Chapter 17- The Ceremony of Blood

~Ash Ketchum is an amazing person. Whether he is fighting or not, just being near him can bring hope to the darkest and most dire situations. I’ve known him for a long time, and I’ve always had this feeling, as well as everyone else… that there was something truly special about him… though it made me mad because people loved him more than me, and drove me to turning many friends against him and trying to ruin his life, when I was in trouble, he stood up for me, and we’ve been best friends ever since. That was all in the past, when we were young. As we grew, we forgot the past due to rivalry, and our friendship was forgotten as well. We have remained enemies for too long, but it is more critical than ever that we stay as friends now and fight the Kaiser Cult rather than each other. That kind soul that I once knew had filled himself with rage, hatred and despair, and just as he helped me when we were younger, forgiven me and allowed me to redeem myself, I will do the same thing for him…

-Gary Oak

(Location- Greyrock City)

KW- 04 Blue Kaiser led the group of Kaiser Cultists outside the city. In their hands was the body of Ash Ketchum, the fighter who had sacrificed his life to save the people of Greyrock City. They were all beaming in victory, and Blue Kaiser was particularly smug. The evil that has plagued them for so long, Ash Ketchum has not only been eliminated, but his life and essence was to be used for a divine cause.

“The Ceremony of Blood will begin shortly” said Blue Kaiser as they finally exited the city, “Ash Ketchum, you try and try, never giving up. In life, you fought relentlessly for your savage race. You constantly escaped our clutches, and continued to defy us in every possible way. You even attempted to escape through death… but let me tell you, boy… you have failed, and you have not escaped anything! No matter what, you lose!” he said as they carried Ash’s body over their heads like a dire trophy.

The people in the city were all shocked by what they saw. They saw everything. This boy, Ash Ketchum, fought with all his might against overwhelming odds to protect them from that man, what was his name? Blue Kaiser… that was it… and in the end, even gave up his own life so they could keep theirs! The people didn’t know what to do. All they knew was that this brave and selfless soul died for their sake, and he would not be forgotten…

(Location- Whitesand Pokémon Centre)

In the room sat Ebi, Brock, Tracey, AmaEbi, and Gary, as they all watched the news. The first said for were shocked beyond belief, unable to say anything. Meanwhile, Pikachu was lying on the bed, apparently looking very sad, as tears were coming out of his eyes. Gary was leaning against the wall, with his arms crossed, his head still down, trying to keep a straight face, thought it looks as if he's trying to keep himself from crying… It was then when Misty arrived. “Hi guys. What’s up?”

Ebi picked up the remote and turned off the TV. Amaebi crossed her arms and looked away from her, and so did Brock and Tracey; they looked away from her too. Pikachu growled, he was furious as Misty beyond belief as his tears continued to roll, while Gary crossed his arms was still leaning against the wall, arms uncrossed now, and his body was shaking, trying to stifle some sobs.

“What were you watching?” she asked, “The news?”

“Yes. You should be very proud of yourself Misty…” said Ebi “…It was your doing after all that caused this. It’s all over the news, your work. Front page in the papers”

“What are you talking about?” asked Misty

“They were just announcing on the news… that Ash has been found” said Ebi

“So what else is new? He always gets himself lost. Why do you think I want to hear about him?” Misty frowned. “Oh I get it!” she began laughing. “That idiot got himself so lost that they have to broadcast it worldwide that they found him!” She then closed her eyes and shrugged, “Heh… that poor, stupid…”

Gary slapped the table. He couldn’t take this anymore. He got up and walked over to Misty. “SHUT UP!!!!!!!” he shouted so loud the room shook

SLAP!

Tears were flowing down his eyes after he slapped Misty. She was shocked. Gary had never shown indignation like this before. “What was that for?!” she shouted

“DAMN YOU!!!” he shouted, “DID YOU EVEN LISTEN TO WHAT THEY SAID?! THEY FOUND HIM ALL RIGHT! HE WAS FIGHTING TO PROTECT THE PEOPLE IN GREYROCK CITY!!” he screamed

“So?” Misty crossed her arms, she wasn’t going to let Gary scare her, “What’s the big deal? That’s normal for him. Fighting’s the only thing he cares about anyways…”

SLAP!

