Ash Ketchum Z-Warrior Unleashed Chapter 15
This is the last chapter of the first major fight scene, I hope you enjoy it, because the clash of trainer and tyrant ends now!
"Man seeks peace, yet at the same time yearning for war... Those are the two realms belonging solely to man. Thinking of peace whilst spilling blood is something that only humans could do. They're two sides of the same coin... to protect something... another must be sacrificed."
-Madara Uchiha, Naruto Shippuden
Chapter 15: The Final Clash! A Warrior Falls!
It was the most anxious everyone had been for a while...
The spectators were gaping at the clash of the mighty attacks from both Fahrenheit and Ash. They were clearly visible as they tore a massive hole in the clouds, despite the distance they were above them. The collision of the Spirit Bomb and Death Ball caused the very earth they stood on to rumble.
The illuminance of the attacks caused some of Ash's audience to look away, lest they blind themselves.
Goku felt his chest swell in pride. To master the Spirit Bomb to that extent where he could create one that big in a matter of moments was something not even he was able to accomplish. At the very least, he'd need about four minutes to create one the same size.
The standoff lasted for a full minute, neither side gaining the advantage as the two fighters strained to overpower the other.
With everyone holding their breath, the impasse eventually ended...
With unwaverable determination and a cry of resilience, Ash's Spirit Bomb utterly shattered Fahrenheit's Death Ball into particles of bright portage, causing the tyrant's eyes to widen and his teeth to grit in horror.
"No! This can't be happening! Where did you get this...this insane power!?" Fahrenheit shrieked as he had no other choice but to throw his arms out and attempt to catch the attack with his bare hands.
The tyrant winced in pain as the Spirit Bomb made contact. Just having his hands on the thing made it feel like he was sticking his hands into a fire. It hurt so much, a feeling that Fahrenheit thought he would never experience until this fight.
It was blatantly obvious, even to him that this attack was pushing him, no matter how much he strained. It was like trying to stop a meteor and would end just as badly as well. Veins jutted out from his forehead and arms as he pushed against the bomb.
The ground started breaking up and the cliffs and plateaus started to disintegrate due to the pressure of the mighty technique.
All the spectators ducked for cover as the gale of the approaching Spirit Bomb reached them, blowing their hair, and even some of the lighter pokemon back.
"Ohoho man! Look at that thing!" Goku cried with a cheery voice, putting his hand above his eyes as he watched the approaching bomb. And since the attack was currently coming closer to the ground, it could only mean one thing...
"Ash's won! Surely that guy can't stand up to that!" Lucario cheered, pumping his arm up into the air.
In the sky, Fahrenheit's situation had not gotten any better.
"No! I...won't let...you win!" Fahrenheit cried.
He raised his head upwards and let out a guttural roar.
"Do you hear me, Ash Ketchum!? I won't lose to the likes of you! I'll kill you! Then Son Goku! Then this pitiful planet which you both protect. I'll destroy it with my own two hands."
"I am Lord Fahrenheit!"
"I am your death!"
"I am-"
"-A real pain in the neck!" A voice said from above him cutting through the sound of the intense humming and buzzing of the bomb.
Gasping, Fahrenheit looked up to see Ash with a bright blue ball of Ki pulsing in his hands. He had no time to react.
"HAAAAA!" Ash cried as he fired the Kamehameha directly onto his own Spirit Bomb, causing the attack to gain even more speed and power as it was pushed down. If Fahrenheit had little chance before...he had no chance now.
"NOOOOOO!" The tyrant's screams echoed in Ash's ears. Ash paid the wails no heed. The only thing he cared about right now, was finishing this fight and getting this horror over with.
Fahrenheit screamed in pain and fury as he took the journey all to the ground. There was no way around it. All he could do was take the attack and hoped he survived.
But even without a Scouter, he could sense the amount of raw power contained within both of the attacks. It was way too much, almost impossible for him to handle, and practically unfathomable too.
Finally, Fahrenheit's overstrained arms were pushed backwards to his sides and he let out one final, bestial cry.
"CURSE YOOOOU!" He screamed as he made contact with the ground, causing the Spirit Bomb to explode on impact.
The attack exploded outward into a bright blue dome that destroyed everything in it's surroundings, no exceptions.
The spectators actually had to be relocated by Goku's Instant Transmission to ensure that they weren't engulfed by the destruction. It reached to the very border between the battleground and West City, just stopping before it could damage the city.
