Chapter
15- The Power of One Shines On!
~When I first defeated Doppelganger,
I felt that time that all our troubles were over and we could move on. I had no
idea how wrong I was that time, as it had the complete opposite effect, as it
attracted even more trouble than ever before. It was naïve of me to think that
just by getting stronger I could make it all go away… though it certainly has
helped, because the level of my opponents seem to keep rising. At this moment,
all of my pokémon are nearing level 100, and yet it doesn’t seem to matter to
my opponents, because they’ve attained levels that go beyond the limits of
pokémon trainers. Still… I’ll find a
way to beat them, no matter how strong they are, because I was soon to
discover… something even more amazing than the Unistrike or the Kaiser Beasts
or anything of the sort… my own ability…
-Ash Ketchum
(Location-
Missingno Gang HQ)
“AH…!”
Ash gasped… seeing the hooded figure… “YOU!!!!”
“It
sure has been a while…” Doppelganger smiled wickedly… “Hasn’t it, Ketchum?”
“RHAAAA!!!!” Before anyone could move, Ash roared
and dove forward, pouncing on Doppelganger and slamming him to the ground… “WHAT?!”
he exclaimed, when Doppelganger shattered to pieces!
“You keep falling for the same trick, idiot!”
another Doppelganger laughed, it was unclear if he was the real one either. He
stood some distance from Ash, “No, I’m not gonna fight you, yet. I just came to
remind these people where their loyalties lie…” he eyed the rest of the
gang, “And to personally invite Ketchum and my former comrades to come meet the
boss. As for YOU, Ketchum…” he scowled, “We have a score to settle…” and with
that, he shattered to pieces
“Pft, another copy… we thought his ability was
interesting at first, but when it comes down to it, he’s a one-trick pony.”
Bonsai scoffed, “However, that invitation does sound interesting” Bonsai
smirked
“And I’m not opposed to the idea of trashing faker
again…” Ash cracked his knuckles “But it doesn’t look like THEY’RE about to let
us through” he commented…
“They’re not even worth your time, Ash!” Brock
stepped forward, “You go on ahead and deal with the boss! We’ll handle things
here!”
“You guys are pretty good, but not THAT good so you
can handle these numbers” said Bonsai, and turned to Cleft, “You! Stay here and
fight with them!”
“WHAT?! Why do I have to stay behind and clean up
the garbage?!” Cleft exclaimed, while a lot of the punks scowled at the remark,
being referred to as ‘garbage’.
“This is the leader and Doppelganger we’re dealing
with, it’s not gonna be the same as the usual trash. Plus, with your injuries,
I don’t think you’re exactly ready to fight the tough guys just yet” said
Bonsai
“Yeah
right! Even in this state I can take you on!”
“Oh
yeah right, what are you gonna do, beat me up with a crutch?”
“Watch
it grass boy! Speaking of which, you hadn’t been smoking any, haven’t you? It’d
explain how you actually got the idea you’re stronger than me! Sky Render
warned you to quit, but you being the plant expert, it wouldn’t be that hard
for you to get your little green hands on the stuff…”
“HEY!
I may specialise in grass, but I don’t smoke it!” Bonsai snapped at him, but
then paused, “At least not anymore…” he added guiltily, and at that statement
Cleft burst out laughing. “GRRR…”
SMACK!
“AGH!”
Cleft exclaimed, and Ash and his friends sweatdropped when Bonsai uppercutted
his comrade into the air, and landing among the crowd of punks
“Let’s
go, Ketchum!” said Bonsai, grabbing Ash and pulling him by the arm, “Your
friends will be fine.” he looked back, seeing Cleft was swearing loudly and
smashing his fists left and right, sending gang members flying everywhere,
while Ash’s friends started attacking again. There was a door leading outside
of this room, and Bonsai kicked it open and they ran through. “And quick word
of warning… I’d better not hear any jokes, hippie remarks, or anything of the
sort, regarding my old… habits… because I will NOT hesitate to kill over it
(wouldn’t be the first time), understand?” he added in a threatening voice
“Whatever…”
Ash’s mind seemed to be elsewhere, as the two of them continued running through
a filthy hallway, they could see another door coming up quickly, “Whatever we
may face… I’m taking on the faker” Ash spoke in a serious tone
“Still
holding a grudge, huh?” Bonsai stared at him, “Well that’s fine with me…”
“Let’s
go. One… two… THREE!!!” the two of them shouted and tackled the door, busting
right through it and running into the room inside. Ash, Pikachu and Bonsai
looked around. It was a wide room, with high ceilings, there were stacks of
crates everywhere, meaning this place must’ve been used as a storage area at
one point.
