed at Infernape.

"Infernape, Gyro Ball!" Light blue orbs appeared at the end of his hands, and his body was then surrounded by light blue sparkles. Infernape then spun rapidly and slammed into Jellicent, making him misfire the Hyper Beam.

Jellicent now needed to recharge for a while, and Ash took the opportunity to use Grass Knot to trip Jellicent, sending it to the ground.

"Get up and use Toxic!" Trip yelled.

"Infernape, Wild Charge." Infernape tackled Jellicent while surrounded by yellow electricity, which caused him to crash to the ground again. Jellicent got up, however, and tried to get to the side to attack

"Don't let him get away! Surround Jellicent by using Flamethrower on the battlefield!" Ash commanded, and since it was a grass battlefield, the fire spread easily, leaving Jellicent stuck in the middle.

"Finish it with Solar Beam!" Ash commanded. Infernape obeyed, and the Solar Beam hit a sending him flying thorugh the fire and crashing against the wall. He now had swirls for eyes, indicating it was knocked out. It was also burnt rather badly.

"Jellicent is unable to battle. Trainer Trip, please send out your next Pokémon!" Evan said.

"What a battle! Trainer Trip was unable to damage Ash's Infernape despite being a type advantage. What would he do now?" Ken wondered, as the ruined battlefield was replaced with a new grass battlefield.

Trip then chose his Chesnaught as his second Pokémon.

'Knew he'd use his new Pokémon at some point.' Ash thought, sending out his own Chesnaught. He wanted to give his other Pokémon a chance, considering he had a lot of Pokémon at the moment, so he planned to use one Pokémon for each battle no matter what, while holding on to his intention to not lose one Pokémon to the traitors he would battle.

"Wow, look what we have here. Thanks for sending me out, Ash." Chesnaught said.

"Not a problem." Ash smiled.

"Battle begin!" Evan announced.

"Chesnaught, start things off with Leaf Storm!"

"You use Leaf Storm too!" Ash commanded.

The two Leaf Storms clashed and just as before, Ash's Leaf Storm overpowered Trip's, causing both Leaf Storms to hit his Chesnaught.

"Hurry and use Secret Power!" Since it was a grass battlefield, Ash's Chesnaught's body glow pink and multiple green tentacle-like energy appeared around her. Then, similar green tentacle-like energy surrounded Trip's Chesnaught as he got up, wrapped around him, and Trip's Chesnaught fell asleep.

"Chesnaught, wake up!" Trip yelled.

"Ran into a problem?" Ash was trying not to laugh. It looked like he never taught his Chesnaught how to use Sleep Talk.

"Chesnaught, use Giga Drain." Ash commanded. Chesnaught went over to the sleeping opponent and absorbed his energy, at the same time recovering hers.

However, Trip's Chesnaught started to wake up, and Ash hastily used Gastro Acid.

"What does Gastro Acid do? It didn't seem to do any damage or reduce any stat changes." Trip was smirking.

Ash grinned. "Your Chesnaught has the Ability Overgrow, right?"

Trip nodded.

"With Gastro Acid, Overgrow can't be activated. This move suppresses Abilities. In other words, your Chesnaught's Grass type moves won't be powered up even if he is close to fainting."

Trip's smirk faded, to be replaced by pure outrage. "You did what?" He shouted.

"Please stop shouting, I want to keep my hearing please." Ash muttered, which earned laughter from the audience.

"Chesnaught, use Leaf Tornado!" Trip commanded.

"Take it on with Twister!" Ash countered.

The Twister easily cut through the Leaf Tornado, and the Twister sent Trip's Chesnaught flying.

"Finish it off with Aerial Ace!" Ash said. As Trip's Chesnaught fell to the ground, Ash's Chesnaught hit him with a super-effective Aerial Ace, which knocked Trip's Chesnaught out.

"Chesnaught is unable to battle! Trainer Trip, please send out your final Pokémon!" Evan said.

Trip then sent out Conkeldurr as his last Pokémon.

Ash smirked, and switched out his Chesnaught for Gengar.

"Battle begin!"

"Conkeldurr, use Bulk Up!" Conkeldurr's body became surrounded in a crimson aura and it flexed its body, causing the muscles to thicken.

Ash shook his head. Bulk Up is not a good move when the opponent is in perfect condition to react immediately. "Gengar, use Shadow Ball!"

"Hurry dodge it!"

'Now that interrupted Bulk Up.' Ash thought. "Gengar, Dazzling Gleam!"

Gengar emitted a powerful flash of light, which damaged Conkeldurr.

Without giving Trip time to react, he said, "Now Hypnosis!"

When the light cleared, Conkeldurr was met with Gengar waving its arms in hypnotic patterns and Conkeldurr starting feeling sleepy and fell asleep, just like Chesnaught in the previous round.

"Wake up, Conkeldurr! You're my last hope in trashing that loser Red's Pokémon!" Trip shouted.

At those words, many people, especially the girls, shot dirty looks at Trip, and angry mutters filled the stadium.

"What's your problem?" One even asked.

"Thrash him, ash!" Another shouted.

"Now, Gengar, Dream Eater." Gengar released a shadow-like version of itself at the sleeping Conkeldurr and the shadow went through him, sucking up Conkeldurr's energy, and recovering the energy he lost from the moves Ash told him to use.

"Get up, Conkeldurr!" Trip yelled.

"No use, now use Nightmare!" Ash commanded. Conkeldurr started shivering in fear, like someone would do when they have a bad dream when sleeping.

"Please, wake up!"

Trip's voice apparently got to Conkeldurr since it started to open its eyes, and Ash coldly ordered Gengar to use Psychic, followed by Giga Impact on Conkeldurr. Gengar obeyed, and Conkeldurr was lifted into the air, and slammed to the ground, and before it could even get up, Gengar used Giga Impact on Conkeldurr. The impact of the move caused a huge explosion in the middle of the battlefield. Trip covered his eyes to prevent dust from getting into it, but Ash stood there unfazed, being used to these types of explosions.

