Chapter 13- Fierce Training!
~The decision I made to join Sky Render
as a Super Fiend may have been a shock to many, but I know what I’m doing. I’ve
finally learned what the Shadow of the Deceiver is, and I will not stand by and
watch helplessly as some cult dominates the very world we live in! My defeat at
the hands of Red Kaiser taught me that I am far from invincible, and though I
may not be strong enough to stop the entire cult, If I don’t do something to
try and stop them, then I am no better than the Kaisers. Simply being a
-Ash
Ketchum
(Location- Above Jade Cliffs)
“You… you want to do what?” Sky Render stared at
Ash in shock
“You heard me! I wanna become a Super Fiend so I
could help you fight the cult!”
“Ash…” Sky Render looked at him, and then turned
at the ground, “I am sorry, but I cannot let you join” he said. “Before you ask
why, I’ll answer. Though we stand for a just cause, we are hated. We have to
fight battles to survive against countless odds”
“So what else is new?” asked Ash, “That’s no
different from what I do right now!”
Sky Render looked at him, “I guess you’re right
about that part, but I still can’t let you ruin your life by making such a
foolish decision!”
“Why? You think I enjoyed that little test your friends
gave me?” asked Ash, “The crushing feeling… I can’t even begin to describe it!
How it was like to be totally overwhelmed in battle while unable to protect
anyone I care for, let alone myself! I want to do everything to make sure this
doesn’t happen ever again!”
“In that case, you will not join” said Sky
Render, “Each one of us Super Fiends had suffered these cases for real. The
Kaiser Cult has existed for centuries. They have always been hostile, and it’s
just our luck that they’re so active this generation,” said Sky Render, “You
cannot join. I won’t allow it, and that’s final.”
“AW! Come on!”
“No”
“You won’t regret it!”
“No, but you will”
“Why don’t you just let…”
TWACK!!!!
Ash lay face flat on the ground after he was hit
with the wooden sword. “I said no!”
“Gah…” Ash got up and began leaving. “Fine. I’ll
keep the secret you told me, and I won’t join. It’s worse now that I know but
can’t do anything. Thanks for nothing…”
“Wait.” Sky Render stopped him
“What is it now?” Ash turned around
“Though you cannot join us, there might be another
way…”
***
(Location- Bottom of Jade Cliffs)
“So let me get this straight…” Misty looked at
Ash, “Sky Render offered to train you?”
“Uh-huh!” said Ash “Personally!”
“And you accepted?”
“Oh yeah” Ash nodded, “Had to think about it… for
about a microsecond!”
“YOU IDIOT!” Misty started slapping him, “What
were you thinking?!”
“Hey! Ow! Stop!” Ash pleaded, “It’s to get rid of
all my weaknesses!”
“You’ve only got one weakness!” said Misty, “You
never use your brain!”
“She’s right” said Brock, “Sky Render’s
dangerous!”
“And not to mention you’re still injured!” said
Misty
“Actually, Ash is almost completely healed, so he
should be okay…” said Ebi
“That’s not the point!” said Misty
Ash sighed. His friends still had that Anti Fiend
thing going, and didn’t know the truth. Ash looked at the rest of the group,
“Guys, it may be a better idea if you go somewhere else, away from me, the
further the better. If you stay around me, the Kaisers will go after you the
next time they come. Go anywhere, Marble City should accept you without any
problems, or even go back to your hometowns… just don’t stick around, just
until this whole Kaiser thing blows over” he said, looking at cliffs “Sorry
that you don’t agree with this, but I’m going!” he began to climb “I’m gonna train!
I’m gonna get strong! Sky Render will make sure!”
“Ash is turning over to the dark side” Ebi sighed
“Either way, this is his choice and I’ll support
him” said Tracey
“And he’s right about us being in danger if we
stay here.” Said Brock
“We should just get going” said Amaebi. Everyone
started leaving, but Misty stood behind, “What are you doing?”
“I’m staying here” said Misty, “Maybe I get some
sense into Ash’s empty head!”
“Well if you’re staying here, us girls should
stick together! I’m staying!” said Amaebi
“I’ll stay if you’re staying!” Brock spoke up
“Oh no you’re not!” Said Ebi and grabbed Brock’s
ear “We’ll be at Whitesand!”
***
(Location- Above Jade Cliffs)
“Each of us witnessed your defeat against the
Kaisers!” said Sky Render, “I was able to analyse your fighting style and
determine your weaknesses! You may have reached Level II, but now’s the time to
turn you into a real fighter! Are you ready?”
“I’m plenty open for anything. So what are you
going to train me for? Martial arts? Sword Techniques?” Asked Ash hopefully.
Instead, Sky Render simply vanished!
“Right here!” Sky Render’s voice shouted. Ash
turned around and gasped
WHACK!!!!!
“WAGK!” Ash exclaimed as he fell. “Ow… I give up…
What are you teaching?”
“Nothing you don’t know already. I just want to
know what your capable of so I can be sure you don’t get killed by the
training” said Sky Render as he held up the wooden sword, “Now, you’ll spar
with me!”