“Hmph…”
Bonsai looked at the crates, “Frankly, I wouldn’t be surprised if these things
were filled with drugs. Just running around and mugging random people doesn’t
bring in that much income…”
“That
door was unlocked you know.” A voice spoke up. Ash and Bonsai moved forward,
and saw two figures. One of them was Doppelganger, the other was a larger
person, sitting on top of a crate. Dressed in a black outfit, his hair was dyed
in a flaming red colour, and had a fiery pattern tattooed from his shoulder
down to his elbow. Wrapped around his forearm was a chain. This was the leader
of the Missingno gang…
“So
we meet again… Jackknife…” said Bonsai, staring at him
“You’re
the new leader of the Missingno Gang…” Said Ash. This man… he was in his
mid-twenties, and he didn’t really seem like the warrior type… however… Ash
could sense it… this man was strong…
“You’re
Ash Ketchum, right?” Jackknife looked at Ash, “I’ve heard a lot about you…
believe me, my little brother wouldn’t shut up about it” he turned to
Doppelganger
“You
two are related?” Ash said, somewhat surprised, “Well there’s one screwed up
family” at that remark, Doppelganger lunged at Ash, but Jackknife grabbed him
“That’s
right, we’re brothers… and I also happen to be a lot stronger” he replied,
ignoring Ash’s statement. “I didn’t have any interest in being a Super Fiend,
and I was especially glad when we broke off connections… but now, just what are
you doing, showing up like this? Come to give me a goodbye kiss?” he added
mockingly
“You
know exactly what I came for!” Bonsai took a fighting stance, “You were said to
be the strongest punk ever to walk this town… and I wanna see just how strong…”
“So
you came to fight me for that?” He laughed, “Fine then… I’ll take that
challenge…” slowly he got up. From out of nowhere he pulled out a
dangerous-looking combat knife, and spun it skilfully between his fingers, “HAAA!!!”
-CLANG-
“AH?!”
Ash gasped, before he knew what happened, Jackknife had darted forward and
nearly slashed Bonsai! Bonsai however had deflected the blade with a folded
iron war-fan “(He’s good…!)” was the
first thought to cross his mind…
“HAA!”
Jackknife roared, swinging his other hand and punching Bonsai across the face,
causing the fiend to stumble back a few steps, “RHAA!!” He moved forward,
swinging aggressively, forcing the fiend back… “YA!” when Bonsai blocked the
knife, Jack had kicked against his chin, and swung his blade at his neck…!
“NGH!”
Bonsai gritted his teeth and moved his head, evading a lethal swing. Quickly he
jumped back, putting some distance between him and his opponent. Bonsai could
feel a sharp pain on his neck, that knife had grazed him. “Fast… more than
that, skilled too.” He placed his hand over the cut, “Any deeper and it would’ve
hit the jugular vein, and I’d bleed to death…” a smile crossed his face, “You
ARE good.”
“Don’t
underestimate me, Super Fiend” Jackknife spat “As for you…” he turned his gaze
to Ash, “I’ve arranged another playmate for you. Sick him, boy”
“Huh?!”
Ash looked up, and Pikachu’s cheeks started sparking when a large figure
stepped out of the darkness, standing atop a large stack of the crates…
“HOUUNND!!!”
The figure howled, leaping down from the crates, trying to pounce on Ash, but
the trainer quickly moved to the side, just missing it
“A
Houndoom!?” Ash exclaimed, jumping back as the large pokémon turned to him and
growled… “Pikachu! Use…!”
SMACK!
“AH!”
Ash exclaimed when Doppelganger leapt out of nowhere and kicked Ash on the side
of the head, causing it to also hit the crate. As if that wasn’t enough,
Houndoom immediately leapt forward and pounced on Ash! “GRR!!!” Ash growled,
holding up the QuickSilver over his face when the large pokémon tried to take a
bite out of him, “GRRR…! PIKACHU! ATTACK!!!” Ash shouted out.
“PIKACHUUU!!!”
BZZZZT!!!
“AAAAH!!!”
Ash screamed as lightning surged through both Houndoom and himself… but it was
worth it, because Houndoom leapt back. “Agh…” Ash got to his feet and panted,
looking at the pokémon. Despite being shocked, he didn’t seem that hurt
“One
attack won’t do anything to this pokémon” Said Doppelganger, “Unlike the rest
of the pokémon in this gang, we actually take good care of this one. We’ve had
this Houndoom for years… and he is at Level 100, you are no match…” he smirked,
placing his hand on the pokémon’s back, “FLAMETHROWER!”
“HM!”
Ash quickly leapt to the side, missing the fire attack, “AH!” he exclaimed when
Doppelganger ducked and kicked the back of his legs, causing him to fall back…
“HEADBUTT!!!”
Doppelganger shouted, and Houndoom immediately leapt forward, slamming its
skull right into Ash’s torso…
“AGH!”
Ash gasped as he flew back and hit the wall… sliding to the ground…
“If
you don’t mind, I would like to give you a little lesson about the Missingno
Gang…” said Doppelganger as he approached him, “Did you know there are two
divisions? One is the main one, run by my dear brother right here in
THUD!
Doppelganger
kicked Ash in the chest! “I was beaten by a common pokémon trainer! No… worse
than that… beaten by a child!” he kicked again, but Ash didn’t move. It wasn’t
even certain he was conscious or not… what with his head leaning downwards
while his back was against the wall. “Everything I have worked so hard for had
suddenly been shattered! My position as one of the fiends has been stripped
away… and my followers have all left me! The Teal Ville Missingno gang had been
suddenly disbanded that night, all because of one loss!” He shouted, continuing
to kick Ash, “Even here, no one here respects me! They only listen to me
because they’re afraid of my brother! But in reality… just like everyone else…
THEY’RE ALL LOOKING DOWN ON ME!!!” He kicked again… but was surprised, “WHAT?!”