Ash finally cut off his Kamehameha as the damage had now been dealt. But was it over?
He dropped his hands to his sides. Panting hard, justifiable due to what he'd just been through, he began to descend. As he tried to get his breath back, he reached out with his Ki senses and tried to feel for Fahrenheit's energy.
Ash let out an exasperated sigh as he found a flare of Ki down on the earth below. It was weak, sure, but it meant that Fahrenheit wasn't finished yet.
Ash finally landed on the ground, gaping at the insane crater that his Spirit Bomb had made. Taking a moment to prepare himself, he started hovering to the center of the crater, where he assumed the tyrant would be.
It wasn't long after he entered the crater until he heard an agonised moan to his left. Following the sound caused him to come across a scorched, broken and beaten body. Fahrenheit's body.
Fahrenheit painfully turned his head to look at Ash, then slowly opened his mouth, it being one of the only other things he could move. His body wouldn't respond to what he wanted it to do.
"Why...?" Was the simple question that came out of his mouth.
Ash landed on the ground and gave Fahrenheit a look of confusion?
"Why? Why what?" He asked.
Fahrenheit groaned as a wave of pain rocketed through his body.
"Why...can't I beat...you...? I was at full power...I've never lost...I was the strongest of my siblings, and even surpassed my father...yet, I'm still beaten, by you...an apprentice of the man I hate with all my being...so...why? Why can't I beat you...?" Fahrenheit said with a voice, full of pain.
Ash closed his eyes as he raised his head to the sky.
"I wish I had an exact answer to give you, but you might not be satisfied with it, or even understand it..." Ash muttered loud enough so his downed opponent could hear.
"I guess, the only way I can put this, is that it was a two on one fight where I couldn't just give up..."
"What...what do you mean?" Fahrenheit asked weakly.
Ash looked back down to Fahrenheit.
"I wasn't only fighting you here...I was fighting myself. And I think I won...I'm a different person now then when we started, since I won that battle with myself..." Ash explained as Fahrenheit listened.
"I wanted to defeat the me that was dragging all my fear around. I don't want to forget it, but carrying it with me...I will never change like that. It's one of the reasons I fought you in the first place.
Ash flashed a small smile
"It's not something that I think you'll accept, but you have my gratitude, truly...I think I'll be alright now..." Ash said.
What the trainer had spoken absolutely infuriated Fahrenheit.
"You...You damn brat! Don't you dare thank me! If I could move right now, I'd kill you!" He cried in anger.
Ash, despite the tone in the tyrant's voice, chuckled.
"It's up to you now, Fahrenheit. Will you keep going? Or will you surrender. Trust me, revenge is not worth your life..." Ash said.
Fahrenheit looked at Ash with wide eyes.
"Don't kid me! I'd rather die, than survive defeat! So do it! My life is nothing now!"
"Don't you dare talk about your life like that!" Ash snapped, shocking Fahrenheit.
"Do you think that you get beaten once, and that's it? Game over? Better luck next time around? Well that's not what I think." Ash exclaimed.
His eyes softened as he continued to speak.
"No...I think that being defeated is one of the most important things that could ever happen in your life. It's one of the main reasons we live, to get better and stronger. It's important to admit when you've lost, and to know when to forfeit, If you'd rather throw away your life, then there's no way for you for you to climb back up after you fall..."
Fahrenheit let out a snarl.
"Don't shower me with your petty idealisms, I can't stomach it! You think that a naive brat like you knows the burden of the shame I carry? It can't be dissuaded by mere words! Now stop trying to console me and finish the job!" He shouted.
"No..." Ash replied simply.
"Why not...?" Fahrenheit asked with gritted teeth.
Ash sighed and looked at Fahrenheit.
"I'm no killer...I knew that much when I went to fight you."
He scratched his cheek as he looked at the stars.
"You're right, I probably don't understand the burden you carry. The shame isn't something you can just forget about...but know this, when I say that I understand you...in a way..." Ash said as memories came flowing to his mind.
"Where I come from, there were a bunch of tournaments where people like me could compete...but no matter how hard I fought, I always lost."
"I kept losing, over and over, but I didn't give up? No, I got better and stronger, no matter how many times I lost. No matter how many times the whole world saw me lose, I kept going.
Ash grit his teeth as a particular memory was recalled, as fresh as if it happened yesterday. His loss against Paul.
"I was beaten once more, but this time, I didn't just need to get stronger, I needed to get much stronger. And, eventually, I ended up as Son Goku's student. Now, I'm so much stronger, I can hardly believe it..." Ash said.