“YOW!” Ash jumped back as Sky Render swung again
“This match will allow me to analyze your
weaknesses so I can eliminate them!”
“I’ve noticed” said Ash, getting up, “If I can be
sent to a hospital from a fight, then there’s some sort of chink in my fighting
style. When I saw the sword coming at my face, my instincts told me to act, but
my body didn’t respond quick enough.”
“That’s right!” said Sky Render, “Let’s begin!”
For the next few hours, Ash sparred with Sky
Render. Every time they fought, Sky Render beat him. It was amazing how strong
this Super Fiend was. “HYA!!!!” Ash shouted and struck out again and again
rapidly. Sky Render dodged every single hit
SMACK!
Sky Render struck him in the face, “Waste of
energy! Don’t lash out like that!”
“GRRR…” Ash growled and charged again, “HA! HUH!
HA! YA!” He struck at Sky Render, but he blocked each hit with his wooden sword
Sky Render spun and slammed Ash on the head.
“Concentrate on where you want to hit! Try to control my movements as well!”
Ash charged one more time, striking again and again, but he didn’t touch Sky Render
once, “Focus! You can never win if you always miss!” Sky Render moved quicker
than the eye, around Ash and smacked him on the back, causing him to fall
“GRRRR!” Ash growled, “HAAAAAAA!!!!!” Ash charged
forwards and dove at Sky Render. The Super Fiend simply jumped over him, but
Ash couldn’t stop charging.
CRASH!!!!!
“Holy!” Sky Render exclaimed. Ash charged head
first into the cliff wall and struck it so hard with his head, it was embedded
into the rock! “Is he still alive? AH!” He gasped as Ash pulled his head out of
the rocks and snarled. “(This kid is insane!)” Sky Render thought, “(If
he does that again, he’ll kill himself, if I don’t dodge I’ll be the one
getting hurt!)” he continued blocking each hit every time Ash struck at
him. Faster than before, Ash wouldn’t stop his attacks, and they just kept
speeding up. “That’s more like it!” Sky Render smirked. Ash is catching on.
“WHOA!” One of the punches nearly touched him. Sky Render hit Ash on the leg,
tripping him.
“Ow…” Ash groaned after he fell face flat onto
the rock-solid ground.
“Whew…” Sky Render sighed, “That’s enough. Let’
break for now.”
“Gwuh…”
“Not bad. You’re learning to use your speed more
effectively. You are good at defending yourself by reading enemy movements, but
you also have to use it for the offensive” Said Sky Render, “Suppose you were
fighting someone, and you see an opening for a split second, you cannot afford
to miss, otherwise it could cost you the match, in some cases your life… hey,
are you even listening?!”
“Gwuh…”
***
(Location- Bottom of Jade Cliffs)
Night had fallen, and Misty continued to think
about her loving boyfriend, Ash. “I’m going to train! I’m going to get
strong! Sky Render will make sure!” Misty repeated what Ash said in a mock
voice, “Is that fighting all that matters to you? If so, why not just MARRY Sky
Render?!” She said angrily. She was so concerned about Ash’s health, yet he
didn’t care at all! “Ash you jerk! Ash you jerk! Ash you jerk!”
“What’s the problem?” asked Amaebi
“Ash you jerk! Ash you jerk! Ash you jerk!” Misty
grumbled, not listening
“Misty?” no response, “HEY MISTY!”
“AAH!” Misty fell over. She got up and rubbed her
ear “What was that for?!”
“I stayed here to keep you company, but all
you’ve been doing was call Ash a jerk!”
“It’s the truth isn’t it?” asked Misty, “All he
cares about is fighting! He’s spent less time with me than he has with villains
that try to kill him! It’s as if he doesn’t have time for me anymore!”
Amaebi giggled, “You’re starting to sound like a
real housewife”
“What!?” Misty exclaimed, her face flushed red
“Well, crime fighting DOES count as his job
because he does make profit (I mean, sure he steals the money, but it’s still
money right?). You know this kind of situation, no time for you, only work? No
need to worry! All guys are like that, and especially his job involves nothing
but fighting, it’s just a macho thing.”
“Hmmm…” Misty thought about it “Who am I kidding?
I can’t ignore all this. Ash and me are just too different. He loves fighting
while I don’t. We spend more time arguing than dating. We get very little or no
time alone together, and even when we told each other how we felt, that was
during a fight… We have so little in common…”
“That’s not true. You have one most important
thing in common. You both love each other, and that’s what counts” said Amaebi
“It may be not be perfect, but there’s two things you can do about this.” She
said, “You can sit and mope all day and make things worse, or you could find a
way to get his attention and make things better!”
“You’re right!” Misty said as she got up, “I’ve
spent way too much time bellyaching about things! So what if Ash loves
fighting? I’ve got things I like that he doesn’t!”
“That’s the spirit, girl!” said Amaebi, “What are
you going to do?”