“Are
you done yet?” Ash spoke calmly, not even looking up, while his hand was
gripped tightly around Doppelganger’s ankle. He threw the ex-fiend’s leg to the
side, causing him to stumble and nearly fall over, while Ash slowly got up and
dusted himself off. “No hesitation whatsoever… your pokémon I mean.” He said,
looking at Doppelganger, as if he hadn’t listened to a word he’s said. “Pokémon
almost never attack humans by choice… not unless commanded by the trainer, or
if they truly feel they’re threatened… but what I see going on is neither. You
don’t even have to tell Houndoom to attack me directly. Could it be that it
does this regularly?”
“Grrr…!
I told you already, this Houndoom is perfectly trained.” Said Doppelganger,
insulted that Ash didn’t listen to anything he said just now. “We’ve worked
hard on training this pokémon, and taught it to make no distinction between
human or pokémon, both are viable targets. We don’t even have to tell Houndoom
who to attack, because he already knows.” Doppelganger smirked and pointed at
Ash, “After all, to eliminate the trainer is the same as winning a battle! In
both cases he can no longer fight back… much better than engaging in a long
drawn-out and pointless…!”
SMACK!!!
Doppelganger’s
speech was cut short, when Ash slammed his fist across his face. The ex-fiend
flew back and hit the ground, clutching the side of his face and writing in
pain… while Ash glared down at him coldly.
“Don’t
EVER speak that way about pokémon battles” Ash spoke. “It’s not enough you
treat this pokémon like some weapon… but the way you’ve corrupted it,
desensitizing it from understanding the pain it inflicts when it attacks
others… just to fulfil your own petty ambitions…” Ash took a fighting stance, “I
will not forgive you”
“Ngh…
agh…!” Doppelganger groaned, slowly getting up… he panted, gasping for air and
clutched the side of his face. That punch from Ash… the strength… he couldn’t
believe a kid could hit so hard. “(I knew
he might’ve gotten stronger… but THIS… it’s unbelievable…!)” he suddenly
began to growl, “(No… I will be
intimidated… not by HIM!)” He took a fighting stance, while Houndoom stood
ready beside him, “The one who took everything away from me…!” suddenly, copies
of him started appearing, all of them glaring hatefully at Ash… “RHAAA!” they
all attacked…
“HM!”
even when Ash was being attacked by twelve of them, he stood his ground and
swerved his body left and right, moving his arms and blocking any attacks with
ease, “HAAA!!!” He shouted, as he began attacking, shattering each of the copies
with his fists… even when the pieces came back together, it made no difference!
“As you can see, faker… I’m not the same as I was the first time we fought!” he
spoke, dodging every single hit, “And another thing…!” he turned his head and
faced one of them… suddenly he darted forward and swung his fist…
THUNK!
“AGH…!”
Doppelganger gasped, his body leaned forward and his mouth hung open, at the
feel of the impact between Ash’s fist and his gut
“You’re
the real one” Ash said, as Doppelganger fell to the ground
“H…
how… did you know…!?” Doppelganger gasped
“It’s
really simple… I may not be at the level where I can sense opponent’s life
forces… but cowardly scum like you never put yourselves in danger, and you were
the one standing furthest from me.” Ash grinned, holding up a peace sign, “If
you REALLY wanted to trick me, you should’ve attacked at the front. But then
again, I probably would’ve flattened you anyways…”
“FLAMETHROWER!!!”
Doppelganger screamed
“CAPTURE!”
Ash immediately spun around, opening one of the colourless EC Balls Ebi gave
him. The fire was sucked into the pokéball, and it closed itself tight, while a
symbol of fire appeared, meaning it has become a Fire-Attack ball. “HM!”
immediately he threw the fire-attack ball at the incoming copies, melting them
and destroying them for real! “Heh, give it up faker, you can’t win” Ash
smirked
“N…
NO!!!” Doppelganger scrambled to his feet and shouted, “HOUNDOOM! DON’T STOP!
KEEP ATTACKING! WHATEVER IT TAKES! ATTACK!!!!” he screamed
“Grrr…
RHAR!!!” Houndoom howled as it leapt through the air, its fangs bared, ready to
tear Ash apart…
“Pikachu,
Thunder” Ash said, almost lazily
CRASH!!!
“HOUUUUUND!!!!”
The Dark/Fire pokémon screamed out, when a GIGANTIC bolt of lightning struck
it. Houndoom stood there for a moment, staggering, smoke coming from its body,
before collapsing to the ground.
“N…
NO!!! IMPOSSIBLE!!” Doppelganger screamed, “HOUNDOOM IS AT LEVEL 100!! HOW
COULD IT BE BEATEN SO EASILY?!”
“Levels
aren’t everything. Heck, that pokémon could be level one million for all I
care, and it still won’t be a match for us” Said Ash, holding his hand out, as
Pikachu climbed up his arm and sat on his shoulder. Turning around, he faced
Doppelganger, “What we share here… the bond between a pokémon and a trainer,
this is power that no amount of levels can match!” He shouted, “Face it, you’ve
lost!”