"You bore shame, so you continued instead of stopping and giving up...Is what you're trying to tell me?" Fahrenheit asked.
"Yes." Ash replied.
"Shame is a heavy burden, believe me, I understand more than you know."
Ash looked back down.
"But staying alive is better, because it means you can find a way to turn that shame into pride."
"That's what I want to do! I want to kill Son Goku and stop the feeling of humiliation from eating away at me, that's the only option! How are our goals any different?" Fahrenheit cried as he tried to get his body to move.
Ash sighed.
"You're fighting to satisfy yourself, but I have something to prove, and I can stop a lot of pain if I can. I can't exactly tell you what it is, but it's what separates our goals."
"There are other paths to go down, you don't need to kill Goku. Just accept your shame and let it go. Otherwise moving forward is impossible for you..." Ash explained.
"Is that how you moved on? By accepting what happened?" Fahrenheit asked, to which Ash nodded in response.
Fahrenheit turned his head to look up at the sky...
"I'm assuming it's not easy..."
"It depends...on how much you want to let it go, or hold on as tight as you can..." Ash said.
"Peh! I thought so..."
"It was hard for me too, and trust me you'll probably have a rough time..."
Ash smiled again and looked to where he could sense his friends.
"...If you try doing it alone, that is..."
Ash then knelt down next to Fahrenheit.
"So remember, forfeiting isn't the same thing as losing. You only lose by dying. So stay alive, and win!" Ash said, pumping his fist.
Fahrenheit stared at Ash for a while and chuckled.
"I never thought that I'd get lectured...by a stupid brat..."
He closed his eyes in what seemed to be in resignation.
"Sure, whatever...I guess I'll give it a try..."
Ash grinned. It seemed he'd gotten through to the tyrant.
That was the last thing he thought before a thin beam of purple energy pierced straight through his heart...
Meanwhile...
"May, could you please hand me that gauze over there?" A young boy with black rimmed glasses and oxford blue hair asked.
"Huh? Oh yeah. Here you go, Max."
May, a pokemon coordinator with long brown hair and deep sapphire eyes, reached behind her and gave her younger brother the bandages.
"Thanks." Max gave his sister a small smile as he began wrapping the gauze around the injured Shiftry's leg.
They'd found the poor pokemon in the ruins of Rustboro City, after the damage there had been done by who had now been identified with a name that kind of stuck for everyone. After one of his attacks, a piece of paper slowly dropped to the ground, left by the villain, almost as if he was taunting them. A single word was what was written on that paper, and it was what everyone has been calling the person until now.
Sanachi...
After Sanachi's assault on the town, the two Petalburg siblings, who were looking for survivors, found the poor dual grass and dark type with a leg trapped under a rock.
After helping Shiftry, they came to one of the few Pokemon Centers that remained standing in Hoenn and managed to get him into treatment.
The Nurse Joy and the numerous Chansey in charge, however were unable to treat Shiftry due to all the other pokemon they needed to heal.
With few options, Max volunteered to do it himself. It wasn't a bad idea. The now ten-year-old boy was gifted in the art of healing wounded pokemon if he had the right tools on hand. And that was how they ended up in a pokemon recovery room, Max doing the initial treating, and May helping out any way she could.
After he finished wrapping up the pokemon's leg, Max gave him as smile and a comforting head pat.
"You'll be just fine, you'll need a few days rest, but you'll be ok to walk later." He said, earning a relieved "Shiftry..."
Max chuckled.
"Get some rest." He said as he withdrew his hand.
Surprisingly. the Shiftry nodded and lulled his head to the side, almost instantly falling asleep. The poor pokemon's leg had probably been trapped for more then a day under the rubble, and sleep had obviously eluded him.
Max wiped his brow of sweat. and looked to his sister.
"Hey, May, thanks for helping-huh?"
The brunette was sadly staring out the window, a sad look in he sky blue eyes.
Max pulled up a chair next to May, obviously concerned for his sister.
"May...what's wrong?" He asked, sitting down.
May looked to her 'annoying' little brother; the one she loved with all her heart...He was her only family after her parents had died in Petalburg three months ago, so she would protect him with her life.
The glasses-wearing boy wasn't even able to go on his pokemon journey, despite the beginning of this year finally came to him being of age. It was too dangerous! She thought he'd be devastated by that, but he didn't seem to let it bother him. Not as much as it did May at least.