Gary slapped her again, “YOU IDIOT! YOU’RE NOT EVEN LISTENING! IT WAS THE KAISER CULT! THEY WERE GOING TO SLAUGHTER THE PEOPLE OF THAT CITY, AND ASH SACRIFICED HIS LIFE TO MAKE SURE THEY DIDN’T GO THROUGH WITH IT! DID YOU GET THAT?! ASH KETCHUM IS DEAD!!!!!” he screamed. Misty gasped at what Gary just said. Gary calmed down “I heard everything you said to each other that day… I caught onto every cruel word you said to him…” he spoke coldly, “It’s true, Ash fights a lot, and he does enjoy it sometime, but YOU DON’T EVEN LISTEN!” he started shouting again, “He fights because he protects people he loves!! He loves his friends and pokémon more than he ever will love fighting, and most of all, HE LOVES YOU!!!” he screamed at the top of his lungs, “YOU UNGRATEFUL BITCH!!! OUT OF ALL PEOPLE, I NEVER EXPECTED YOU TO SAY THOSE KIND OF THINGS! HOW DARE YOU!” he cried, “They crushed him with a Kaiser Beast… almost beat him to death, stabbed him countless times, yet he kept on fighting until the end… they killed him” he cried, “I’ve known Ash for years, longer than you! After all these years, after he saved Marble City, he and I started patching things up, becoming friends again and forgetting our old grudges. Over that time, we were becoming close… he was becoming like a brother to me once more… and now Ash is dead, AND IT’S YOUR FAULT!!!! You don’t know him! To think I stuck up for you when everyone knew it was your fault… IT MAKES ME SICK!!!!” he screamed, as he dropped to his knees, crying. Amaebi approached him cautiously and tried to put her hand on his shoulder… “DON’T TOUCH ME!” he screamed as he got up and ran, “LEAVE ME ALONE! JUST… LEAVE ME ALONE!”

“Gary! Wait!” Amaebi screamed, but Gary ran out from the building…

“AAAAAAAASSSSSSSHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!” Gary’s scream echoed through the sky…

Meanwhile, Misty stood there. Her eyes were open with shock. Everything Gary said had hit her with a cold and hard slap stronger than the physical ones he did. Misty’s eyes began to water, she realized how selfish she was. Not wanting Ash to fight, just so he could stay a certain way rather than change for a temporary period of time… “What have I done?” tears fell down her eyes, “Ash…” she dropped to her knees “WHAT HAVE I DONE!?” she sobbed, “Ash… I can’t believe it… I was mad at him because he protected people… and now he’s…” she trembled as she buried her face in her arms, “Ash… I’m sorry… I’m so… sorry…!”

***

(Location- Kaiser Temple ‘Salvatis’)

Blue Kaiser and the rest of the Kaiser Cultists walked through a long tunnel in this mountain. They made their way through the tunnels, and reached a large room. They were inside a mountain, which had been hollowed out completely. This was the temple of Blue Kaiser… Salvatis, Temple of salvation. Despite the name, the Kaiser definition of salvation was twisted and couldn’t be further from the actual word.

The four Kaiser Cultists carried Ash over their heads. ‘So what are we going to do with him?’ ‘Seems dead, he does. No good sacrifice here’ ‘Bad idea it is to try and offer a corpse’ ‘What good is a dead sacrifice?’ ‘It’s an insult!’ All these comments were heard around

“Quiet! All of you!” Blue Kaiser turned around, “This boy… he is a Chosen One… I may have killed him, but it is not too late” everyone looked at him strangely, “Chosen Ones are unique among humans… they possess incredible life force, and they do not die so easily. I may have impaled his heart… but his soul has not departed this world yet. However… we cannot offer a prize as damaged as this, not only is it useless, but also an insult. Before we partake in the ceremony and cull Greyrock City, we shall mend his wounds, and revive him in the Sacred Spring!”