“N…
NO!!! I WON’T BE BEATEN AGAIN!!!” Doppelganger screamed, and in a frenzy,
charged at Ash… “AGH!!!” He screamed when Ash hit him, knocking him down
“You
know, that earlier statement, about everyone looking down on you? (yes, I was
listening) It isn’t true you know.” Said Ash as he walked over to Doppelganger
and smirked, “You’ve got it all wrong… it’s not that I look down on you…”
BAM!
“AAAAAAHHHH!!!!”
Doppelganger flew through the air and smashed right into the brick wall, “Ungh…
agh…!” he gasped, his body completely embedded into the wall
“It’s
just that I freaking HATE you!” Ash shouted, as Doppelganger blacked out. “Whew…”
he sighed, and stared at his defeated opponent, “Wow, this sure is a familiar
picture… no wait, something’s missing. Ah yes… Keh-heh-heh!” he laughed as he
reached into Doppelganger’s pockets and took his wallet, “Whew… not bad!” he
whistled, counting the money, “I wonder how’re the others doing?”
(Meanwhile)
“HMM!”
The Super Fiend Bonsai and the Missingno Gang leader Jackknife were engaged in
a fierce battle. Both fought at an even level of skills, though Bonsai seemed
more proficient with his weapons, Jackknife was equally powerful and
aggressive, tearing through any obstructions as he tried to slay the fiend.
“You
know… that’s some pretty good power you got there!” Bonsai smirked, jumping
back as Jackknife missed him and ripped through a crate, but continued lashing
out at him, “Attacking wildly like that would wear most people out in no time,
but you just keep going!” he smirked as he deflected the knife with a folded
fan, “You know… back where I come from, they used a ranking system to measure
the level of criminals. They may not use ‘the ranking’ in this country, but I’d
say you’d qualify for a B-rank criminal…” he said, moving back and avoiding the
attacks, “But you know, that’s judging from strength alone, and you could
easily go a lot further than that… but instead you’re rotting away here in some
small town, what’s up with that?”
“HAA!”
Jackknife punched with one hand, striking a wooden crate and smashing right
through it, “Unlike you, I’ve actually got a plan!” he continued swinging his
weapon, cutting through more crates as he tried to hit the Fiend, “I have no
intentions of running some puny gang for the rest of my life, and I didn’t join
your gang because I’ve got no interest in living the life of a vagrant!” he
stopped and growled, “No… I’m going to stay here, and continue to rule this
city through fear, eliminating those who oppose me. I’ll keep building up my
forces, extorting money and gaining weapons and power. I’ll create my own
criminal empire, one surpassing Team Rocket!”
“Whew…
that’s quite a plan. But do you honestly think that’ll work?” asked Bonsai
“Oh…
it will, I’ve made sure of it…” Jackknife stopped and stepped back, though not
lowering his guard. “I’ve been getting help from another group… they’re pretty
shady, and I know barely anything about them, but I’ve got no complaints. They’ve
been a most useful business partner, supplying with all the weapons. I doubt a
lowlife like you has ever heard of them, but they call themselves the Kaiser
Cult.”
“WHAT!?”
at that statement, Bonsai’s calm expression suddenly changed to a serious one, “You…
actually deal with them?” he growled, clutching his weapons tight. “You have no
idea what you’ve gotten yourself into… associating with the Kaisers… you’re
just their pawn… no, even lower than that…! And to assist them in any way, is a
crime against humanity itself!” he took a fighting stance, but unlike before
where he seemed to be enjoying the battle, he looked ready to kill, “No more
games. I’m ending this right now. HAAA!!!!”
“AH?!”
Jackknife gasped, when suddenly Bonsai went onto the offensive… no, more than
that, a total frenzy! “Urgh!” he growled, moving back and defending himself as
best as he could against the bladed fans, but Bonsai was too fast… and his
wounds were piling up…!
“Hm…”
Bonsai stood there, as Jackknife stood panting heavily… “Any last words?”
“Yeah…
as matter of fact…” a smile crossed his face, “I don’t know what makes you hate
the Kaisers so much… after all… look at what they gave me” he pulled out a
small, strange looking vial of liquid, with a needle at the end, “HMM!” he
quickly stuck it into his arm, “Ugh… agh…!” he started to growl, “AAAAHHH!!!”
“What’s
going on?!” Ash exclaimed as he ran into the scene, seeing Jackknife fall to
his knees, “What’s happening to him?!”
“This
is…!” Bonsai growled, looking down at the vial, and seeing a symbol on it. “The
symbol of the Kaiser Cult…!” he growled… “AH!”
SMASH!!!
“AGH!!!”
Bonsai screamed as he was suddenly sent flying, by a punch from Jackknife! “W…
what?!” he exclaimed, surprised by the power of that attack!
“RAAA!!!”
Jackknife roared, clenching his fists tight. He was sweating… and his clothes
were partially ripped by all these muscles that appeared out of nowhere, “H-heh…
such power…!” he laughed, looking at his arms… his muscles had grown to nearly
twice the size they once were. “HAA!!!” he suddenly slammed the ground with his
fist, shattering it easily, “Hmm… yes… I like this… HAAA!!!” he suddenly darted
forward and attacked Bonsai, swinging wildly and crushing everything in his
path.