“Ash enjoys fighting and puts a lot of effort
into it, therefore I’ll stand by him and support him!” said Misty, “After the
workout he’s getting, he’s sure to be starving when he comes back, so I’ll be
ready! I’ll cook Ash a delicious meal!”
“All right!” said Amaebi, “Do you need any of my
help or you want to do it yourself?”
“I’ll do it myself!” said Misty, “It’s the least
I could do for my boyfriend!”
***
(Location- Above Jade Cliffs)
“DADADADADA!!!!!” Ash was striking at Sky Render.
Ash was sweating and he had removed his hat and jacket. His punches were
beginning to speed up. Sky Render continued to parry and defend every hit.
SLAM!
Sky Render swung his wooden sword and knocked Ash
back. Ash growled and attacked again, “Getting better!” said Sky Render,
“Remember! You can practice all your life and improve some, or you can train
with me and improve a great deal more! These skills have nothing less to do
with physical abilities! You trust your fighting instincts to guide your body
combat. That’s the right thing to do, but your body has to be able to keep up
with your thoughts! That’s what I’m training you for!”
“HRRRRAAAH!” Ash struck with all his strength
“HMPH!” Sky Render hit Ash’s arm to the side. “(He’s
just not learning!)” He sighed as he moved and dodged “(Time for more
disciplining.)” he swung the sword
“No!” Ash reacted in time. He caught the wooden
sword in his hand
“What?!” Sky Render exclaimed. He pulled his
sword back, and Ash continued striking, “AH!” one of the punches grazed his face.
Sky Render struck Ash back with a powerful hit, sending him flying, “Whew…
nearly had me back there…”
Ash growled as he slowly got up. He was panting
and sweating heavily “(pant) And I would have… if it weren’t (pant) for these!”
he said as he took off and threw his shirt to the side. His chest, back,
shoulders and arms had bandages over them
“What are you doing?” asked Sky Render
“(huff…) try this on for size” Ash said “Let me
show you something cool I saw watching anime! HAAAAA!”
SNAP!
Ash had flexed all the muscles in his upper body,
and the bandages all snapped and fell to the ground. “Impressive” said Sky Render
“Whew… I always wanted to try that! It always
looks so cool!” Ash smirked, taking a deep breath and stretching. “That’s
better!” he moved his arms more freely. He was completely healed, and there was
a tiny mark on his chest where the Kaiser Sword had hit “COME ON!!!!” he
charged forwards, “DADADADADADADADADA!!!!!!!”
“GRR!!!” Sky Render continued to block and
deflect all the hits. They were much faster than before and were aiming for
more vulnerable spots that Sky Render had more difficulty defending. Ash hit
the sword to the side and eliminated his defence!
KASMACK!!!!
“AH!” Sky Render stumbled back after being hit on
the face and looked at Ash.
Ash was panting heavily and he was exhausted.
He’s been striking non-stop for hours… and he’s managed to hit Sky Render…!
“Heh…” Ash smirked
“You finally managed to hit me” Sky Render looked
at him
“Uh-huh. I got lucky” Ash wiped the sweat off
using his shirt, “Shall we continue?”
“Luck had nothing to do with it. You’ve
succeeded.” Said Sky Render, “We will continue, but you don’t look like you can
right now. Go down the cliff and rest.”
“(Pant…) I think (wheeze) you’re… (gasp) right” Ash
dropped to the ground. Ash looked, down and could see Misty and Amaebi. He also
looked how far down the cliff was from here. “I… I don’t thing I could (pant)
climb down” he looked at Sky Render, “You can jump from the bottom of the cliff
to the top without any trouble, right? You mind taking me down there?” asked
Ash
Sky Render looked at him strangely, “Call me
crazy, but I have this issue with holding sweaty, shirtless guys.” Sky Render
turned around and pointed at a pathway “There’s a path nearby, but it takes 4
hours to walk up and down, and hours of walking next to you isn’t something I
want to do, because did I mention that you really smell bad? Haven’t you ever
heard of deodorant?” Sky Render held his nose
“Well if you’re so adverse to getting me down
quickly or taking the walking path, do you have any ideas smart guy?” Ash held
his shirt and jacket
“Just one” said Sky Render
TWACK!!!
“WAAA!” Ash exclaimed as he flew backwards
SPLASH!
Ash fell into the rapids that were near them.
“WHAT THE…!?” he turned around, “HOLY SHIIIIIIIIIIIIiiiiiiii~…!!!!!!!” he
screamed as he went down the falls.
Sky Render smiled to himself, “Sometimes I am so
smart I scare myself. He’s got a quick way down that doesn’t involve me
carrying and sweaty-smelly guys, and he’s got a bath as well. I should also be
going.” He said as he hopped off the cliff.
***
(Location- Bottom of Jade Cliffs)
“Ha-ha!” Misty smiled, oh so very pleased with
herself. “I just know Ash is going to enjoy this special curry I’m making him!”
“Seeing how you made it by yourself, I’m sure he
will!” said Amaebi as Misty returned to making it “Speaking of which, where are
they?”