When the smoke cleared, Conkeldurr was badly damaged, but still got up.

"Well, well, it looks like your Conkeldurr has a strong will." Ash commented. "Too bad it's not going to last long."

"What are you talking about?" Trip demanded. "I will win this battle! You're just a coward who abuses his power to put the innocents into jail just because you feel like it!"

Ash's smile curled malevolently at the edges, and the PAL Elites (except Pakura) shivered at the smile. It's the same smile Pakura would make before killing her victim.

"Really now?" Ash laughed. "You're convinced that you are right, even when the evidence is against you?"

Ash laughed softly. Trip would never learn.

"Do you know why I even held this conversation?" Ash smirked. "Gengar, Hyper Beam!"

Trip realized Ash made him talk to buy Gengar time to rest after using Giga Impact.

"Hurry, Conkeldurr, get out of there!"

But it was too late. As the Hyper Beam hit, Conkeldurr was sent flying to the wall, and it was being held up against the wall by the Hyper Beam. Ash nodded to Gengar, and Gengar increased the power put in the Hyper Beam.

When Ash sensed that at the rate he's going, he'll send Conkeldurr to the Pokémon Center Emergency Ward, Ash held up a hand, and Gengar ended the Hyper Beam. Conkeldurr fell to the ground with a thud, and the swirls on its eyes indicated it was no longer able to battle.

"Conkeldurr is unable to battle. So, the winner is Champion Red!" Evan announced, to massive applause and cheers.

"It looks like Trainer Trip was unable to take out one of Champion Red's Pokémon, even when he did have the advantage." Ken commented. "He was simply not match for Champion Red's Pokémon!" The audience cheered at that.

"What did you say about defeating me again, Trippy?" Ash asked mockingly. Some of the audience laughed at Ash's nickname to Trip.

"I'll get you for this." Trip gritted his teeth as he saw that his Conkeldurr was heavily injured.

"Keep talking, and your mouth would fall off." Ash waved dismissively. "Save it for the talking tournament, won't you?" With that, he left the battlefield.

"Well, that's one down." Espeon commented.

Ash nodded, and on the way back to the VIP Box,

------------------

Phillip sat near the lake, playing a game on his 3DS console called Ace Attorney, while his Pokémon were out enjoying the scenery. Earlier, he had been called to the Gamer's Paradise Headquarters to test out this game before they sell it to the public. Apparently, according to the creators of the said game, the game was made based on real cases, and the people were real too.

Phillip knew this was true, as the Hunter's Associations are affiliated with various organizations all over the world, and that includes the law firm that is stated in the games. He thought it would be nice to meet all those game characters in person one day.

Subsequently, he knew that there was already a Pokémon Game where the player gets to explore their region and challenge the Pokémon League there produced in their country, and according to the creators there, most of the players' favourite character in the game was Pakura. Phillip shook his head at the thought. Of course, Pakura would be their favourite. After all, she was also the most popular Elite member in the PAL region as well.

So far, Phillip had enjoyed the court battles, though he wished he was able to play as a prosecutor in the trials, as every time he played a case, the defendant always gets a "Not Guilty" as a verdict. It gets boring after a while.

'Sigh, we have such a big world out there, sometimes we forget in some countries, there are no Pokémon at all, only animals.' Phillip thought, as he began the Cross-Examination, being careful not to get a penalty. 'And the Kurain Channelling Technique is such a cool ability! It's like the user is a medium for communication with the dead!'

"How's the game so far?" Pachirisu looked over his shoulder into the screen.

"It's definitely fun." Phillip replied, thinking of his next move. "I am going to approve of the production in our region once I am done with the game. Although, I won't mind playing as a prosecutor once in a while. I mean, a Not Guilty verdict for every trial is....getting old."

"Too true." His Mawile walked over to him. "So have you imagined yourself playing a role in the game?"

"Well, I guess if the five of us were in, Akeno would be a detective, since she's a part Crime Hunter and all, but I am sure she wants to stand in the courtroom since that is where the main action is, so I'll say she would be a Defense Attorney." Phillip said.

"How about you?" Raichu came over to ask.

"I guess I'll be the detective, I am not cut out to battle in court. Pakura, on the other hand would be a Prosecutor, and I am sure she would have a perfect win record, even against the other Defense Attorneys I have played as so far."

"And Jude?" Aegislash decided to join the group discussion.

"Definitely a Defense Attorney. I'm sure he'll be a really cool one, as I imagine he would be working in the entertainment industry as well."

"How about Champion Ash?" Emolga asked, flying over to them.

"Well.....I am sure he'll be a Prosecutor. Maybe he used to be a Defense Attorney or something." Phillip chuckled nervously. "Or would that be Pakura?" Being the smartest of the group, Phillip had suspected Pakura was keeping things from them, but left it alone because perhaps her mysterious past (nobody knew of her life before she became an Elite Four member) was too painful for her to speak of. Maybe she was just like him, if not worse, in terms of childhood.

The ironic thing about the PAL Elites is that each one of the members, with the exception of former elite Rosaline, had something happen to them that had left them bitter and possess a dark psychology, which allowed them to become experienced Hunters, and in extension, killers. This was one of the reasons why they seemingly isolate themselves from the rest of the other regions, and only revealed themselves when the tournament started because they didn't have a choice.

This was also why Pakura dismissed Rosaline as a mere child despite Rosaline actually being older than her because Rosaline did not know what it is like to have a negative life-changing experience and felt that she was mocking them by thinking all she needed was to win the Trainer's Tournament in order to apply to be a PAL Elite Four member.

Phillip had sided the Leader, agreeing that Rosaline was not cut out to be one of them. Jude on the other hand was hesitant, as he knew that he had a double advantage against Rosaline's type specialty, and asked them to give her another chance. Jude was forced to give in when Rosaline was pitted against Pakura, whose Fairy/Ice types are at a disadvantage against Rosaline's Fire, but still lost badly despite her huge advantage.