At this remark, all the Kaiser Cultists gasped. ‘No! Your lordship! Do you realize what you are saying?!’ ‘Scandal! An outrage that is!’ ‘Allow a heathen into the Spring?’ ‘That pool is sacred! We cannot allow him to taint it!’ the cultists shouted. The Sacred Spring is one of the holiest and most revered objects within the Cult. They could not be found in the lesser temples, only the ones where masters of the Cult like the Kaiser Knights or the Tyrant himself resided… and only they could bathe in its waters. Any damaged sustained damage in battle would be healed, and even one on the brink of death would be immediately resurrected. To allow a heretic like Ash in it would be a crime!

“You’re forgetting that I have this authority” said Blue Kaiser, “Our mighty god gave it to us in order to serve him! If we revive this heathen and sacrifice him to our god, we served him well because we can continue with that feeble city!” The Kaiser Cultists started to see the logic in that. “That water is only used for us to serve the god, and by reviving this sacrifice, we will! This one is no ordinary offering! He is worth more than that entire city! Now enough talking! We go now!” The Kaiser Cultists followed Blue Kaiser under an arch. The halls they walked through were sacred. After they passed through, they reached a clear blue spring. Though there were no torches or lights in this room, some sort of unnatural light was coming from the pool in the centre. “He would surely try to fight once he awakens” he said as he pulled Ash’s QuickSilver off his arm. “Now Ash Ketchum! AWAKEN!!!” Blue Kaiser shouted as he swung his arm and threw Ash

SPLASH!!!

Below the surface of the clear, blue waters, something was happening. The glow on the spring seems to have surrounded Ash, and restore life to the fallen trainer. The wounds on Ash’s chest were closing, and the damaged heart stopped bleeding as it started beating again. Ash opened his eyes!

All he could see was water, and he tried to breathe, but choked as he inhaled nothing but water. Ash didn’t know where he was. All he knew was that he had to get out of here. He kicked as hard as he could and swam his way to the surface before he ran out of air… “AGH!!!!” Ash opened his mouth and took a deep breath. He didn’t know what was going on. Where was he? How did he get here? He turned around and saw Blue Kaiser along with the other Kaiser Cultists. Ash suddenly remembered what happened, but how was he alive?

“Get out of there” Blue Kaiser’s hand reached down and grabbed Ash by the hair

“Ouch…!” Ash gasped as he was roughly pulled out of the water, “Where… am I?”

“In sacred grounds” Blue Kaiser held the rapier to Ash’s throat. He beckoned Ash to move forwards. Blue Kaiser held the QuickSilver in one hand, and stepped behind Ash and held the rapier to his back. “Now walk” there was no way Ash could fight back without getting skewered, so Ash had no choice but to obey

Ash gasped as he stepped out of those tunnels. The place he was in was gigantic… like a whole city! The ceiling was dome-shaped and full of carvings, and there were many structures in this room. There were the quarters for the Kaiser Cultists, statues of deities everywhere, and many shrines. There were four large pillars that reached all the way to the ceiling, and they were covered with barbed wires and skeletons.

In the distance, he could see a structure. It was isolated and quite far from any other structures. Judging by the looks and size of it, this one was an important building, and this seemed to be where Blue Kaiser was taking him. Ash gathered his courage as followed the path towards it, and slowly walked up the steps, unsure of what was in store for him.

“Come on, hurry up” Blue Kaiser pushed Ash, nearly tripping him.

“GRR!” Ash growled

“Don’t give me that attitude.” Said Blue Kaiser, “You should be grateful. I did bring you back to life after all”

“You’ve got to be kidding…” Ash muttered as the doors of the dark structure opened up. Blue Kaiser immediately bowed down, and Ash stared at him before looking in.

“Bow your head!” Blue Kaiser grabbed Ash by the back of the head and slammed his face to the floor. Satisfied that Ash had shown his ‘respect’ he pushed him in. Blue Kaiser stepped in as the doors closed behind them.