"Just...all this. Why? What did we do to deserve the wrath of Sanachi?" May whispered in a low voice as she shifted her gaze to the floor so that Max couldn't see the hopelessness swimming in them.
"It..It's just so hard to fight anymore, Max...It's like trying to empty the ocean with a cup...we can't hurt him as much as he hurts us. So...what's the point of fight-mnng?"
Her sad words suddenly became garbled as Max grabbed both her cheeks and pulled at them.
"Huuuh! Muuahhx!" May moaned as she let out a muddled voice.
"Don't think like that May!" Max exclaimed as he grinned cheekily.
"There's always a way to win...remember, the one who taught us that. He's gonna be our light if it gets too dark, and our rock to hold onto if the tides get too rough. I believe in him, no matter where he is...I believe in Ash! He's never let us down before, right?"
May looked at her little brother with a slightly open mouth.
That's right, Ash was the one...no matter what pain he endured, or the trials in front of him...who would never, ever give up. Even with Sanachi looking for him, he'd be afraid, sure, but there was no way he'd run. He was the pokemon world's last hope. He had done incredible things in his career as a pokemon trainer. This would just be another thing to add to that list.
May nodded before a small smile grew on her face and tears began welling up in her eyes.
"Y-You're right..." May replied as she tried to keep the tears from falling.
"Max...your big sister...is such a dummy."
The tears began to flow, despite May's best efforts to keep them from falling.
"I'm just scared of losing the only family I have left..." May let out a small sob that didn't match the smile on her face.
She was certainly surprised when Max suddenly got up off of his chair and wrapped his arms around her, letting his head rest on her shoulders. But she soon hugged back as she continued to let the tears fall.
"You're all the family I have left too, you know..." Max said, hugging her tighter.
May sniffed.
"So we'll both protect each other, got it?" Max reassured.
"Y-Yeah..." She replied...
Ash's mouth hung open as the pain registered in his mind. What...just...happened...? He thought that he'd talked Fahrenheit down, but the hole in his heart spoke otherwise. Blood slowly began seeping out through his chest and back and it showed no sign of stopping. Fahrenheit had somehow managed to land a shot that didn't only go through Ash's body, but also didn't cauterise the wound so he could bleed out faster.
"Ghh, heh heh..." Fahrenheit chuckled as he slowly managed to pull his weary body off the ground.
Ash felt his strength leave him, and he fell backwards on the ground, breathing heavily. His gi was stained with an even darker red as he painfully groaned out a word.
"Wh-What...?"
The tyrant's chuckles slowly grew in escalation, growing louder and more eerie, which served good for intimidating the trainer.
Fahrenheit's laughter eventually settled down as he then fixed Ash with a twisted grin.
"Boy, you have no idea how much that talk helped..." He said as he slowly staggered over to Ash.
"I feel better than I have in a long time!" He said.
"Th-Then...why...?" Ash asked.
"You made the same mistake your teacher did, Ash. You thought I could change...and I guess, thanks to you, I did, a little. But, like it or not, I'm still a villian. I don't just stop my evil ways just because you hit me with a bit of philosophy." Fahrenheit said with a chuckle, making Ash's eyes widen.
"I need to thank you though, I can't believe that I feel this good after talking it out...It's a strange feeling, but all the humiliation has receeded...like the curls of a wave..."
Ash growled as he balled up the earth beneath him in his fist, leaving small trenches.
"S-So...you're just doing this...'cause...y-you...like being th-the-guah!" Ash needed to pause for a moment as another wave of pain hit him.
Taking a few breaths to regain some composure. Ash finished his sentence.
"...You...like being the bad guy?"
Fahrenheit could only grin and nod in response.
He then raised his foot, which seemed to be moving in slow motion from Ash's point of view, and slammed it down onto the hole in Ash's chest, making him let out a shriek of intense agony. He then began to grind his foot into the wound, adding to Ash's pain.
"I was born to be a bad guy, boy..." Fahrenheit replied, eventually removing his foot and stepping back, half expecting the boy to somehow climb back up onto his feet, despite the intense injury he'd sustained. However, the trainer, regardless of how much he seeme to want to, stayed down, after countless times of getting back up
He chuckled with an vile tone before he turned away.