Phillip thought at that time, Pakura wanted to kill Rosaline on the spot out of anger, but somehow managed herself, because Rosaline had fervently begged for another chance to prove herself. Pakura must have conceded she saw potential in Rosaline, as she gave her three weeks to become a professional Hunter.

That year, Phillip was asked to be one of the examiners of the Hunter Exam, and he was really surprised at A being able to harden her heart and burn her opponents to death at the Fourth Phase of the exam, not bothering giving them a quick one. He almost felt sorry that they had to make Rosaline kill her own innocence and compassion like that just to get the last spot, but then again, no one in the PAL Elite Four is innocent. Pakura had agreed to let her in once Phillip had reported back to her of what he observed in the Hunter Exam. But Ash had killed her once he found the truth of her intention

Phillip saved his game, closed his console and returned his Pokémon, as he had decided to get a chocolate cone at the ice cream shop at Yelado Town which was adjacent to Luonto City, which was where the Battle Arena, Battle Tower and the Plaza Hotel were located. He could do with something sweet after the events that had happened today.

Later Ash was in the forest training

"Hey, Pakura" Espeon greeted, making Ash stop his training. Sure enough, Pakura was there

"Hey, Pakura." Ash greeted her.

Pakura nodded at him.

"So what are you doing in the forest?" Ash asked.

"Came to find you. The deep parts of the forests are quiet and nice, isn't it?" Pakura replied.

"Sure is. It's pretty nice and cool too." Ash said. Just as he finished his sentence, both of them heard a crack of whip in the air, and a pained Pokémon's cry.

Ash and Pakura looked at each other, and nodded, before rushing off to the direction where they had heard the noises, Ash a considerable distance behind Pakura.

Both of them stopped when they were at the source of the noise.

"You stupid Pokémon!" A vaguely familiar voice shouted, shouting at a cowering Pokémon. The Pokémon had its forepaws tied to the trunk, and it slumps barely conscious on its knees, held up only by the ropes at its forepaws. What used to be its back was a raw, bloody slab of flesh. Ash could tell that this Pokémon was a Vulpix judging by the red-brown fur and the six orange tails. By the pleas Vulpix was making, Ash could tell it was female.

"I should've won the Top 32, but you have let me down!" The boy shouted. Ash noted that this boy had teal hair and purple eyes. Ash gasped, in surprise and anger. It was Charizard's former trainer, Damian.

And he is here in their region.

As Damian brought down the whip once more, someone grabbed it. It was Pakura.

"That's enough." Pakura said coldly to Damian, as she reached over to untie the Vulpix and cradle her in her arms. "How could you do this to a Pokémon? You're a monster."

Damian, however, wasn't paying attention. Instead, he was checking her out, looking at her assets, and drooling at her cleavage.

"Wow, a beautiful girl just coming in to talk to me....it must be my lucky day!" Damian approached Pakura. "Would you like to go for some coffee with me, and get to know each other?" He winked at her. Making ash really pissed off

Pakura looked at him in disgust. "I don't go for little boys." She sneered.

"Come on, once you get to know me, you know I'm the One." He reached for her hand, but a Pokémon used Psychic on him, holding him, and before he could recover, someone gripped his wrist so tightly it actually formed a bruise. Damian turned to see Ash, slightly dazed from the Psychic. Judging by the Glare of of Espeon, the Psychic most likely came from him.

"Listen here, Damian, she's not here to accept a date, we are here to arrest you for abuse of Pokémon. You know you can get executed for that, since you are in our region, and you follow our rules." Ash hissed. At the background, Pakura began healing Vulpix.

"Who do you think you are to tell me what to do?" Damian replied arrogantly. "I bet I can beat you in a second!"

Espeon started to glare, while Lucario started to growled at Damian. Pakura, Sylveon  were also glaring at him.

"Oh really?" Ash laughed. "How about we battle right here, right now?"

"Sure!" Damian replied, not knowing what he is getting himself into.

"Why don't we make a bet, you win, and I'll let you go..."

"And I get a date with this hot chick!" Damian interrupted, looking at Pakura.

"And you'll get her as a date." Ash agreed. Pakura didn't say anything, as she knew there is no way he'll win. "If I win, you give us...." He paused dramatically. "Your Pokémon and your life. How does that sound?"

"Sounds fine." Damian said, knowing he'd get a beautiful date soon. He couldn't wait to brag to all of his friends. "Go, Absol!"

Much to Ash's disgust, Absol didn't seem to any better condition than Vulpix to battle. He clenched his fists at the battered and bruised body of Absol's. However, he was calm enough to hold Espeon and Lucario back.

"Guys, I think we should send an old friend out. Shall we?" Ash gave a dark smirk.

The Pokémon knew what he meant, and nodded both eagerly and reluctantly.

"Lend me your aura, Charizard!" Ash threw his Pokéball, and out came Charizard, who roared to the heavens, causing some sort of shockwave. He was wearing two Mega Stones on his neck, which he could actually choose which should react with Ash's Key Stone.

"Charizard, we're having a battle with an old friend. Perhaps you want to take care of it?" Ash smiled.

Charizard looked around, before looking down at Damian. He growled when he remembered where he had seen Damian before.

"Charizard, let's take him down...badly." Ash said.

"I'll do more than that." Charizard replied, cracking his knuckles.

"You may have the first move." Ash offered.

'As if that makes it any better.' Pakura thought.

"Absol, start things off with Shadow Ball!" Damian commanded.

"Charizard, disperse it with Shadow Claw!" Ash replied. Charizard did, and the Shadow Ball was sliced in half.

"Use Quick Attack!" Damian said.

"Dodge them." Ash nodded to Charizard, and Charizard kept dodging Absol's attacks. Absol tried its best to his Charizard, but he was simply too fast.

"What are you doing, Absol? Hurry up and hit that thing!" Damian yelled.

"Charizard, use Air Slash!" Charizard fired multiple light blue glowing saw disc-like energy blades at Absol, all hitting him effectively.

"Grr...Absol, Double Team!" Absol created copies of itself, but Ash could tell that due to fatigue, the copies were flickering.