Ash looked around the room. This place was a shrine of some sort. Instead of this place being made with wood or stone, it was made of metal, and many exposed wires and circuits hung from the walls. A set of torches on the wall lit the place up. This shrine seemed to blend an ancient forgotten culture with future. The statue in the end was forged from black rock and metal, along with many wires and circuits embedded. In the middle of it was some sort of dark flame that the Kaiser Priests were praying to. The Kaiser Priests dressed in long robes were praying to this statue, more specifically the dark flame in the centre. These Kaiser Priests all had wires and metal body part embedded in their heads. Similar to the Kaiser Knights, they had machine parts built in them. The only difference was that they didn’t bother to hide the metal parts, and judging by the scars over their bodies from countless surgeries, it showed these people still had their own flesh.

“What is this place?” asked Ash. “WA!”

Blue Kaiser grabbed Ash by the back of the neck and pushed him forwards, causing him to fall. The Kaiser priests stopped praying as they turned to him. “Behold! The offering has arrived, and the ceremony may commence!”

The Kaiser Priests didn’t speak. Two of them held Ash up by the arms and dragged him in front of the statue. “Hey! Let go!” Ash shouted and tried to struggle, but these Kaiser Priests weren’t weak like the cultists. They effortlessly pulled him to a metal object facing the statue. The device opened up and steel tendrils stretched out and wrapped around Ash’s arms and legs, bounding him. “GRRR!” Ash growled as he struggled, but these things were strong.

There was no question what was coming next. The Kaiser Priests all started chanting, and Blue Kaiser dropped the QuickSilver as he held up his rapier. Blue Kaiser started shouting loud chants and stepped in front of the statue. Ash growled and struggled, but he couldn’t break free.

“God of Kaisers… divine ruler of the earth and heavens…” Blue Kaiser spoke as he held his rapier in the flames burning in the statue’s mouth. The blade began to change into a black colour as he continued chanting as he slowly approached Ash

“Gah…!” Ash looked left and right frantically. There didn’t seem to be any way out of this. “(What to do… what to do?! How do I get out of this?)” He asked himself. Blue Kaiser was getting dangerously close. “(What do I do?!)” he looked and saw something, “(YES! That’s it!)”

“FEAST ON THE FLESH AND BLOOD OF MORTALS!” Blue Kaiser shouted as he reached Ash and raised his sword… “ACCEPT THIS SACRIFICE AND…”

“SILVER BULLET!!!!” Ash shouted at the top of his lungs. The boosters on the QuickSilver flared as it shot forward, to the device that held Ash in place.

BAM!

“YES!” Ash cheered. The blow from the QuickSilver made the tendrils let go! Right before Blue Kaiser swung the sword down, Ash’s eyes glowed…

“Ah!” Blue Kaiser gasped, his sword stopping inches from Ash’s face. His body shook a bit, shocked by the glare Ash gave him… so terrifying!

“Heh!” Ash laughed. The Fiery Gaze worked on this guy. “HAIYA!” He jumped kicked the back of Blue Kaiser’s leg, causing him to trip and fall on this device with the tendrils and drop his sword. The machine’s tendrils wrapped around him and held him tight. The Kaiser Priests all stopped chanting and gasped as they saw what Ash was doing. “Take this!” Ash pulled out a couple of nitro balls and threw them at the priests. They exploded and sent them flying in different directions. Ash turned around and saw Blue Kaiser struggling, but couldn’t break free. Ash smirked, “When we came to this spot, I noticed there weren’t any Cultists! Judging by the looks of this place, I’d say the lesser Kaisers aren’t allowed here?” Ash grunted as he bent down and lifted Blue Kaiser and that device above his head with all his might and ran towards the door, kicking it open and tossing Blue Kaiser down the stairs

“ACK! YOW! EEK! GAK! OUCH!” he yelped as he fell down each step Ash smirked as he saw Blue Kaiser lay dazed on the ground. Though there wasn’t any real physical damage, spinning out of control like that, tumbling down the stairs and landing headfirst upside down like that can make anyone feel pretty nauseated… though the machine had let go of him, Blue Kaiser wasn’t going anywhere anytime soon, and no Kaiser Cultist can come to his help.

Ash turned around and saw each of the Kaiser Priests pull out a ceremonial dagger. Ash readied himself, “Bring it on you ugly lot! I ain’t losing to no wannabe robots!”