“Urgh…!”
Bonsai growled as he was being pushed back, trying hard to defend himself and
deflect the attacks, “WHOA!” he gasped when Jackknife grabbed a whole crate and
tried to smash it on him, and narrowly evaded a swing from the blade! “Grr…! He’s
nothing like he was earlier…!” he growled, feeling pain in his arms simply from
deflecting the attacks… “He’s become much stronger… even more than me!”
“What’s
going on?!” Ash exclaimed
“It’s
because of the injection… it was made by the Kaisers… it can only be Berserker
Serum!” Said Bonsai, looking at the object on the floor, the one Jackknife
injected himself with. “When someone is injected with this, they grow
tremendously in strength! He was already strong, but with this serum, it’s
taken his strength to new heights! Grr… sorry Ketchum, but I’m not sure if we
could win this battle!” suddenly, his eyes caught movement, Jackknife was
attacking, but he was aiming for Ash! “MOVE!” He exclaimed, pushing Ash aside…
SLASH!!!
“AH!!!”
Bonsai exclaimed
“BONSAI!!!”
Ash screamed, as the fiend collapsed to the ground, bleeding
“Ugh…!
Too… careless…!” Bonsai growled, clutching his chest. The cut wasn’t too deep,
but it was very wide, running all the way down from his shoulder across his
chest. Slowly, he grabbed his weapons and tried to get up…
“No,
stop! You’ll die if you move with those wounds!” Ash gasped
“And
who else is gonna fight him… you?” Bonsai asked, “Give me a break… you may be
strong, but this freak is way above your level-…”
SMACK!
“Sorry
I had to do that… but it was the only way” said Ash, as Bonsai fell to the
ground unconscious. Ash had knocked him out, or else he would’ve tried to
fight. “As for you…” Ash turned around and faced Jackknife, “I’ll be your
opponent now!” he took a fighting stance, as he faced the transformed leader of
the gang…
(Meanwhile)
“Is
that all of them?!” asked Brock, panting heavily. All around them lay injured
punks and unconscious pokémon, their numbers in the hundreds.
“It
has to be… I don’t think I can go on any longer…” Tracey sighed and collapsed
to his knees, as did his pokémon
“You’re
tired after just this much?” Asked Cleft, who despite his visible injuries from
a prior skirmish, could still go on. “Oh well, guess I can’t blame you. You
guys aren’t used to fighting these sorts of battles. They can take a lot outta
you at first…”
“Hmm…”
Misty looked down… the others noticed as well. “Ash…” she said quietly, “He’s
still fighting… he’s fighting for us, in even harder battle! I should’ve gone
with him!” she gripped her knuckles tight “Hmm?” she suddenly felt a large hand
placed gently on her head. Looking up, she saw Cleft smiling sympathetically
down at her
“Worried
about him, huh?” he spoke gently, “Now that I think about it, you always seem
to be the one who cares most about his safety.” Cleft smiled, “I’ve been
meaning to ask, but are you two a couple?”
“N-no!
We’re nothing like that!” Misty looked down to hide the redness of her cheeks
“Hmm…”
Cleft stared at her, not fully believing her statement… “Either way, Ketchum is
really lucky, to be surrounded by friends as loyal and dedicated as you!” he
smiled, looking around at the rest of Ash’s group, who couldn’t help but smile
at the statement. But Cleft noticed that Misty still seemed concerned… “Misty…
am I right? I understand how you’re feeling, but what’s best for both you and
Ash is that you remain here. Right now, he’s fighting a hard fight, and needs
focus. The best thing you could do is to trust in him, and greet him with a
smile when he comes back victorious!” he smiled, giving them a thumbs-up…
“Trust…
in Ash…” Misty repeated, her smile returned…
(Meanwhile)
“AGH!”
Ash gasped, and blocking the combat knife with QuickSilver. Despite having
shielded himself, he could feel the strength of Jackknife’s arms, it was far stronger
than his! “WHY YOU! HAA!!!” Ash shouted as he kicked upward against the man’s
chin, causing him to stumble back, “PIKACHU! THUNDER ATTACK!” he shouted
“PIKA!”
Pikachu leapt forward and shot a blast of lightning at their opponent
“And
now…” Ash aimed the QuickSilver forward… “NITRO BALLS! GO!” he shouted, firing
many of them from the shooter…
KABOOM!
“WA!”
Ash exclaimed, getting pushed back by the explosion. “Did it work?!” he asked
himself as he saw the smoke clearing…
“Grrr…”
Jackknife growled, standing there, his feet anchored to the ground and his arms
crossed in the ‘X’ position. His clothes were partially torn, and there was
smoke coming from his body, but despite this, he was unharmed! “H… heh-heh… it
doesn’t hurt…!” he lowered his arms, revealing an insane grin, “Nothing you
did… your punch, the electricity… not even the explosions! It doesn’t work at
all! Ha-ha…!” he stood there grinning, his shoulders hunched and his head
tilted forward slightly, “What was that Super Fiend babbling about… calling it
a mistake to deal with the Kaisers? That was the best decision I’ve ever made…!