A lot of swearing was heard in the background.
Misty turned around and looked at her, “Would ease up on the foul language? I’m
trying to impress Ash here, and that’s enough cursing to scare him off!”
“It wasn’t me!” said Amaebi, “Hey, what’s that?”
“Huh?” Misty looked at the falls. She could
something was falling… “Ash?”
SPLOOSH!
“AAARGH! GAH! GET ME OUT OF HERE!” Ash was
screaming as he was thrashing and splashing a lot in the water.
“Um… I think Ash is here” Amaebi said and both
she and Misty sweatdropped. After a few minutes, Ash had stepped out of water
and calmed down Sky Render appeared. The shock of seeing the most wanted man in
the world has worn off for Misty and Amaebi. They invited him to eat dinner
with them
“You mean, even after knocking you down the falls
and bashing you senseless you’re inviting me for dinner?” Sky Render asked in a
shocked tone
“Sure!” said Ash as he wrung the water out of his
shirt and placed it on a rock near a fire along with his hat, jacket and
gloves. “It would be rude not to let you, especially after all you’ve been
doing! You know, the Kaiser Cult’s Shadow secret, the training lesson along
with the bath and all!” he laughed as he wiped himself off with a towel
Amaebi nudged Misty and winked, glancing at Ash,
who didn’t have his shirt on, all his new muscles exposed. Misty’s face flushed.
“Stop that!” she whispered
“Well, give it to him” she whispered, staring at
Misty, “The curry!”
“Okay…” Misty took out a ladle and poured the
curry into two bowls, “Here… I made this for you… and you can have some to… Mr.
Sky Render…”
“Words… cannot express how grateful I am!” Sky
Render’s eyes began to sparkle, “No one’s ever shown me such kindness! I thank
you so much!” he bowed his head
“Oh, stop that!” said Misty, “Go ahead! Bon
apatite!”
“Wow! This looks great! Thanks Misty!” said Ash,
tying the towel around his neck so it covered his shoulders…
“ITTADAKIMASU!” Both Ash and Sky said at the same
time, and dug into the curry… placing it placed it in their mouths… (Background
goes black, lightning crashes) Both of their eyes opened wide as they stood up
quickly…
“L-LET’S GO TRAIN SOME MORE…!” exclaimed Sky
Render, dropping the bowl
“Y-YES SIR!” said Ash, also dropping his. Both
guys immediately began running away from the scene. Both Amaebi and Misty
sweatdropped as they saw the two clumsily and frantically scrambling up the
cliffs…
“What was that all about?” asked Misty
“Did you try it before you gave it to them?”
asked Amaebi
“No. Am I supposed to?” asked Misty
“Maybe something went wrong? I doubt anything
could be that bad.” Said Amaebi as both she pulled out a spoon and dug in. (The
second she put it into their mouth, background goes black and lightning
appears) Her eyes opened wide, and she collapsed, “Then again… I could be
mistaken…! ARGH…! I’M… DYING..!”
“What’s the problem?” asked Misty. Amaebi was
writhing and twisting on the ground as if she ate something extremely toxic.
“Let me try!” she picked up a spoon and tasted it herself (Black background,
thunder crashing) her eyes opened wide as she also fell to the ground, “aw…
awful…” she was twitching… the taste of her cooking… it could make a Muk sick!
“Ash you jerk…! If you didn’t like it, you didn’t have to run off like that!
Why couldn’t he just say so?!” she kicked the pot hard and sent it flying into
the river, and many fish suddenly floated belly-up to the surface of the water.
“MISTY…! Call my brother! Tell him to bring an
antidote!” Amaebi gasped, “No, make that a
“GRRR!” Misty ignored her… she was red and
fuming… “ASH YOU JERK!!!!”
(Meanwhile)
SMACK! BAM! WHACK! POW! TWACK!
“ASH YOU JERK!!!!” Sky Render shouted at Ash who
was lying face flat on the ground, his head full of bumps. “I SHOULD HAVE
KNOWN! THAT GESTURE OF FRIENDSHIP WAS NOTHING BUT AN ASSASSINATION ATTEMPT!”
“WAIT!” Ash crouched on the ground, kneeling and
bowing at Sky Render, “Forgive me, please forgive me! I had no idea here
cooking was that bad!”
“GRR…” Sky Render growled, “Well, now that we’ve
left that unpleasantness behind, I will still train you, but don’t expect me to
be gentle after what just happened.”
“Oh thank you!” said Ash as he got up. The wind
suddenly blew and Ash shivered. His pants were soaked and his shirt was still
drying down there. Though he was wearing a towel on his shoulders, it didn’t
warm him up much. “BRRR!”