The Kaiser Priests all held the ceremonial daggers in the fire, and the blades started glowing black the same way Blue Kaiser’s sword did. The Kaiser Priests wordlessly charged towards Ash, ready to spill his blood in the name of their god.

“HM!” Ash dodged one slash. He dodged left and right, deflecting hits and moving away from the blades. He spun and slammed one of the Kaiser Priests in the face, knocking him over. Ash smirked. This wasn’t going to be such a tough fight. Ash beamed, he was gonna win this, when suddenly, “GAH!” He exclaimed as he held onto his arms. He looked and saw they were bleeding, “What the?!” how could he be cut?! They must be better than he thought. He didn’t even see the blades touch him. “Looks like I’ll have to turn things up a notch” he said as he dove to the side and grabbed the QuickSilver, attaching it to his arm. He ran towards them and drove them back with a flurry of punches and kicks before he jumped back

SWISH!

“AGH!” Ash exclaimed as he held onto his chest. He saw some long thin cuts across his chest. “H-how?!” Ash then realized it. He saw the blades. The blades that were touched by the flames of the Kaiser god became so powerful that they slashed right through his mesh, and they didn’t even touch him! Was somewhat relieved that he had subdued Blue Kaiser with that machine thing, because fighting that guy when armed with a demonic sword that can cut without even having to touch him is suicide. Ash then realized the danger he was in. What if those daggers touched him directly? He shuddered at the thought. “WA!” Ash jumped back again, barely missing the slash from the charged dagger, yet he still took some damage. As minor as it is, it was painful. Ash retained his fighting stance, but he might not win against these people. Though these people weren’t too tough, there were six against one, and their weapons were the most dangerous he had ever seen. Ash shielded as distant slash, but blocked it with the QuickSilver. He cringed in pain and looked at his arm. Pulling the QuickSilver up a bit so he could see… the slash passed right through it! It ignored the QuickSilver’s defences and cut his skin either way!

The Kaiser Priests didn’t speak at all, yet it was obvious to anyone who was winning this battle. “AGH! WAAA!!!” Ash dodged all he could. He was taking some serious damage. This wasn’t fair! He growled he saw the five Kaiser Priests standing in front of him… wait! Wasn’t there six?! He just remembered. The suddenly, his trainer instincts kicked in… BEHIND HIM! DANGER! “WA!” Ash jumped out of the way. One of the Kaiser Priests tried to slash him from behind, and nearly succeeded. Ash was ready for this one and ducked before the wave from the slash hit him. Ash struck him hard in the chest and stomach, and slammed his hand, causing the dagger to fly out of his grip! The dagger spun through the air and fell to the ground. Ash kicked the dagger and sent it spinning to the side. The Kaiser Priest on the ground was crawling and trying to reach the deadly blade, but Ash smacked him over the head and knocked him out.

Ash then turned around and dove to the right. One of the Kaiser Priests almost touched him! Ash stepped, but tripped over and fell to the ground. He started to panic. He was defenceless against these kinds of weapons! “Wa… wa!” the Kaiser Priests approached him with the daggers. “Get away…” Ash tried reaching for a weapon. Something that’ll keep them away… ANYTHING! “GET AWAY!”

SCRIT!

The Kaiser Priest that was about to kill him stood shocked. The robes covering his torso fell to the ground in pieces. He looked down at his chest, and could see a huge slice in it. It didn’t end there. The Kaiser Priest’s wound began to spread and the flesh was disappearing. The Kaiser Priest stepped back and fell to his knees, turning around and bowing to the statue of the Kaiser god as his, skin and flesh were being stripped away faster and faster until nothing but a skeleton was left, which was then absorbed as well. All things that were stripped away flew towards the statue of the Kaiser God and was sucked into the flame. All that was left were the mechanical implants the Kaiser Priest had.