Look at me…! I’m invincible!”
“You’re
a freak, that’s what you are” Ash growled… taking a fighting stance, as Pikachu
stood ready next to him “HAAA!!!” He darted forward, punching his face
“You call that a punch?!” Jackknife shouted, “THIS
IS A PUNCH!”
“AGH!” Ash exclaimed as he flew back. He
immediately got back up, but Jackknife immediately attacked him, “UGH!” he
gasped, feeling the man’s fist hit his stomach and hit the ground once more.
Ash reeled back, but quickly regained his composure… his eyes caught a glint of
metal, his opponent was gonna finish him off with the blade! “PIKACHU! THUNDER
WAVE!” he suddenly shouted. The electric pokémon released a strong current of
electricity that ran through their opponent’s body
“Gr… GRAGH…!” Jackknife exclaimed, freezing just
inches away from Ash… his body became numb and he couldn’t move…!
“SILVER BULLET!!!” Ash suddenly shouted…
Suddenly, the boosters on the QuickSilver flared, taking off like a rocket even
though it was attached to his arm… “HAA!” he shouted, swinging his arm with all
his strength…!
SMACK!!!!!!
“AAAGH!!!!” Jackknife screamed, his was shattered
by Ash’s QuickSilver fist, and his head flung back when Ash uppercutted him,
the impact strengthened even further by the rocket boost! Jackknife stood
there… his eyes opened wide, staggering… “Ungh…” he let out a weak groan, and
fell on his back…
“(Pant… pant…)” Ash was gasping for air… but he
did it… he had won… “AH…!” his and Pikachu’s eyes widened in disbelief… “No… it
can’t be…!” he exclaimed, that last attack, there’s no way a human could get up
after being hit by something like that…!
“Grrr…” Jackknife was on his feet again… but this
time, he was different. His muscles seem to have grown even further, and veins
were apparent. “RRR…” he snarled, his teeth were clenched tight, and his eyes…
were completely white, as if he had become a monster… “RHAAA!!!!” he roared,
lunging at Ash!
“WHOA!” Ash exclaimed, moving back from the
berserker! He was trying his best to defend himself from the fierce attacks,
but Jackknife had gone completely out of control! “RHA!” Ash shouted, hitting
him, but his fist had no effect and Jackknife simply returned the favour with
even greater force… he was just too strong… “Hah… hah…” Ash was on his knees,
gasping for air… he was wounded badly by the attacks
“Pika…!” Pikachu growled, cheeks sparking…
“No, Pikachu…” Ash held his hand out, motioning
him to stop, “The man’s a monster now… and if you or any of the pokémon attack
him… you’ll become targets as well…” he growled… right now, that man was
stronger than any of Ash’s pokémon, and would not hesitate to seriously injure
them or worse…
“Pika… Pika Pikachu!” Pikachu said angrily
“I know, Pikachu… and that’s precisely why you
mustn’t fight.” Said Ash… slowly getting up. Pikachu had told him that he and
all the other pokémon were with him, and they were all willing to risk their
lives for his sake! “It’s true that I may be no match for that man… but I’m not
the kind of trash who’ll sacrifice my pokémon just to save my own skin! If we
should lose, I will be the only victim!” He clenched his fist, and Pikachu
understood what he was saying. Ash was placing their safety over his! “I will
fight this battle myself…”
“GRRR…” Jackknife stood there… his head tilted
slightly to the side. Next to Ash, this berserker seemed gigantic…
“Hm…” Ash turned and faced him, completely
unafraid. “You, who is driven by greed and a lust for power… you may appear
strong, but it’s all a façade… you’re an even bigger faker than your worthless
brother. The fact that you’ve fallen into madness by your petty desires proves
how weak you are.” Ash spoke seriously… “You harm others, simply to further
your own selfish ambitions… and you’ve spread pain and terror all over the
innocent people of this city…” he spoke, his eyes shone with determination, his
wounds and pain completely forgotten… “Your biggest mistake of all was
threatening my friends…” Ash took a fighting stance… and a strange golden glow
began to surround the QuickSilver… it was beginning to shine brighter…
“Pika…?” Pikachu’s eyes opened wide…
“Hmm?” Bonsai’s eyes slowly opened, and he looked
at Ash… “AH…!” he gasped in disbelief when he saw the light that surrounded the
QuickSilver… “T… THAT’S…!!!”
“For all the people you’ve hurt… for all the damage
you have done…!” Ash continued to talk, and the QuickSilver was shining bright
gold, like the sun itself! And the power that surrounded him…! Was unlike
anything he’s ever felt before…! Jackknife backed away… frozen in the face of
this incredible power… “I WILL DEFEAT YOU!!!”
SMASH!!!!!
“AHHHH!!!!!” Jackknife screamed when Ash struck him
in the chest. The impact was so powerful, he was thrown right off his feet, and
sent flying. He crashed through one stack of crates after another… but he wasn’t
stopping…!
CRASH!!!
“ARGH…!” Jackknife gasped when he finally stopped
flying, after he hit the brick wall. The impact was so great, the wall was
cracked… “IM… IMPOSSIBLE…” he gasped, colour returning to his eyes, and the
muscles he had gained from the serum were fading away. “My… goals… everything…
it’s all… ungh…” his senses faded away, as he fell to the ground. Jackknife…
has fallen. The Missingno Gang was defeated!
