Chapter 119

On his way back to the Saffron Gym, with Daisy by his side now, Aizen kept stealing some glances at her and found her quite depressed.

"You really don't like him?" He curiously asked, and she flinched at his words.

"I don't." She whispered, but he could tell that there was more to the story.

"How did you two meet?" He inquired.

"Anthony is from Unova, and I met him on the cruise ship when I decided to go on a journey in that region. Candy and Deric were there too. They are from Sinnoh. And you already know Sina and Dexio." She stopped as she collected her thoughts. "We were all young, not too experienced, and it was our first time in Unova. Anthony was also starting his journey there, having skipped a couple of years, and since he was a native, he invited us to tag along with him and we agreed. He's not a bad person, but he has some issues."

"Such as?"

"He's too quick to anger, and he is a show-off. He boasts about his Family wealth a lot, and his father is also a Marquis, so they have some influence as well." She frowned as some events passed her mind. "He has a very controlling side to him that just disturbs the people around him." She sighed. "You know there's usually a guy in a group who just wants to act as a leader at all times? He's that person, and he does not like it when people propose or agree to do something that goes against the plan he came up with."

"I see."

"Like I said. He isn't a bad person. He just has his faults. He's kind, does not hesitate to help people, can be playful, and is truly always there if his friends need him. And if I am being honest, I might have had a crush on him at one point."

"Might have?" He smiled at her choice of words.

"I liked his company when we were travelling together, but once I returned to Kanto, I did not even miss him. He was never on my mind. And the way he started pestering me afterwards, blew away any interest I might have had in him. You know, when we are young, we don't really know what to feel about people?"

"Well, I can't say I can relate to it. My circumstances are special, but yes, I understand what you are saying. You were never really interested in him, but there were moments where you felt like he was up to your liking."

"Exactly!" Daisy smiled at him at how clearly he understood her. "Yeah, you really are much wiser than someone your age should be."

Aizen laughed at her words and shook his head, not commenting on it.

"So, he's been pestering you to become his girlfriend?"

"Yes. He wants to get into my pants." She bluntly said and rolled her eyes. "He and Candy were sleeping around before they ended things and she and Deric got together. He also tried to get into Sina's pants, but she was always helplessly in love with Dexio and never paid much attention to him. If I was any sillier than I am, I might have given in to his advances. Thankfully, I am not that dumb."

"What if he really cares about you and loves you?" He curiously asked.

"I don't believe in such love." She lightly said. "I believe in love that the two people nurture by spending time together and by holding respect for each other. I believe in love which takes effort to develop. Perhaps, it is because that's how mother and father were. They were not lovers before they got married. Their union was more of an arranged marriage, but they fell in love with each other. As I grew older, I saw them fall more and more in love. It was beautiful. And I want the same for myself."

"Interesting. That's the total opposite of Misty's views about love."

"I know." She giggled but then turned quiet and lowered her head.

"What's on your mind?" He curiously asked when he sensed her tighten her hold on his arm.

"Can I make a selfish request?" She suddenly asked, he raised his brow at her when their eyes met.

"Yes?"

"What I am about to say is serious. Please don't take my words as a joke."

"Okay." His curiosity was at peak now, but what he heard next, truly caught him off-guard.

"Take me as your official wife in the future," Daisy said, and he frowned at her words.

"Why?"

She kept looking into his eyes for a few seconds but then lowered her head again.

"I want to see my Family return to its roots." She answered, and for Aizen, it was enough of an answer.

He knew exactly what she meant, and her proposal was just as beneficial to him as it was to her family.

Daisy was relieved that he did not ask another question and understood her meaning. As bold as her words were, she was still a maiden at heart.

"And I am so not saying it because you stole my first kiss." She teased and felt even more relieved when she heard him laugh.

"It was you who kissed me, Miss Daisy." He reminded her.

"And do you mind it?" She nervously asked.

"No, I don't." Aizen smiled at her question. "You taste sweet, with a hint of honey. I like it."

Daisy burst out laughing at his words and wiped the tear that escaped from the corner of her right eye.

"I ate honeycomb at lunch!" She laughed some more after she informed him why she tasted like honey, and he could not help his chuckles as her infectious laughter became irresistible.

When they finally reached the Gym, she let go of his arm and turned to look at him with a smile.

"Please don't speak to Misty about our conversation. At least, not until you have given me an answer." She requested, and he understandingly nodded his head.

"You do understand that there are some technicalities involved, right?" He asked her, just to be sure that she had thought things through, and she nodded her head.