Ash knew he had to knock out Absol. "Charizard, let Absol out of its misery. Use Focus Blast." Charizard obeyed, and the super-effective move knocked it out instantly.

"You useless Pokémon! How could you...." Before he could finish, Ash placed a hand on his shoulder.

"You lost. Now to give us what you bet. Your Pokémon, please."

Damian took out all his Pokéballs (which was way more than six and it's illegal unless you're a Gym Leader, Elite Four or Champion) and tossed them to Ash, before turning to leave, but Ash stopped him again with a chilling smile.

'He learned alot from his siblings.' Pakura thought, looking at Ash's disturbing smile, as she absent-mindedly petted the Vulpix, which made Vulpix purr in contentment.

"I haven't get the second thing we want. Your life."

Damian widened his eyes. Was he really going to die? He looked to the girl for help, but she wasn't even looking at him.

"Charizard, Fire Blast, Lucario Aura Sphere, Espeon swift.  Combine all these moves, and make sure he suffers." Ash ordered. "Now when they are done, I will finish this off. Pakura take his Pokémon to the Pokémon Center." Pakura bowed, showing she understood his orders.

A scream echoed through the deep parts of the forest.

Moments later, there was a gunshot. and Ash was smirking very hard

"It's going to be a while before they are healed completely. The abuse has done a lot of damage to them." Nurse Joy reported to Ash and Pakura. "Vulpix seems to be much better, but we are keeping it in the Center just in case."

"Very well, Nurse Joy." Ash nodded. He knew Pakura had the ability to heal Pokémon, but didn't mention it as it might risk Pakura being asked by various people to heal their Pokémon with even the smallest injury, and it may lead to them abusing her power, which means that even if she were exhausted, they would still demand her to keep using that healing power. However, what he didn't know was that she also could heal humans, as she didn't bother telling him that part of her power.

"I think we should get the other Elites to come down here tomorrow. Maybe they can adopt some of the Pokémon." Ash said.

"But we have to ask if they want to come with us or go back to the wild. We have to respect their decision." Pakura replied.

"You're right. We'll ask them, and we'll adopt for those who wants to come along with us."

Few hours later

"Hello, Elites." Nurse Joy greeted them. "Here to see the Pokémon?"

"Yes." Ash replied. "How are they?"

"Good, thank you for asking. The Pokémon are recovering nicely. But some are still emotionally jittery." Nurse Joy replied, and her Blissey nodded. "They are currently living in rooms that we assigned for them until we find the time to bring them back in the wild or someone comes along and adopt them."

"So, Blissey, did you ask if they wanted to go back to the wild or be adopted?" Ash enquired.

"I did. Nurse Joy and I took the liberty into separating the Pokémon into two different rooms. Shall I take you to the room where the Pokémon wished to be adopted?"

"I know I've seen it many times, but understanding PokéSpeech is still impressive." Nurse Joy complimented.

"Thanks, Nurse Joy." Jude gave her a smile that made her blush.

Ash nodded for Blissey to lead the way, and Blissey led the four of them to a door.

"Here is where the Pokémon who wanted to be adopted is currently residing at."

Ash nodded, as he opened the door, gesturing for the other Elites to enter.

"Whoa, just how many Pokémon does this guy have?" Jude demanded. "Is it even legal?"

"Beats me. But I'm glad he's gone." Akeno replied, looking around at the hopeful eyes of the Pokémon. She immediately saw one she liked, and went over to greet it.

Ash watched as Akeno started to connect with a Chikorita, and he himself went over to a Swampert.

"Hello." Ash greeted. The Swampert looked at him warily.

"Don't worry, I'm a friend. I'm here to help." Ash said kindly, holding out a hand. "I promise, I would never hurt you."

"He'll never do it, Swampert. All of us are happy under his ownership. I promise." Espeon assured.

"That's right. He values Pokémon more than his own life." Lucario replied. "And I'm sure you're a brave one, wanting to be adopted and try for a new trainer."

Swampert considered their words, before holding Ash's hand, and calmed down at the soothing aura he emitted.

"Do you want to be my Pokémon? It's ok if you don't." Ash smiled.

Swampert shrugged. "I guess I can try again."

"Good. But so you know, you can leave anytime you want, if you don't like me. Just say the word." Ash nodded, as he tapped a Pokéball, and Swampert got sucked in. He then went over to talk to another Pokémon called Smeargle, who was sitting on the bed staring into space.

After The elites got the pokemon they want

"Yay, I got a Clefairy, Chikorita and a Lilligant!" Akeno held out her three Pokéballs. Espeon was trotting by her side, excited to have some new teammates.

"Bisharp, Dedenne and Aegislash are all mine!" Phillip was putting two Pokéballs in his pocket, and his new Dedenne was out on his shoulder. Emolga was currently helping Dedenne feel welcome.

" I got Vulpix and a Shinx." Pakura said holding two Pokéball

"And I got a Vivillion, Ninetales and a Dewgong." Jude said happily. "What did you get, Ash,

"I got a Swampert, a Decidueye, Litten, and a Smeargle, as well. I wonder how Damian can abuse Pokémon like them. Good thing is the ones we didn't adopt would be open for adoption to all the other trainers. But they have to go through a test first before adopting in case a new Damian appears." Ash said as he knew that they didn't need any test because everyone knew that the PAL Elites treat their Pokémon very well.

''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''

"Game set, Robinson, 7-5!" A machine announced in the Sports Complex.

Jude panted, as he straightened himself up. "Great game, Phillip!"

Phillip nodded. "You too." He replied, as both of them walked to the benches to get a drink, placing their racquets beside them.

"That was a great job, Phillip." Jasmine complimented. She was sitting at the bench watching them play.

"Thanks." Phillip nodded, as Jasmine passed him his bottle. As both of them started on their isotonic drinks, Phillip started to talk. "Hey, Jude?"

"Yes?" Jude replied, looking at the person sitting next to him.

"Has it occurred that Ash has being holding back doing mission on his Blacklist hunter mission?"