“We start immediately, but not sparring, it’s a
test!” said the samurai, “If you’ve learned anything, then you should be able
to hit my face at least once in this hour! If you succeed, I will train you! You’re
a talented fighter, but if you can’t even hit me once this late into the game,
there’s no hope for you! This test begins… NOW!” said Sky Render as the wind
blew fiercely all behind them
“All right!” said Ash, tossing the towel to the
side “HAAAA!!!!” he charged at Sky Render, but the Super Fiend stepped to the
side as Ash ran. Ash smirked; he was expecting Sky Render to dodge like that,
“HA!” Ash spun around, swinging his elbow to hit Sky Render, but Sky Render
raised his hand and stopped Ash’s attack.
FWHAP!
“GAK!” Ash yelped. “GRRR!” He began striking
rapidly “DADADADADADADADADA!!!!”
“HMM! Sky Render parried Ash’s arms with his
wooden sword.
Ash jumped back and attacked again, but this
time, when he punched, he wasn’t aiming at Sky Render “RHAH!” he swung his arm
and slammed the sword with the back of his fist, knocking the wooden blade to
the side, “HA!” Ash then scowled… his fist had missed him by a mile! “Owww…” Ash groaned. When he hit Sky’s sword
with his fist, he hurt his right knuckle a lot. It was like punching steel, and
he hadn’t even been able to hit him! “HAAA!” Ash charged forward, while Sky
Render charged at him, this time on the offensive. He struck at Ash with
amazing speed and agility. Ash crouched on one knee and shielded his head with
his arms in the ‘X’ position. Among the flurry of attacks, Ash saw an opening.
It was small, and there was a slim chance he’d actually hit it, but he took it,
“TAKE TH…!”
WHAM!
“AH!” Ash’s eyes opened wide. Sky Render had
jabbed with his wooden sword forwards and struck him in the chest, knocking the
air out of Ash’s lungs.
“Don’t fall for false openings. I left that spot
unguarded on purpose so you’d attack it. Don’t’ ever drop your guard, and don’t
be fooled by tricks!” he said casually as he slammed the wooden sword on Ash’s
side
Ash grunted in pain. He then calmed himself down.
He couldn’t win this fight if he was stressed out too much. Ash struck at Sky
Render, but the Fiend leader jumped back and struck his shoulder. Ash was sore
all over from the hits he’s taken, but he had to keep on fighting. He wasn’t
being hit with a real sword! That was nothing but some crummy wooden toy!
“Don’t act all relaxed just because the weapon
isn’t impressive” said Sky, as if he had read Ash’s mind. “A wooden sword is
not a toy, it is a veritable weapon. You can shatter someone’s bones so that
they never recover, you can rupture inner organs by striking hard enough. And
don’t forget whose handling this sword!” he stood there, Sky Render, the
world’s greatest swordsman… “But a wooden sword should not be as strong as a
metal one, so answer this… your body is hard as rock and your fists can easily
shatter stone, but why can’t you break this sword?”
“Um…”
“It is my will… the will of a samurai, and soul
of a martial artist” Sky Render spoke, clutching his sword and turning around
to face a large boulder… “HAAAA!!!”
-CHING-
“AH…!” Ash’s jaw dropped. The boulder had been
completely split in half! That wasn’t all, but there wasn’t a single mark on
the wooden sword!
“The sword is the heart of a samurai, and my will
is the will of the sword. Even made of wood, it will not be broken.” He spoke
calmly. “Be it flesh, stone or metal even, I can cut through it, even without a
sharpened steel blade” he then turned to face Ash, taking a traditional
fighting stance “Come at me then?”
“GRRR…” Ash growled, “(He’s too good…!)” all
that stuff he just showed Ash… that had nothing to do with the power of one, it
was his own skill! The unparalleled might of the samurai! That wasn’t all, but
though they’ve been fighting nearly all day, Sky Render was barely sweating at
all. “(There’s just no comparison… between me and him… he’s at a completely
different level!)” Ash thought to himself and looked at Sky Render. “(However… cutting through flesh, stone and
metal is one thing… but I’m not the same. My will…! Even if he strikes me with
that sword with killing intent, my own will and determination can repel his!)”
a smirk crossed his lips, as he took a fighting stance. Sky had tried to scare
him, and it didn’t work. How about that? In the midst of battle, Ash had just
learned something new!
“(What’s he thinking about now?)” Wondered
Sky Render, “(If experience is serving me right, then I should be expecting
a head on attack from him. I’m ready.)”
“(He’s ready for a head on attack.)” Ash
thought, “(I charge in like that and I’m dead. I have to find something that
he won’t be expecting… wait, that’s it! Something he will definitely not
expect, a head on attack!)” Ash smirked and charged
Sky Render knew what was coming up, or did he? “(Here
he comes!)” Ash’s fists were clenched and his arms spread out. “(Yep… I was right, head on attack… time for a
little disciplining… AH! wait a
second!!!)” Sky Render saw what it was…!
SMASH!!!!
“WHOA…” Sky Render gasped, jumping back. Ash had
nearly got him that time… charging in head first literally. The mountain wall
was cracked!
“Ow…” Ash growled… it’s true Sky wasn’t expecting
for him to charge in head on, but a veteran fighter like him wouldn’t be
caught by something like this!