"My children will have to bear a new name that the Orayen Royal Family will give them, and the new House will officially be a vassal to your Family. Which comes with the rules, regulations, and traditions that all the Arcane Families have to follow."

"Yes." He smiled. "You should talk with your Father about it and take him into confidence."

"I will. And he will say yes. I know how much my Father and everyone in our family wish that we still had our Aura Powers. It's not possible for us, but my children will have a chance." She smiled at him, and then teasingly asked a question. "It's a yes from you, right?"

"I don't have a heart to refuse such a beautiful maiden." He teased her back, but then seriously continued. "However, I need to discuss this with my Grandmother first. She is the current Monarch."

"You think she will approve of me?" The blonde nodded in understanding and calmly asked.

"She knows about Misty and me, so, it should be fine. Besides, she has always desired a lot of great-grandchildren from me."

Daisy laughed at his words and then followed him inside the building, looking forward to meeting her youngest sister.

Misty was pleasantly surprised and very excited to meet the Eldest Waterflower after all these months, and after her friends greeted her sister, she quickly pulled the latter inside her room to have a chat in private.

So much had happened in these months which she had not shared on their calls, and now she had a chance to finally talk about those things.

Aizen returned to his own room, where Sabrina was still meditating, and by her side was her beautiful Delphox, who greeted him when he entered the room before closing its eyes again.

He carefully took out Shinx's Egg from the old Egg Case and transferred it to the new one, and then sent a message to his grandmother, informing her about what Daisy had proposed.

Not waiting for a reply, he got into the bed and drifted off to sleep. He felt like he needed a day or two off, where he would mostly stay in his bed, and he decided to entertain his laziness for a couple of days.

However, when he woke up late in the evening, he had some messages on his watch that ruined all his plans.

The first message was from Krane, who had received intel from Jessie, James, and Meowth.

His Team Rocket spies had gotten their hands on information that was truly very valuable for them right now.

Mewtwo was searching for Mew!

The second message was from Joseph Stone, informing him that he, Steven, and Riley were heading to the Tree of Beginning of Kanto and Johto. They were also searching for Mew and to keep the Cameron Palace safe from any attacks from the Team Doom.

The third message was from his Grandmother, who told him to ask the Williams, including Misty, to come and meet her on Blanc Island as soon as possible. And she also asked him to wrap up his hunt for Gym Badges and head to the Cameron Palace by the end of the next month to attend the annual Rota Kingdom Games.

Queen Ilene had personally requested for him, and she wanted to talk to him about a few very important matters.

His Grandmother also instructed him to either send Anira to Blanc Island with Misty or to let her stay at Pallet Town together with Leaf, under the care of Professor Oak and his son's wife, Hilda. She forbade him from taking his little sister to the Rota Kingdom. And he could guess that there could he some danger in this trip.

After reading all of her messages, he was left with a lot of questions, but what made him truly sigh was the last message.

It was from Dexio, who informed him that Anthony wanted to challenge him to a Pokémon Battle. He was calling it a duel of honour.

His friend requested him to accept the challenge for his sake, and the Orayen could only sigh at those words.

He knew how kind and caring Dexio and Sina were, and even though they knew that Anthony was being ridiculous, they really did not want to lose a friend whom they had shared a lot of adventures with.

"Aizen!" Suddenly, he heard someone knock on the door and open it, and in walked Misty and Daisy, looking quite agitated. "Did you receive a message from Dexio or Sina?" The blonde asked.

"Dexio sent me a message, yes." He nodded and then watched her furrow her brows.

"You are not obliged to accept any challenges from him."

"I am aware of that." He chuckled and then stood up, stretching his arms.

"I am serious. He's a good Trainer and has a lot of powerful Pokémon on him. He's also..."

"Managed to make it to the Quarter-Finals of Vertress Conference and the Lily of the Valley Conference." He nodded, making her eyes widen in surprise.

"You always knew who he was?"

"Yes."

"Hmph!" Misty folded her arms on her chest. "If he bothers you, just beat some sense into him." She casually said, making her sister smile and roll her eyes at the same time.

Their chat ended when Anira and Leaf came rushing into the room to inform them that they were running late for the dinner they planned to have at the Imperialis.

"Imperialis?" Daisy sighed as soon as she heard the name, and Aizen only needed to look into her eyes to understand that Imperialis was where Anthony and the group were staying.

"It's fine. I will be downstairs in a few minutes." He told them and then headed into the bathroom to freshen up.