"What made you have this theory?" Jasmine frowned, as Jude wiped his sweat off with a towel.

"Look, we all know Ash will kill anyone who is a bad person?" Philip

"Yeah, me too, Phillip. ." Jude sighed.

Phillip was in deep thought about something. He was currently living the good life, as he had everything he could ever ask for: cool friends, a powerful position, great Pokémon, a high-paying job that is dangerous but fulfilling which fits his somewhat adventurous character, and people vying for his attention, especially a certain Gym Leader, who he inwardly admitted was pretty..

Jasmine looked at Jude and Phillip worriedly. By the looks of things, there was something off.

"Yeah...." Jasmine agreed.

"Makes sense...." Phillip trailed off. But why does he think it's more than that?

He inwardly shook his head, and turned to Jasmine. "Jasmine, after this, do you want to...well...train your Pokémon with me for your er...battle?"

Jasmine smiled. "I'd love to."

SNAP!

Both of them looked up to see Jude lowering his camera. "Aww, how sweet." He joked.

Jasmine got up, but Jude managed to escape.

Phillip shook his head, as he tried to supress his laughter. "Don't chase him, Jasmine. He usually likes taking pictures of us doing our daily stuff when we are unaware, looks more natural that way, he says. He's very good at photography, you know. I guess we forgot to mention he's a famous blogger as well."

"Must be a really busy social life." Jasmine raised her eyebrows.

"Yeah." Phillip nodded. "That's why he's one of the more popular Elites."

----------

"You gamble too much, Grimsley." Akeno looked at Grimsley in disapproval, as they left the Casino in Ludunt City. "Do you know it's unhealthy?"

"Hey, what's wrong with a little bet on your luck?" Grimsley shrugged.

Akeno shook her head. "Fine, it's either you stop gambling from now onwards, or I'll...."

"Or?" Grimsley prompted her.

"I'm breaking up with you!" There were unshed tears in Akeno's eyes, as if it hurt her to say that.

Grimsley froze in fear. He remembered what had happened after he asked Akeno out.

Grimsley was alone, counting the money he had won through gambling for today. He looked up, and found Ash pointing a knife at the back of his head in the mirror.

"Move and I will kill you. Make a sound, and I will kill you. Attack, I will kill you. If you understand, close your eyes." Ash said in a soft but deadly tone.

Grimsley trembled, and closed his eyes. He knew Ash is not above in hurting others physically. Once, if he remembered, Akeno once mentioned he was the best assassin among the five of them.

"Now, answer me. You asked Akeno out correct?" Ash asked seriously

Grimsley meekly nodded.

"I want you to treat her well. I know of your reputation as a playboy, Elite Grimsley. I know about how you go out with girls, and dump them a week later. I really care about Akeno, since she is one of my closest friend and if you hurt her your dead. If you understand, open your eyes, and look at me in the mirror." He did, and saw that his eyes looked like the ones from the underworld.

"But, Akeno is an adult, she should-" Grimsley started.

"Don't interrupt me, Grimsley." Ash cut him off coldly. Grimsley flinched at his tone. "You may be Unova's Elite Four member, but if you take one step out of the line, I won't hesitate. It has nothing to do with your abilities and position. After all, you are an ordinary Elite, so what am I afraid of?"

Grimsley trembled, as Ash went on, ""I just thought I can warn you whenever and wherever. When you sleep, when you are in the bathroom....One point of advice, never try to ask a PAL Elite out without being ready for commitment. We hate that." With that, he took out a knife, and threw the knife across the room, hitting an insect. Grimsley flinched at his stunning accuracy.

"You better do as I say. If you want to go out with her, stay true to her, and do whatever she says. Swear it."

"I understand."

"OK! I will try!" Grimsley shouted, hastily stepping back. The unshed tears immediately disappeared, and Akeno became happier.

With Ash

Only Phillip was at the living room, watching some Chinese game show. While all Elites are fluent in another language besides English, Phillip is the best in this case. Ash himself is fluent in Latin, French, and Spanish, Jude understands German, Pakura understands Chinese and Japanese, Akeno understands Korean, and Phillip understands Japanese, Irish, German, French, Italian, Chinese, Korean, Latin, and Spanish.

"Hey, how did tennis with Jude go?" Ash asked.

"Fine." Phillip shrugged. "I won, of course."

"Didn't Jasmine go with you?"

"She did. After that, I went to train her Pokémon for tomorrow."

"You know she had a slim chance against Lance, right?" Ash enquired.

"I know that. But what's stopping her from putting up a good fight against him? Besides, she has a Mega Stone for her Steelix and her own Mega bracelet now."

"You gave her a Key Stone and a Mega Stone?" Ash was surprised.

"Well, yeah. I mean, the friendship between her and her Steelix is pretty strong, so I figured she should use it. Is something wrong?"

"You're right. The tournament would be much more interesting with the Mega Evolution. And I have a feeling that more of us would get the Key Stone and Mega Stones from us very soon."

Phillip nodded. "Oh, and there's something I have to tell you...

Somewhere else

"Max? What are you drooling about?" May asked, as they stopped at the edge of the forest.

"Don't you think if I get Pakura as a wife, I would live in comfort for the rest of my life?" Max asked. "Furthermore, I'd get a good lay in bed too."

"You're too young to think of such things!" May chided. "Have you been reading Brock's porn magazines or what?"

Max's face turned red, and May was in disbelief. "Wait, you did?"

"Brock always leaves them lying around, and as a curious teenager, I'd take a look." Max muttered, much to May's dismay. "But really, if Pakura is already a turn-on with her clothes on..." Max was dreamily staring at a direction, most likely thinking what Pakura would look without her clothes on.

"I'm going to have a talking-to with Brock about where he stashes his magazines." May muttered angrily. They did not notice they had walked past the tree Amethyst was hiding, and it was too late as the Amethyst grabbed them, knocked them out, and levitated them up the branches of the tree, tying them to the said branches. She searched Max's pocket, and extracted the key to the boys' room from his pocket. She then disguised herself as May, down to the clothes, and headed to the Pokémon Center.