“(Not bad. He caught me off guard and nearly
had me there… He’s also pretty good. For a self-trained fighter, he already knows
how different stances could affect the combat)” thought Sky Render, “Forty
minutes left. Keep going”
“Defensive this time?” asked Ash, “Fine! You’re
mine!” he said as he charged forwards, he was going to tackle Sky Render like
he did just now. Suddenly Sky Render began to laugh, and Ash suddenly froze. In
Sky Render’s eyes burned some sort of flame, and all of Ash’s instincts were
telling him to run away. “(W-what’s going on?)” Ash was sweating. He was
scared. Sky Render’s glare seemed burn into his soul and sap his strength. Ash
was shaking with absolute terror
“Another old technique that’s been used by
martial artists alike for generations… a Fiery Gaze” Sky Render chuckled as the
flames in his eyes disappeared. “To focus your energy and fighting intent
through your eyes, and intimidate your enemies. A weaker man will freeze in fear,
while everyone else will flee in terror. Even the strong could be caught off
guard by this technique… unless they possess even greater determination to
fight.” said Sky Render. “It’s always been a favourite of mine… since so many
weaklings try to fight me, it scares them away without even having to lift a
finger!” Sky Render darted forwards
WHAP!
“AGH!” Ash exclaimed. He raised his arm in
defence and the sword hit the back of his wrist. Ash jumped back, his arms were
hurting so much. He had to hit Sky Render at least once. Ash worked hard to get
better but he still couldn’t compete with Sky Render. Ash had already cast
aside the bandages that slowed him down, so he had no way to get faster,
unless… “(Wait! That’s it!)” Ash got another idea. “Time-out!” Ash made the
sign with his hands and ran over to his towel
“What are you doing now?” asked Sky Render
“GRRR!” Ash grunted. With all his strength, he
tore the towel into two equal pieces. He then wrapped it around his forearms
and fists like a boxer would do using cloth or bandages. He looked up at Sky
Render, “You may be way better than me, but let’s see how you handle this!” Ash
smirked, hopping around and doing some shadow boxing “These will let me block
your swings without hurting myself!”
“But if your fists are wrapped up, you won’t be
able to hurt me.” Said Sky Render as he attacked Ash, but Ash blocked
THUMP!
“Who said anything about hurting you?” asked Ash
as he blocked and continued jabbing quickly at Sky, though the fiend continued
to evade the punches
“Ah! Very clever” said Sky Render, “You realized
that your goal isn’t to defeat me, but simply fulfil your objectives!”
“That’s right!” Ash ran forwards and swung his
fists. Sky Render swung his sword and whacked Ash’s arm, and Ash continued to
block as if he was using the QuickSilver. The two of them attacked one another
with hundreds of rapid strikes. Ash with his arms wrapped up, felt
significantly less pain in his arms when blocking the hits. “HAAAAAAA!!” His
fist flew forwards. The sword struck his arm many times, but they didn’t stop
Ash’s punch…
CRACK!
The stone mountain wall cracked, when Ash’s
padded fist hit it. Ash immediately turned around and took the stance again.
“To think that simply wrapping a torn up towel
around your arm could make such a drastic difference. But don’t think I’ll LET you
win… with only thirty minutes left I’ll be fighting seriously” Sky Render took
up a new stance. Ash didn’t recognize this one, but he knew this was most
likely the one Sky Render used he meant business. “If you want to gain
strength… then use YOUR strength to TAKE what you want!
Ash stared at Sky Render. Stances were very
important in fights. Ash remembered how his father once told him about this
sort of thing when he was young. It could determine what moves you were
planning to use, whether you’d charge forwards and go on the offensive or
defensive, whether you’d use fast strikes or powerful hits. Ash remembered those
words. “(This advice was originally meant for Pokémon battle… and a pokémon
battle is no different from what I’m doing now… except I have to handle both
strategy and fighting at once)” he thought in his head. There was no clear
openings, Sky would not attack, and the clock was ticking. In this situation,
he had to be the one to attack. Taking a deep breath, and preparing himself for
some serious pain, he suddenly broke into a desperate charge… “HAAA!!!”
TWACK!
“AGH!” Ash flipped into the air when Sky Render
hit him with the sword. “Ow…” Ash then got up, “(There was something else my
dad said!)” thought Ash. Sky Render wasn’t moving, and didn’t even breathe.
Whatever you do, don’t take your eyes off him for a second! Even blinking
could cost you the battle! Ash remembered everything his father said. “(Fine.
No Blinking!)” Ash thought as he charged forwards
WHAP!
“GAOW!” Ash tripped when Sky Render swept his
sword and hit Ash on the ankles. Ash got up and ran back. Look at his stance
carefully, and look for any spot that is difficult to reach. If he can’t hit
fast enough, you can hit first. Ash remembered something else his dad said.
“(Hmmm… The stance he’s using, I don’t see any openings.)” Thought Ash,
“(I see several spots that have a bit weaker defence than others, and I’m
sure that if I break through the defence…)”
SMACK!
