Betrayed By Those Loved

Old Friends and The Festival ch III

        That morning crossing the bridge to get to the Cameran Palace a group of people were talking. The group consisted of Ash's old friends Misty, Brock who looked distracted, May, Max who seemed distraught, Dawn, Iris, Cilan who also seemed distraught, and last but not least Ash's old rival Trip.

        "The last time we were in Rota we were with Ash", Max muttered almost inaudibly.

        "Forget about that loser Max he was holding us back", his sister May heard him mutter and yelled at him with her voice filled with hatred.

        "Hey! There's the pokécenter", Brock shouted when he saw Max flinch. 

        They ran to sign up except there was a man wearing an aura guardian uniform talking to Nurse Joy blocking them. As they looked closer they saw the Cameron family crest on his...hat... instead of the normal symbol. The symbol was also on the back of his cape. As they walked closer they could here Nurse Joy say 'Satoshi' 'enter' and 'prince'.

        "Excuse us", Trip said rudely.

        "Don-", Nurse Joy tried to say.

        "Thank you Nurse. My apologies for standing in your way", Satoshi said before he walked out.

        "Nurse Joy could we enter in the tournament they have later today and the tournament held next week?" Max asked politely.

        "Of course and seeing as you do not have any costumes, you may borrow the unclaimed clothes."

        "Thank you," he replied before dashing to the clothes room to find something to wear.

        "Mom they are here. I also decided to use mew for all of the matches", Satoshi told his mother during breakfast.

        "Alright", she stood up, "I will see you later tonight."

        "Of course. See you tonight Mom", he replied as she left the garden.

        He finishes eating the rest of his breakfast and as the servants clean his dishes he leaves the garden heading toward one of a few towers located on the palace grounds. He reaches the towers entrance and slowly heads up the first five steps before a boy wearing the same aura gaurdian uniform he wore when he last competed when his ex-friends were there. As the steps were one foot tall each and 14 inches wide he caught the boy and wrapped his arms tightly before his back hit the ground.

        With a grunt he stood and asked, "You alright kid?"

        "Yeah thanks! My names Max what's yours?" he asked rapidly before asking more questions, "Were you going to get a costume? How old are you? Are you a trainer? If, what pokémon do you have?"

        "Slow down kid. My name is Satoshi. No, I was heading to my room. I am 19 turning 20 the first day of the tournament. Yes, and no you will have to figure out what pokémon I have in the tournament. Why were you running down the stairs for?" 

        "This was the only costume in the room and I am not letting Trip burn it."

        "Trip?"

        "Yeah he's a-."

        "Max give me that costume!" an angered voice said from behind.

        "Sorry he can not as he is borrowing the uniform from me. Nurse Joy must have forgotten that the location of the costumes were moved to the room where Sir Aaron and Lucario slept." 

        "That makes sense why there were so many pokéballs there and no dresses... wait what are those pokéballs doing there?" May asked.

        "Those pokéballs are mine. I left them there this morning when I went to register. I also believe none of you except for Max introduced yourselves. As none of you know my name I will say it again. My name is Satoshi, nice to meet you."

        "My names Trip, red head is Misty, squinty eyes is Brock, brownie's May, skirt's Dawn, purple's Iris, and grass head is Cilan."

        "I have two other costumes that would fit Brock and Cilan, but you and the rest of your friends will have to fetch costumes."

        "Fair enough see ya later", Trip said before walking off with all the others following him except for Max, Brock, and Cilan.

        When Trip and the others were out of sight Satoshi yelled, "Glade transport us to my room."

        "Wow your pokémon has to be really strong to have transported us when it can't even see us", Brock mused to himself as they appeared in the room.

        "Sit, I wish to talk to the three of you about why your friend Trip wanted to burn the clothing."

        "Oh! Trip isn't our friend. We're following him because our other friends are following him, but now we aren't gonna travel with them anymore because May yelled me", Max said softly.

        "Why did she yell at you? The two of you look like siblings." 

       "He brought up an old friend that we betrayed. None of us knew this at the time as we were traveling because if we knew we would have followed him", Brock replied.

        "What if I told you I knew where your friend is? How would you react?"

        "Wait you know where Ash is?" Cilan asked.

        "I do not know where your friend Ash is, as I am he." Ash said as his eyes became an amber brown.

        "Ash where did you go? Were you safe? Did-," the three of them asked him not noticing him flinching at being called Ash.

        "Do not call me Ash. I came here. Yes I was safe."

        "Why not?"

        "When disowned by your family and it is law to change your name and I changed my name to Satoshi Auralis Cameran adopted son of Queen Ilene."

        "Hurry up and change the tournament starts in 15 minutes", Max noticed looking at a clock.Brock, Cilan, and Satoshi went and changed before Satoshi had a Gardevoir transport them to the stadium where Queen Ilene was about to speak.

        "As most of you know that today was when Sir Aaron sacrificed himself to save this kingdom we shall hold a tournament to uphold his name and name aura guardian of the year", she spoke loudly to the crowd, "May the tournament begin."