“Whoa…” Ash said in awe. The sword he held in his hand was Blue Kaiser’s rapier, and it was charged with the energy from that flame in the Kaiser God statue. The effects of being touched directly was devastating, the way it stripped a man’s flesh and bones away in mere seconds. Ash figured out what happened. These weapons being charged with the power of the Kaiser God made them monstrously powerful, enough to destroy all living matter. Looking at one of the Priest’s daggers, he kicked it hard and sent it flying out of the entrance, and saw it lost its demonic glow. So that’s how it worked… this power existed only for the sacrificial ceremony, and loses its power when it leaves the altar… thankfully… because he could not imagine what it would be like if he fought a Blue Kaiser armed with this demonic weapon…

Ash looked at the rapier in disgust. Eliminating the Kaiser Priest with it had caused his body to break apart and be drawn into the Kaiser God’s statue. This is what happened to those people who were kidnapped. They all suffered this fate. Ash looked at the remaining Kaiser Priests. If he hit them directly with it, even though he’d win instantly, it would be the same as sacrificing them to the Kaiser God, and by doing so he’d be helping the Kaiser Cult in a way. Ash held the sword up again, “HAAA!” He slashed in the air several times

The Kaiser Priests gasped as they were each hit by a separate slash. Ash didn’t touch them directly, so even though it would wound them, they wouldn’t suffer same effects of being slashed directly. Not to mention the strength of Blue Kaiser’s sword was far stronger, than the dagger, and even an indirect slash was dangerous.

“It’s over” Ash said as he looked at the four Kaiser Priests he defeated. He then saw the one he knocked out earlier getting up with the dagger. Ash sighed as he slashed through the air, also wounding this one to the point where he couldn’t go on. “I said it’s over!” said Ash as the last one fell to the ground. Ash tossed the cursed weapon at the open door, outside and away from him. The dark energy surrounding it left the weapon as is left the shrine. “All this trouble they go through, all because of that thing…” Ash walked towards the statue “You’ve caused so much death and destruction, you know that?” he looked at the flame, “And look what happened to the people” That Kaiser Priest who was killed, his body disappeared, yet the mechanical upgrades were left behind, “Whoever gets touched by these weapons lost all their flesh. That’s why innocent people are getting captured. Kaisers aren’t pure flesh, and some of them don’t even have any” said Ash, remembering Red Kaiser and Blue Kaiser “For stupid statue, you sure caused a lot of trouble. This calls for a little holy desecration!” he pulled out some nitro balls and smirked

“STOP!” A voice shouted

“Hmm?” Ash turned around, “Not again!” he said as he saw the five Kaiser Priests all standing up and holding the daggers

“Y-you… do not talk to our god in such a crude manner… you heretic!” the middle Kaiser Priest said

“You guys can talk?” asked Ash

“You were to be the ideal sacrifice… such strength, such essence… you alone are worth far more than all the savages in that city! Giving you to our god was the greatest favour we could have done… to eliminate such a terrible sinner, bring him to justice… and helping to quench his endless thirst for human essence…” the Kaiser Priest spoke, “Yet you continue to fight us…”

Ash sighed. These Kaiser priests sure talked a lot when they wanted to. “Well you failed. One of you lost his life by accident, and I apologize for doing so. I will not kill any of you. I am not a murderer” said Ash, “I hope you could learn from this. Your god may have given you power, but I’m telling you that killing people is not the way”

“What are you getting at?” asked another Kaiser Priest, “You think just telling us what we do is wrong when we know it is right will stop us?”

Another Kaiser Priest stepped forwards “Your insult to the Kaiser Cult will not go unpunished” Each of the Kaiser Priests raised their daggers

“Guys! If you try fighting me again, as hard as I try not to kill any of you, you’re making it harder to keep that promise!” Ash crossed his arms

“If the people of that city were to be killed outside the shrine without performing the ceremony of blood, we would be wasting their lives, and they will not go to our god!” said a Kaiser Priest, getting up and picking up the knife, “The Ceremony of Blood must be performed before the culling can begin!”

“The offering has to be good enough if you wanna do that ceremony, but looks like I’m too good for you to handle” said Ash, “Give up. Stop killing people”

“The ceremony of blood shall be completed” said the last Kaiser Priest, “Though you refuse to give your life up… the city shall be sacrificed in the Kaiser God’s name… we give our offerings…”

“What?” Ash jumped back, “Go ahead and try taking me! I dare you!”