'No one's inside. Good.' Amethyst thought, unlocking the door to the boys' room. She knew where the room was as there was the room number on the tag attached to the key. She snuck inside, and wrinkled her nose at the mess the boys have made in the room, as she closed and locked the door. Much to her disgust, there were leftover pizza on the carpeted floor.

'Seriously, you don't live here.' Amethyst thought, as she let out her Gallade and got him to levitate her over to Cilan's bed, and secured his outfit and even got a pair of his shoes and the signature bowtie he always wore. She nodded to Gallade and he used Teleport to get them out of there.

"Ok,." Amethyst dropped her illusion as May, and made her way to Ash, locating him via aura. He was already somewhere near the building where the cooking contest would be held.

"Hey, Ash!" Amethyst called out to him. Ash turned his head, and was relieved to see his big sis running towards him.

"Sis!" Ash sounded delighted to see her. "What are you doing here?"

"I've been looking for you." Amethyst replied. "Here, this may help you." She tossed Ash Cilan's clothes and shoes, which gave Ash a pleasant surprise.

"How did you get them?" Ash asked, somewhat awed.

"I have a few tricks up my sleeves." Amethyst replied. "Oh, don't forget to sabotage Brock next."

"Why Brock?" Ash asked.

"He didn't participate in this Cooking Contest because he is preparing for a Pokémon Beauty Contest that is going to be held somewhere in the Top 32." The Amethyst replied. She had extracted a memory that held a conversation about this event from May while she was tying them up in the branches.

----------------

"Well, by the time Aquamarine is through with me, I'd be unrecognizable, I guess." Pakura sighed, running a hand though her silky hair. "Aquamarine already became an overnight star with her dresses and costumes for me in various events."

They were talking about the upcoming Contest Battle Rounds and even the PAL Showcase that she is going to judge alongside Kalos Queen Aria. Somehow, Pakura managed to steer the conversation of

"I don't see how her prep would make much difference, considering your natural beauty." Ash retorted, munching on his chicken. "Besides, the opening ceremonies made us unforgettable in the audience's eyes. We already won them over. They can't stop talking about us."

"Why do we even have to make an impression to the crowd and make them love us anyway?" Pakura wondered, starting on her pudding.

"That is because in the event that there is a tie in the match, it is up to the audience to decide who moves on to the next round. You want those votes to go to you so you can move on, right?" Ash raised his eyebrows.

"Do we have to?" Pakura tossed a newspaper at Ash that displayed the predictions on who would be the winner of the tournament, which showed the five of them among the favourites.

Ash laughed, and shook his head. "Not really, but it's best to make sure they don't vote for your opponent."

Pakura nodded. Ash does have a point. "I look forward to opening the Battle Rounds, and the PAL Showcase. The winner of that Showcase not only earns a special Princess Key to enter the Master Class Tournament in any region, she also has a chance to take my PAL Duchess title away from me after all...if the winner chooses me as their opponent in the Special Rounds, since the winner would have a choice between me and Aria."

Unlike Kalos, where whoever wins the Master Class Tournament gets the title of Kalos Queen (or at least when Pakura was still a Performer in Kalos), in PAL, winners of the Master Class Tournament would have a final freestyle performance showdown against the current PAL Duchess.

After the performances are done by both the PAL Duchess and the Master Class winner, the audience would vote with their Glowcaster as to whose performance was better. If the current PAL Duchess won, she gets to keep her title. Otherwise, the current PAL Duchess would be forced to give up their title to the challenger. That was how Pakura got the title, by dethroning the previous PAL Duchess, and how she was able to defend her title.

Pakura thought back on the time that in addition of being an icon for the Kalos Region when she got her Kalos Queen title for the first time, she also had to travel to collect more Princess Keys in order to enter the Master Class Tournament just for a chance to defend her Kalos Queen title, before deciding to give up that title to move on to greater things. But by the time she gave up, they had changed the system similar to PAL's Master Class Showcase.

"Please, you're a member of the PAL Elite Four, there is no way the winner would be able to take that title away from you." Ash waved his hand dismissively.

"You never know what those Performers would have up their sleeves." Pakura replied, watching the wild Eevee chase her own tail in mild interest. "Besides, if I do lose my title, it's one less thing I would be busy with." As PAL Duchess, she often had to travel the region to do Showcase performances for her fans, and attend dance parties that is hosted for Pokémon Performers.

"The fans won't be happy that you lost your title, though." Ash pointed out. "After all, you're the most popular Performer in the Showcase World, even more popular than Kalos Queen Aria."

"That's true, but remember Aria has only the Kalos Queen title to go by." Pakura said, as her Sylveon started rubbing her head affectionately on her leg. That caused Pakura to scratch her behind her ear absent-mindedly, which caused her to purr in contentment. Eevee, seeing this, frowned, and leapt on Pakura's lap, demanding attention as well.

"What are you going to do with her?" Ash looked down at the wild Eevee.

"I don't know. On one hand I already have all the Eeveelutions I want." Pakura mumbled. "If this Eevee wants to evolve, I don't want her to evolve into an Eeveelution I already have. On the other hand, she has a beautiful dance that may aid my performances in Contests or Showcases. Maybe she would be an able battler with the right training, I mean she may be able to use her dancing skills to dodge many attacks and make unpredictable movements or something."

"I won't evolve if you wish to." Eevee offered, interrupting their discussion. "I haven't decided what I wanted to evolve to anyway."

"Or you don't know what you can evolve into, besides the Sylveon next to you." Ash remarked. Judging by Eevee's sheepish look, Ash had guessed correctly.

"You want to tell her?" Pakura asked.

"Sure. Eevee, listen carefully. Depending on how you are raised, you can evolve in eight different ways, which would actually offer lots of different possibilities in battles or performances. You can evolve into Flareon, a Fire-type-"

"Only I am not a fan of Fire-type Pokémon." Pakura interrupted.