“Whew…” Ash gasped, standing there… “Hmm? WA!” He
exclaimed, looking at the QuickSilver and seeing the golden glow, “Why is it
like this!?” he stared at it… “Oh…” slowly the glow faded away… and the power
that surrounded him was also gone.
“Ungh… that… light… it can’t be…” Bonsai gasped,
staring at Ash. “No way… he holds the Power of One…” he sat up, clutching his
wounded chest, “That boy… Ash Ketchum… he’s… a
(
“CHEERS!!!” Brock and Tracey exclaimed, clinking
their glasses together, “To our victory!” The group was all gathered in the
pokémon centre, and celebrating the Missingno Gang’s defeat. With their leader
and Doppelganger defeated and sent to jail, the gang has crumbled… “Now that
the Missingno Gang’s been disbanded, this city is safe again, and everything
about that gang is just a bad memory!”
“Hmm…” Ash on the other hand stood by himself, he
didn’t take part in the celebration. Instead, he seemed to be immersed deep in
his thoughts…
“Hey Ash, what’s wrong?” asked Misty, suddenly
popping up next to him
“WA!” Ash exclaimed in surprise, his train of
thoughts suddenly being interrupted, “Ah… nothing’s wrong Misty” he answered,
shaking his head. “I’m happy of course, we did our job and won the battle,
yeah… it’s just…” he looked at his right hand, “(What WAS that?)” he asked himself…
“Come on Ash, cheer up!” Misty smiled brightly,
leaning her head on his shoulders and wrapping her arms around him… kissing him
on the cheek…
“WA… M-MISTY! W-WHAT’S UP WITH YOU?!” Ash
exclaimed, feeling his pulse shoot through the roof… “Huh? What’s that smell…”
he sniffed, “ALCOHOL?! WA!” he gasped, catching her before she fell. Misty was
red in the face, she had passed out.
“Oh my god! She’s drunk!” Ebi exclaimed, running
over to her, “WHO GAVER HER ALCOHOL?!” he shouted… and all eyes turned to Brock
“Hey, don’t look at me! I was trying to get Nurse
Joy drunk!” Brock answered… but froze and sweatdropped when he realized he said
the wrong thing out loud…
“Ugh…” Ash shook his head as Ebi and Brock started
arguing about inappropriate behaviours and such. Sighing, he carried Misty over
his shoulder and was heading to the bedroom areas, where he could put her in
bed
“Hey Ash! Make sure you remember to use protection!”
Brock’s voice called
“SHUT UP!” Ash turned around and snarled, as he
walked into the bedroom and slammed the door shut. “There… easy…” Ash gently
placed Misty down on the bed, careful not to wake her up or anything… “All
right…!” he smiled silently, watching her sleep there. “(Heh… when she’s awake, she’s scary, but when she’s asleep, she’s
actually kinda cu…)” before he could finish that thought, he suddenly
punched himself on the head, “(Get a hold
of yourself Ash!)” he gritted his teeth… but his face went red again when
he remembered that little kiss on the cheek she gave him… “(AHHH!)” he screamed mentally, scrambling
around, clutching his skull… “Hmm?” he suddenly turned around when the door
clicked open…
“Argh! That stupid no-eyes…! I swear, I’m gonna
kill him!” Ebi, who had apparently gotten into a fight with Brock and now had a
black eye, came storming into the room and threw open his bag, and started
digging through the contents. “Where did I keep those Motion Sensor Bombs?! I
know I saved some of them since the last Smash Bros. Tournaments! Come on,
there’s gotta be at least one!” he growled, thinking of a good place to hide it
so it would explode the moment Brock got close enough…
“Ebi…” Ash spoke up, causing Ebi to jump, “I need
to talk to you.”
“Ash!” Ebi exclaimed, but quickly calmed down. “Hm…
I had a feeling you would.”
“You see… during the battle…” Ash went on to recount
everything that took place, from defeating Doppelganger to Jackknife using the
Berserker Serum, to the moment that strange golden glow surrounded Ash… “I’m
telling you this, because I have a feeling that you might know.”
“As a matter of fact, I do.” Answered Ebi, “Ash,
give me the QuickSilver.” Ash did what he was told. Ebi took out a screwdriver
and began to open it up, “The power you spoke of came from the Shining Sphere…”
“The Shining Sphere?” Asked Ash
“Look” said Ebi as the QuickSilver opened. Ash
looked in awe, as he saw an orb resting within the QuickSilver… a golden orb
that shone like the sun! However, Ebi reached in and picked it up, but as soon
as his hands touched it, the glow faded and it became nothing but an ordinary
rock. “This is the item that only works in the hands of a
“Huh? Me?” asked Ash
“You know how there are Legendary pokémon in this
world? They hold incredible power and know no equal? Well that rule applies to
humans as well… humans who wield a special power, unmatched by anything in this
world… the Power of One…” said Ebi, handing Ash the sphere. In Ash’s hands, the
sphere suddenly lit up, and glowed brightly like the sun once more! “This is
proof that you are a Chosen One, for the Sphere to shine its light in your
hands.” He looked into Ash’s eyes, “And you were able to harness this power,
because of your determination to protect others.”