“Great Kaiser God…” they all spoke at the same time, “Divine spirit, ruler of the earth and sky… accept our sacrifice… we offer you… our bodies… our souls… we give you our strength, to fight for you… to spill blood in your name… and slaughter those that defy your divine light… we offer you… OUR LIVES!!!!” The Kaiser Priests each stabbed themselves in the chest and screamed in agony. From the wound on their body, it spread quickly. The flesh and blood was being stripped away, torn off their bodies and leaving nothing but the robes and metal pieces. The flesh and blood flew towards the flame in the statue and was consumed by it.

Ash’s trainer instincts were kicking in, warning him of danger… no… PERIL! It was all around him…! He could feel it… the monstrous power! One that totally overwhelmed his own…! “Such… power…!” Ash was trembling…! never before had he felt anything like this! This power was radiating from the statue! The power… it was beyond any legendary pokémon… beyond any Chosen One! He could feel it… this was the presence of a God…! “Grr… NO…! I will not be intimidated by anything belonging to the cult!” he faced the statue, he was beginning to sweat… “This power… this is the force that’s driving them so commit such wicked acts! I’ll put a stop to you…!” he pulled out several nitro balls, he was going to blow this statue to pieces. “HA!”

KABOOM!

The shrine shook under the explosion, but Ash gasped. There wasn’t a single mark left on the statue. Ash then felt something, another presence, entering the room… Ash turned around and saw him. “You!” Ash exclaimed when he saw Blue Kaiser

Blue Kaiser stood there with his arms crossed, “Did you really believe your feeble weapons could harm a divine being?”

“A being?” Asked Ash, “Uh BK? That’s no being. That’s what we call a statue”

“SILENCE FOOL!!!” Blue Kaiser shouted

“Wa!” Ash jumped back, surprised by Blue Kaiser’s sudden outburst

“You cannot even begin to comprehend the might of the Kaisers!” said Blue Kaiser, “Our god is as real as you and I, even more so! His gifts are what make us Kaisers superior to humans! He is the true ruler of this world!”

“What do you mean?” asked Ash, “That STATUE is your ruler?”

“It is no mere statue!” Blue Kaiser shouted as he picked up one of the ceremonial daggers and slashed himself on the arm.

“Ah!” Ash exclaimed, “What are you doing?!” Blue Kaiser has lost it. Just touching yourself with those blades could kill you! But Blue Kaiser stood there, unharmed!

“The Ceremony of Blood is performed before the culling of a city. It is not a mere farce like all religious rituals belonging to YOU humans… but a vital part in our crusade. Every time we perform it, we grow stronger…! Look at me! The last of the filthy flesh and blood within my body has vanished, and has been replaced with steel and power!” he said, “We Kaiser Knights are the highest ranking in the Cult, next to the great Kaiser Tyrant! While we may look young, you have been deceived, for the gifts of the Kaiser God have granted us with immortality! With each sacrifice, we restore more of our God’s power and soon He shall be restored!”

“Okay… I’m lost. What are you talking about?”

Blue Kaiser growled, but continued, “Our God is not an imaginary figure like the ones you filthy humans worship, oh no. Thousands of years ago, he came to us, and enlightened us in those dark ages, speaking through the one who is now known as the Kaiser Tyrant. We learned so much, and spread the knowledge to many more. We were blessed with knowledge and technology.” said Blue Kaiser “The world was savage and primitive, and not much has changed. Even when we extended our hands to enlighten the savages, we were attacked.” He growled… “Only the strongest among us survived that savage era. I was one of them. Even without mechanical bodies, our skills were more than enough” said Blue Kaiser, “When the heathen kingdoms waged war on us, even then we continued to fight in our god’s name. For every one of our disciples that fell a hundred of foes were slain… but there were just too many savages! The battles raged until the only ones left to fight were the blessed Kaiser Knights and his holiness, the Kaiser Tyrant himself. With our numbers decimated, our shrines ravaged, our god could tolerate this insult no more, and came into this world in earthly form. Those that fought us were killed, we grew in power, and we would soon rule the world.” He smiled, but his smile faded, “We did not know it yet, but there was a traitor among our ranks, working with the filthy humans who opposed us… KN-01… Black Kaiser” he cursed that name, “That traitor turned against us. He sided with the vile humans and fought alongside the Chosen ones. The world was enveloped in war, the entire earth against the cult… and at the end of a great war, we were defeated, our race extinct and our god vanished for eternity…”