"Right..." Ash shot her a look." Also, you can evolve into Leafeon, a Grass type-"

"Not my taste either." Pakura commented.

Ash sighed, and went on, "Or Umbreon, a Dark-type."

Pakura considered for a moment, before shaking her head.

"Glaceon, an Ice-type, which unfortunately, she already has one."

"Too true." Pakura nodded.

"Espeon, a Psychic-type, which she said it isn't to her taste..." Ash rolled his eyes. "You can also evolve into Jolteon, an Electric-type, Vaporeon, a Water-type...."

"I don't really want to evolve Eevee with stones." Pakura frowned at the prospect.

"And the one you already know, Sylveon, the Fairy-type." Ash indicated to Pakura's Sylveon.

"Well, I don't exactly want to evolve the next Eevee I catch, I do like Eevee just the way it is." Pakura said after a long pause.

Eevee's eyes sparkled at the evolving potential that she naturally had, but remembered what Pakura said, so she replied with, "That's great! But I guess I'll have to try not to evolve."

"Then we'll have to get you an Everstone." Ash replied. "And after that problem is solved, you won't have a problem taking her in, would you, Paku?"

Pakura sighed, as she cleared their empty plates so that Room Service could collect them again. "I'll admit....no, I won't. But I don't have an empty Pokéball with me. You'll have to wait until I get some from my Secret Base or from my room at the Tower."

Ash nodded. Each of the PAL Elite Four member, including him, owns a Secret Base, which is a special getaway place they usually go to relax and hide from the press and fans if necessary. Sometimes, due to the quiet environment that usually surrounded their Secret Bases, they would go there to get their work done as well.

His own Secret Base was located in a bush that is hidden among the grasses that are as high as his shoulders and trees in the forest, that no one would be able to spot the entrance unless they venture deep into the tall grasses (which most don't, for fear of dangerous wild Pokémon, and the fact that it gave off a sinister feeling that it may have hidden traps. The few that dared to try usually ran back out screaming, as they would somehow trip on a wire that Ash had set to give them the impression there is a trap in there.)

Inside his Base, however, was designed like a typical study room, complete with a computer and TV to get updates on the news in the safety of his Secret Base, bookshelves filled with books, and even a bed and pantry full of food in case he wanted to stay overnight. He usually went there to do his paperwork when he is travelling around the region.

"Welcome, everyone!" The speaker was woman with long, dark blue flowing hair which tied back into a large ponytail of which a large section of her bangs were covering one of her eyes. She had eyes that matched her hair, and her forehead was covered by a pink headband which had a cake design stitched on the side. She was wearing a cupcake print dress along with a frilly apron.

"My name is Artemis, and I am a Two Star Gourmet Hunter. I shall be your host for this afternoon." The woman announced, to cheers from the crowd. Among the crowd were four certain PAL members.

"You can watch the show if you like, Akeno." Ash said. "But we have a meeting after we watch our masterpiece."

Akeno nodded.

'Where did you apply the laxatives?' Phillip telepathically asked Ash.

'All the ingredients. The laxative is so potent it only needed one drop in order for it to work.' Ash replied.

'You are going to harm a lot of people with this sabotage.' Ash could almost imagine Phillip frowning in disapproval.

'Sacrifices have to be made.' Ash mentally shrugged, just as Artemis welcomed the participants, who all walked out to their assigned kitchen stations. Among them was Cilan, who was near the front row. Siebold was three rows behind Cilan, and also more to the right side of the kitchen. Artemis also welcomed the famous chefs from other countries, who would be the judges for the contest.

"Welcome, everyone!" The speaker was woman with long, dark blue flowing hair which tied back into a large ponytail of which a large section of her bangs were covering one of her eyes. She had eyes that matched her hair, and her forehead was covered by a pink headband which had a cake design stitched on the side. She was wearing a cupcake print dress along with a frilly apron.

"My name is Artemis, and I am a Two Star Gourmet Hunter. I shall be your host for this afternoon." The woman announced, to cheers from the crowd. Among the crowd were four certain PAL members.

"You can watch the show if you like, Akeno." Ash said. "But we have a meeting after we watch our masterpiece."

Akeno nodded.

'Where did you apply the laxatives?' Phillip telepathically asked Ash.

'All the ingredients. The laxative is so potent it only needed one drop in order for it to work.' Ash replied.

'You are going to harm a lot of people with this sabotage.' Ash could almost imagine Phillip frowning in disapproval.

'Sacrifices have to be made.' Ash mentally shrugged, just as Artemis welcomed the participants, who all walked out to their assigned kitchen stations. Among them was Cilan, who was near the front row. Siebold was three rows behind Cilan, and also more to the right side of the kitchen. Artemis also welcomed the famous chefs from other countries, who would be the judges for the contest.

"And right here..." Artemis announced, as she motioned towards the curtain, which opened to reveal tables and tables piled with various ingredients, ranging from fruit, vegetables, meat, and even various berries that were usually found in the wild. There was even olive oil among the ingredients, which was said to be one of the most expensive cooking oils in the world.

"We have provided the ingredients the participants may need for the making of their dish! The theme of the dish would be decided by lottery. When time starts, participants must come up to these tables and get the ingredients they want. They would have forty-five minutes to cook one main course. The judges would taste the dishes, and decide on the final 8 participants to compete in the final dessert round, which would be held the next day. Now, let's spin the roulette!"

At the screen, there was a box containing texts, but they were switching between one to another so fast it was a blur. Finally, it stopped, and Artemis said, "It looks like the theme for the main course is Western food! Is everyone ready?"

When the participants nodded their assent, Artemis then said, "Now, let the contest begin!"

The clock behind her also started counting down, and all the participants rushed to the tables, carrying baskets to help contain the ingredients they would be collecting. Siebold, however, stayed at his station. His eyes were closed, presumably thinking of what he wanted to make in the first place. Two minutes later, he opened them, and proceeded to collect the ingredients he required.