“I… but… w-what?” Ash blinked, trying to understand
“There are many people in this world, whether
pokémon trainers or human beings who have acquired incredible power through
training… but the Chosen Ones surpass them all. The
“Hmm…” Ash said nothing, but continued to listen.
“Years ago, when I started my travels, that time I
was travelling with another group… we heard of the Shining Sphere and travelled
the world to find it, and we would use the power for the greater good…” he
explained, “After over a year of searching, we found it in a shrine in a hidden
temple located deep in the jungle… and that’s when the Super Fiends first
started coming after us.” He began to tremble, remembering their power… the
group he travelled with consisted of strong and skilled fighters, but they were
unable to stand up to the power of the Fiends… “We escaped barely, but knew
that as long as we had it in our possession, they would hound us forever. It
was then when we made the decision to go our separate ways, and only one of us
would carry the sphere. The one chosen for this task was me. I continued my
journey alone…”
“Two years had passed without incident… until one
night, I had a dream… no, that is to say, I had a vision, from the Sphere.”
Said Ebi, “I may be a scientist, but I’ve seen enough things in this world to
know there are things that can’t be explained logically. The sphere was
communicating with me… it was telling me to find the one who could wield its
powers. Knowing my task, I began journeying with a new goal in mind… and that’s
when I first met you…” he turned to Ash, “One night as I was travelling through
the streets of this city, I was attacked by two men who were trying to rob me.
It was then when you came to my rescue” he straightened his glasses, “I had no
idea you were the one at first… but as I continued to watch you fight and grow
at an unbelievable rate, I was certain. That’s why I worked tirelessly on
constructing the tools and weapons to help you, before I could pass the Sphere
to your hands… because the last message the sphere left me spoke of a great
evil at work in the east… I placed the Sphere inside the QuickSilver, and you
carried it unknowingly, activating it in a time of need. Now it is certain, you
ARE the Chosen One I have been searching for!”
“Um…” Ash blinked, “Sorry Ebi, could you repeat
that? You lost me at ‘
“GRRRR…” Ebi growled, grabbed Ash by the neck with
one hand and clenched his fist. He was gonna punch Ash’s lights out
“WHOA! HEY! I WAS LISTENING! I WAS JUST JOKING!”
Ash sweatdropped and yelled before Ebi killed him, “So Ebi, this ‘evil’ you’re
talking about… what could it be? I mean… is it Team Rocket? Or the Super
Fiends? I mean… I know they’re supposed to be bad and all, but they were never
capable of anything that would involve ‘divine forces’ and such… as for the
Super Fiends… well…” he remembered each of the fiends… “They may be outlaws,
but they know the meaning of honour. They just like fighting, that’s all.” He
said, “Who could it be?”
“I really don’t know… but since we have no
destination in mind now, I think we might want to follow the sphere’s advice…”
said Ebi
“All right! So from here, we begin our travel east!”
Said Ash
“It’s not that simple. While this area may be lush
and green, to go east we’ll have to cross the immense wasteland known as the
“That’s fine then! I’ve got an idea on how to cut
our travel time in half!” said Ash, “I’ll go talk to Cleft, and ask him to bust
us a pathway through the mountain, so we can get right through and reach the
desert! I’ll go see him right now!”
“Hmm…” Ebi sighed as Ash left the room. “The Super
Fiends… they’ve been often called the most notorious criminals to ever walk
this earth… and yet Ash is not only capable of fighting at an even level with
them, now he’s even talking to them like friends and getting favours from them?”
he shook his head… absolutely unheard of…
(Meanwhile)
“So you’ll do it?!” Ash exclaimed excitedly at
Cleft’s response, “Thanks a lot, man!”
“Don’t mention it” said Cleft, as Ash ran off
happily, “Heh… he may be a first-class fighter, but at heart, he’s still just a
kid…” he chuckled. He had agreed to bust them a pathway through the mountain.
“He’s more than that, you know…” said Bonsai,
stepping into the scene. Right now, he had a number of bandages around his
chest area. “During the battle, I saw something you wouldn’t believe… that boy
could wield the Power of One.”
“HUH?!” Cleft exclaimed, turning around, “ARE YOU
SERIOUS?!”
“Afraid so” Bonsai chuckled at his partner’s
reaction. “Things are getting VERY interesting… first Red Kaiser appears in
this region… and now we find out Ketchum’s the new
“You’re right… I’m getting to work right now.” Said Cleft, sliding on his iron gauntlets and leaving the scene… ”By tomorrow, the tunnel will be complete”
“We should also get going soon…” Bonsai
nodded as he started gathering his things, “Chosen One or not, Ketchum is still
no match for Red Kaiser… and if that man finds out about him… no doubt about it
he’ll destroy everyone and everything in this region simply to find him.” He
put his hands in his pockets as he looked up at the night sky, “It’s best that
you don’t learn of the Kaiser Cult’s existence yet, Ketchum… you aren’t ready for the knowledge… and when
you leave this area, you’ll be safe from their reach. Even if just for a little
while…”
As night falls over
(TO BE CONTINUED)