“So if you guys went ‘extinct’, then why are you standing right here, talking to me?” Ash asked in a sceptic tone, crossing his arms

“While the heresy of Black Kaiser threw us out of existence for some thousand years, we do not die so easily like humans! Though destroyed physically… the Kaiser God exists in spirit, and breathed life back into us all! The four strongest warriors and the tyrant were brought back to life, and since then we have slowly begun to rebuild our ways! Our god hadn’t been eliminated so easily! Though destroyed in earthly form, his voice remained, and he continued to speak through the Kaiser Tyrant. Using the knowledge we were given, we continue to strengthen ourselves, casting away the filthy blood and flesh, as well as blessing pokémon with the same powers! Vile and disgusting pokémon transformed into beautiful creatures… Kaiser Beasts! The Kaiser Cult has been reborn! For every life we sacrifice brings us closer to restoring our God! The closer we get to freeing him, the stronger we become! Once released, our cult shall be restored to our full power, and we will exact our revenge on this world! The spirit of that traitor, Black Kaiser… it had not been found in the netherworld… meaning that he is surely alive somewhere. When he is found, he will be tortured beyond belief. We will conquer this world once more, and show them the meaning of pain and suffering! We shall plunge your world into darkness and chaos… only to rebuild it as a world for Kaisers! All pokémon will be turned into Kaiser Beasts, and all humans will be enslaved! Only a certain number of them will be allowed to live… merely to breed and reproduce, so they shall become sacrificial offerings! All of mankind will exist as swine! Truly, a fitting outcome for a race so vile!”

“That was an interesting story, even if it’s a total crock.” Ash said mockingly. He already knew about the Kaisers wanting to enslave human and pokémon, but all this talk about a Kaiser God and them being immortal… he didn’t believe it for one second! “I don’t care how much you believe in this garbage, if it means people and pokémon are going to suffer, then I won’t allow it” Ash took a fighting stance

“It is too late!” said Blue Kaiser, “Every life we take makes our god stronger. Once we’ve harvested enough blood and quenched his thirst, he will return!”

“Like that’ll ever happen!” Ash shouted as he charged towards Blue Kaiser “HA!” Ash struck at him, but Blue Kaiser dodged.

“We will not fight here!” Blue Kaiser shouted as he grabbed Ash’s arm and threw him out the door. Blue Kaiser jumped out of the building and pursued. Ash quickly turned and landed on his feet, and ran towards Blue Kaiser. Blue Kaiser’s punch sent him flying again, “So determined… so foolish… I haven’t seen such barbaric behaviour for centuries… however! The ceremony has completed, and the culling shall continue!”

“Over my dead body!” Ash jumped back up and took his own stance, “Now I know what happens to all those kidnapped people, and soon the ones in Greyrock City will die if I don’t do something! My friends and loved ones, I’ve abandoned them all. They believe I’m dead…” Ash sighed, “Therefore even at the cost of my own life, I shall stop you… this is my purpose, to stop the cult at any cost!” he shouted, “PREPARE YOURSELF KAISER!”

It’s Ash against Blue Kaiser, one of the ancient founding members of the Kaiser Cult. Now we know the history of that cult, and their downfall, along with their purpose. Their god may have been sealed away, but his spirit lives on within the flames of the statues in the shrines, and his voice continues to speak through the Kaiser Tyrant. Will Ash be able to defeat this fearsome Kaiser Knight and prevent the culling of Greyrock City? Will he ever be reunited with his former friends and loved ones? Find out next time on Pokémon: Shadow of the Deceiver!

►TO BE CONTINUED