“OOF!” Ash hit the ground. Sky Render hit his
head before Ash could touch him. “(Gah… even his weak points are stronger
than my strong points!)” Ash gasped and rubbed his head as he ran away to
think again. “(I wonder if there’s anything else I can try?)” Ash
remembered. None of his own strategies had worked, and this was forcing him to
remember the basics… It doesn’t matter what kind of stance an opponent has.
It could be the weakest one in the world with no defence or offensive
capabilities or the greatest one in the world that leaves no openings, but
absolutely EVERYTHING has a blind spot. Like I said, once you lose sight, even
for a second the battle can be lost! “(I know where his blind spot will
be!)” He thought as he circled Sky Render as quickly as he could, but Sky
Render wouldn’t let him out of his sight
“Give up yet?” asked Sky Render, “You’ve got
fifteen more minutes.”
“ALREADY?” Ash exclaimed, “(I’m not fast
enough to reach his blind spots, so I have to find something else!)” Ash
thought to himself, “(I must remember… I am a pokémon trainer… and in every
pokémon battle there is always a chance to win. Right now, the two of us are
the trainers… my fists are my pokémon and his sword is his. I must look for any
advantage I can have… not just elemental weakness, but the way a pokémon’s body
is built, his size, height, weight, speed, the length of arms, legs or tail,
any of them can be used for my advantage! His disadvantage is… I GOT IT!)”
Ash ran forwards, he knew what to do.
SMACK! BAM! POW! WHACK!
“(Nope…
don’t got it…)” Ash lay face flat on the ground, heavily bruised after Sky
Render beat him up… Ash growled. Sure, he knew what to do, but he wasn’t good
enough to do it! “(Sky Render uses a wooden sword. It’s got more range than
my fists, but he’s got only one while I got two hands!)” Ash ran again and
punched at Sky Render. Sky Render hit both of Ash’s hands away and struck Ash
in the chest. Ash groaned and backed off. He could feel the hits even through
the thick layer of the towel on his arms, “URGH!” Ash fell back. He panted. “(Too
good… he’s so skilled with swords that he has even more control of it than I do
with my hands! Even if I had four or six hands it’ll be the same for him!)”
Ash thought. He tried to remember something else he was taught by his dad. ‘Everyone
in the Ketchum family grew up to be powerful trainers. Do you know why? Because
we have a special ability that other people don’t! A trait that has run down
through everyone in our family for generations, the ability to observe an
opponent and see through the techniques in just one glance! That way, we can
find any weakness or way to bypass it, or even learn it ourselves!’ Ash
remembered, smirking. It was this skill that had allowed him defeat opponents
far more experienced back in the early days of his pokémon training, and it was
also crucial to all the savage rupture battles too. “(Sky Render knows about
this so that’s why he doesn’t use any specific pattern and always changes it.
He never hits the same way twice!)”
“Sometimes to get what you want you have to risk
your life” said Sky Render, “With only ten minutes left, it may be your only
choice.”
“GRRR…” Ash growled… Sky Render was provoking him
to go for a full all-out ‘suicide charge’… something Ash has done more than
once, but against this man what could it possibly do? “(Dad… you always figured
this sort of thing out… what would you do in this situation?)” Ash thought.
“(Red Kaiser wasn’t anywhere as good as this! THIS the power of a Level III
“Given up yet?” said Sky Render, “Hmm?”
“RAAAAAAAGH!!!!” Ash charged forwards and
attacked. Ash punched at Sky Render, but Sky Render dodged to the left. Ash
swung his leg for a powerful kick, but Sky Render raised his knee and blocked
it. As he did this, Sky Render jabbed with his sword and struck Ash on the
forehead, “AGH!” Ash exclaimed, but growled. He had to get Sky Render to go on
offensive! “RAAAAGH!” Ash charged forwards to tackle him, but Sky Render jumped
and Ash crashed into the wall. Ash continued to punch, kick and even head butt,
but every time he missed, he hit the rock wall.
“HM!” Sky Render dodged left and right, missing
the two swings. He swung his wooden sword down at Ash and hit him, but Ash
simply wouldn’t stop attacking. “(He’s going crazy! When I said suicide
charge, I didn’t mean this! If I don’t stop him, he’ll kill himself before
hitting me!)” Sky Render struck Ash in the chest, knocking the breath out
of his lungs. He hit him again and again on the stomach, arms, neck and head.
Ash tried his best to withstand these hits, but there were too many, he collapsed.
Sky Render wiped some sweat off his face. “Whew…”
Ash groaned. There was little time left. “(I
have to make him lower his defence and attack! If he goes into the offensive,
he’ll leave at least one small opening! No matter how small it is, it’s there
and he’ll be close enough for me to hit it!)” Ash thought. “(A suicide
charge doesn’t work on him… but the name gives me an idea… since this may very
well be suicide…)” He stood up straight, and abandoned his fighting stance.