There were sounds of chopping, stoves getting turned on, and even frying as the participants hoped to finish their dishes as fast as possible, as speed is also a factor when the judges were to give marks for their dishes. Soon, the kitchen were filled with various aromas, making the audience who were watching hungry.

'I'd eat them, if I didn't know what was in the ingredients.' Pakura thought. 'I've got to make some more of those laxatives later, Ash must have used them all if all the ingredients were spiked with one drop of them.'

Just then, there was a crash, and someone's dish fell all over the floor. The poor woman was in tears as she had to start all over again, but one of the judges who came over to see what was happening, assured her that they would give her more time, while they cleaned up the mess. The other cooks, including Cilan and Siebold, turned to see the scene, though Siebold returned immediately to his cooking after he caught a glimpse.

"Siebold's efficient, I'll give him that." Phillip said.

"That is because he's working as a chef in a restaurant back in Kalos. He sometimes prepares meals for Grant and Valerie." Akeno replied.

"A veteran, I expect." Pakura muttered, as one of the participants finished her meal. Siebold turned out to be the third to finish cooking his food. Soon, everyone were putting their finishing touches on their dishes.

'By the way, Paku, how long does it take for the effects to kick in?' Ash asked telepathically.

'Unfortunately, it only takes five minutes before they start going to the toilet. The laxatives you took were no ordinary straight-from-the-pharmacy type. It's actually an herbal concoction. You know there are a lot of cases where people had a bad stomach-ache but for some reason they can't let the indigested food out in the toilet, and they are in a hurry.'

'Good.' Ash inwardly grinned, as the judges called out one person at a time to look at their dish, marking them for their appearance and the time it took to make the said dish. They then took a spoonful of the dish and sampled it themselves, and giving them marks for the taste. Each judge would give ten marks, three for appearance, two for the time it took, and five for the taste. As there were ten judges, the total marks would be upon hundred. The eight people with the highest marks would get into the dessert round.

When they got to the second row, the judges suddenly had a stomach-ache and needed to head for the toilets. Ash took it as his cue to go down, along with the other three. The audience started whispering at their sudden appearance on stage, and Ash took a bite of the previous dishes, before spitting them out, having tasted the laxatives.

"There are laxatives in all these dishes!" He announced, much to the audience's horror.

"What's going on here?" One of the judges held her stomach.

"It means someone must have sabotaged the participants." Akeno said grimly. "Phillip, lend me that device you got to detect substances. Now."

Phillip nodded, and handed Akeno the device, and Akeno typed a few buttons, and used the device to detect the substance that was inside the dishes. The device beeped, and typed out the word "Laxatives. Unknown properties, other than the fact that it was an herbal concoction."

"Somebody must have put laxatives in the ingredients." Akeno said knowingly, as she played along with the plan. "The person who could have done this would be the only one that doesn't have laxatives in their dishes."

The participants whose dishes have not been taste-tested by the judges shuddered. Their dishes may have been filled with laxatives for all they know, as Akeno approached their dishes with Phillip's device, and each of them came up with laxative positive. When she reached Cilan, however, Phillip deactivated the device, leaving Akeno to frown.

"Phillip, can't you get a new battery for this one?" Akeno grumbled, to the audience's amusement.

"Ok, let me change the batteries, but it'll take a while. For now, why don't we taste test the dish ourselves to see if there is any laxatives?" Phillip suggested.

"I'll do it." Pakura volunteered, as the audience gasped at the Princess' bravery. "If I get a stomach-ache, then there's laxatives. Otherwise, there isn't."

, Pakura approached Cilan's plate and said, "May I?" When Cilan nodded, she proceeded to take an empty plate and took a few bites worth of Cilan's dish.

The traitors were watching Pakura carefully.

"If she finds Cilan's dish to be exquisite, maybe she'll join us more often to taste his meals! And I can get to know her better." Max sighed, watching Pakura take the food.

"Max, she's testing for laxatives, not for the taste." May grumbled.

"She needs to accept we are meant to be together." Max said dismissively, watching Pakura chew on the food slowly, and swallow.

"Max, she's like a whole seven years older than you." Iris reminded him.

"Love has no age." Max replied, and the others waited with bated breath to see if there were any laxatives. After a few minutes, Pakura shook her head.

"No, no laxatives." Pakura said, just as Phillip returned with the device, and detected the remaining dishes, which came out as laxative positive.

"What?" Cilan was shocked, as the others turned to him.

"So you're the one who put the laxatives." Akeno concluded.

"No, I didn't!" Cilan protested. "I..."

"Don't worry, we got surveillance cameras. The footage would tell us everything we need to know." Phillip said calmly, as he signalled for the guards to go to the security room to retrieve the footage. Phillip connected the data to the laptop he brought along, and typed something in his keyboard, and his face got stonier as the footage played.

He connected his laptop to the screen behind him, and everyone gasped, while Cilan turned pale. The security footage clearly showed his face and outfit.

"But wait, really, that's not me!" Cilan cried. "I was with my friends, they can vouch for me."

"Your friends would probably cover for you, knowing the circumstances." Ash replied curtly, as guards came to take him away, while the public booed him and some even grabbed ingredients and threw them at him, much to Ash's glee. "In this region, evidence is everything. Remember you are not in your region anymore, Cilan."

He turned to Artemis, who was holding her stomach painfully. "I am very sorry for this inconvenience. I would make sure Cilan would be handled appropriately."

"Not at all." Artemis wheezed. "It looks like we need a break, before starting the contest all over again tonight. He would be disqualified for trying to take out the competition and poisoning us, as one of the judges is actually allergic to laxatives in general. Please alert Elite Jude of this matter, and get him to take his Pokémon Connoisseur license away. We would also be banning him from taking that S-Class Connoisseur Exam."

Ash nodded, as Artemis finally rushed for the nearest toilet. Espeon and Lucario secretly shared a hi-five between them. Another target down.

'The judge is actually deathly allergic, and I bet Ash knows about this, but doesn't care about their lives when he planned the sabotage, as he just regarded them as sacrifices." Pakura said smirking