Sky Render looked surprise
“You’re giving up?” asked Sky Render
“Oh, I cannot possibly win against a guy like
you. I mean, I’m fighting you unarmed, and you have a lethal weapon that is
making me afraid to fight.” Ash shrugged
“What? I know this wooden sword is dangerous when
in my hands, but it’s hardly lethal…” Sky Render looked at it
“I’m not talking about the toy sword! I’m talking
about the hair!” said Ash
“What?!” Sky Render exclaimed
“You’re crazy making such demands! You think I’m wanna
punch at your head when hitting it could mean piercing my hands?” Ash smirked,
“That thing makes you look like a sea urchin! It scares me more than that Fiery
Gaze thing, and it’s probably almost as dangerous as Misty’s cooking!” Ash
stuck his tongue out at him
“WHY… YOU…” Sky Render growled
“I’d say you should get a buzz cut, but you’ve
probably killed barbers with that thing! Pointy-haired FREAK!” That did it. Ash
had struck a nerve…
“YOU! INSOLENT LITTLE…!” Sky Render darted
forwards and swung at Ash. Ash blocked with his arms and Sky Render struck him
on the shoulder and spun around, slamming him across the face.
“AH!” Ash fell to the ground. As he got up, Sky
Render was attacking. Sky Render didn’t go insane like Aquamarine so he didn’t
lose any skills, but he was the one attacking now. “GAH!” Ash took another
blow. He couldn’t see any openings.
“Resorting to cheap shots now, are you?!” Sky
Render swung at Ash. Ash ducked and saw an opening. Ash struck at Sky Render’s
face, but Sky Render smacked Ash’s arm to the side, “I know what you’re up to!
You want me to attack and drop my guard, but it’s not gonna work!” Sky Render
struck him, “Unlike Aquamarine, when I get mad, I don’t lose control of myself!
Right now I’m attacking you to teach you some manners, and you’ve got less than
a minute left! If you give up now, I guarantee that I’ll stop hitting you! You
don’t give up, I will finish you off!”
“No can do!” said Ash as he got up, “I don’t
surrender to anybody, especially pointy haired freaks!” Ash made a face. Time
was almost up. “Come and get me!” Ash readied himself. Five…
“TAKE THIS!” Sky Render swung the sword. Four…
“No, you take THIS!” Ash’s eyes glowed with
flames like Sky Render’s. Three…
“WHAT?!” Sky Render exclaimed. His body froze
from shock when he saw Ash’s eyes. No way! That’s… that’s…!” he exclaimed Two…
“The Fiery Gaze!” Ash shouted, pulling the towel
off his fist. One…
KAPOW!
“AAAAAH!!!” Sky Render exclaimed, he fell back…
and hit the ground
“Yes! I did it!” Ash cheered. “I hit your face
within an hour! I passed!”
“Indeed you did…” Sky Render rubbed his face as
he got up “You really surprised me Ash. I was wrong.”
“So you admit you really have killed barbers with
that?” asked Ash
TWACK! WHAM! BAM! SMACK!
“THAT’S NOT IT!” Sky Render shouted, clutching
his wooden sword, as Ash lay face flat on the ground with some ENORMOUS bumps
on his head “When I said that today I was only going to train you a bit to
analyse and get rid of your weaknesses, I also said wouldn’t be learning any
new techniques today. Though I didn’t teach it to you, you managed to
successfully execute the gaze after seeing it in action only once”
“Yeah, you’re right when you say it makes a great
distraction!” Ash got up, “I’ve got to hand it to you for showing me such a
nifty move!”
“You are an amazing fighter. Even without any
formal training, you’ve attained levels most people can’t achieve in a lifetime”
said Sky Render
“Well… I wouldn’t say that… I mean, sure, I’m
self-taught, but I guess I have partly me dad to thank too” said Ash, “Sure… he
never really trained me or anything like that… just gave me the pointers that
made me what I am today”
“He must be a truly great trainer” said Sky
Render
“He was…”
“Was? What do you mean?”
“Well… it’s kind of personal, so I really don’t
discuss it with people I don’t know that well” said Ash, and Sky Render held up
his hand
“Understood.” Sky Render turned around and began
walking away. He stopped and looked at Ash one more time. “And by the way, I
suggest you get your pokémon for this as well. We begin the real training
tomorrow” He turned around and began to leave, “Get some rest, you will need
it.”
“All right!” Ash cheered. After a day of hard
training, he had improved dramatically in the areas of speed and strategy. Sky
Render really was going to train him and his pokémon! Ash was going to get
strong. Strong enough to defeat the toughest of foes, strong enough to defeat
Red Kaiser, strong enough to make a difference!
Well the first day of Sky Render’s
training has been a great success. Ash has fared well so far as a self-trained
fighter, now it is time for some real training. But will training be enough to
overcome the might of Red Kaiser? But how does Misty feel about Ash fighting
all the time? When will Ash realize that the as he ceaselessly pushes himself,
he is worrying her non-stop? Find out next time on Pokémon: Shadow of the
Deceiver!
►
TO BE CONTINUED