"The heart is a muscle that pumps blood around the body. Inside that blood is oxygen that is delivered to the brain. But with that wound...you'll either die in less than five minutes from the lack of oxygen to the brain, or you'll bleed out. Whatever happens, I don't care...you were a great opponent, I'll declare that with pride...but now it's time for you to die. I have a world to conquer, that's my goal now...and if Son Goku gets in my way, well...heh heh, killing him will be a bonus. You died changing my ideals for this planet and him. Die knowing that at least..." Fahrenheit said in a low voice as he began to walk away.
Ash weakly raised his hand towards Fahrenheit in protest.
"No! I...I won't let it end...here...I can't!"
He couldn't have fought all this time to just die at the end. But no matter how much he tried, he couldn't get his body to stand. It was like his gi had been turned up to 200x normal earth gravity. Ash found it hard to keep his eyes open, but seeing things was a little pointless anyway since everything was completely blurry. His heartbeat was getting weaker, and made it difficult to stay awake.
"No...please...I can't lose..." Ash's eyes began to close...
His thoughts led to the people counting on him to win. His buddy Pikachu, along with all his pokemon, the new friends he had made today, Goku and his family, and the people back home that were waiting for him to return.
"Please...whoever's listening...don't let me lose...let me be strong...let me protect who I love..." Ash prayed in his head as his vision was enveloped in darkness.
Ash's consciousness left him as his arm dropped to the ground, but before he finally succumbed, he heard a familiar voice, one that made his already weakened heart almost stop.
"If you insist...heh heh heh!"
Goku's fists were clenched as he was holding himself back to jump in. He listened in horror as Piccolo described the situation, as he was the one with the best hearing.
The pride Goku had in Ash was multiplied tenfold when Piccolo relayed what Ash had said to Fahrenheit about changing his ways, but the tyrant had simply turned the tables by shooting an unexpected attack Ash couldn't dodge in time. Goku wanted to believe that Ash could turn this around, but during the Cell Games, Goku put too much belief into his own son, and thanks to that, Gohan almost died, and the world along with him. It was, as bad as it sounded, just a matter of luck that Android 16 was...decommissioned. Now it was the same with Ash, so why was he frozen to his spot, unable to jump in and help?
Surprisingly, it was Goku that asked himself that very question before Piccolo did,
"Goku, this isn't the Cell Games, but you cannot make the same mistake again, why aren't you taking action? You're stronger than this Fahrenheit freak!" Piccolo asked, a little upset that Goku was seeming to make the same mistake.
"Pikapika Pikachu Pikapi! Pi Kachu Pikachu! (My best friend is dying out there! So help him!)" Pikachu cried at the top of his lungs, his heart full of worry.
Goku closed his eyes and grit his teeth, showing he was somehow conflicted about jumping in. Ash's Ki was almost gone, so it was time to step up...so why couldn't he?
"I-I want to...really...I do...I don't know...why...I...can't...no! Ash wanted to finish this by himself, I-I couldn't forgive myself if I did help him...It's something that he makes me feel...and I'm sure you've felt it too." Goku whispered in an audible tone, his now open eyes focused on the ground.
Vegeta's own eyes were opened wide. He'd never seen his rival look like this. He was either stupidly happy, rarely serious, or a complete idiot. But this look of uncertainty wasn't like him.
Vegeta looked from Goku to the deep crater.
"All because of one boy...?"
Upon hearing's Goku's words, the rest of the group's eyes softened. It was true, Ash seemed to infuse that lone truth into their very being. Sort of like a fire that wouldn't go out, but stubbornly stayed alight. He was just like Goku in that sense, A fighter who wouldn't give up, no matter how tough things got.
But when the situation reached a point this dire, surely the fire couldn't stay flickering forever...
Suddenly, everyone's eyes flew wide open as a wave of insane energy rocked their senses, forcing them to their knees. It blew the lighter spectators back with it's intense power. It burned their throats when they tried to breathe, proving it's intensity.
"Wha-Wha...What's this...s-s-sinister energy...?" Gohan stammered. barely able to get the words out.
"It's...even e-eviler that Fahrenheit's!" Vegeta exclaimed.
"Is that...Ash?" Goku thought. No, it couldn't be, could it? If this was Ash, why was this energy so...evil...? It almost effortlessly trumped the killing intent Majin Buu gave off when they fought him, which was saying a lot.
Everyone was so fixated on the power, that they didn't notice two pokemon running as fast as they could to the battlefield, panic evident on their faces.
Fahrenheit was smugly walking away, ready to make good on his word, before a sudden power even he could sense without a Scouter coming from behind him made him turn around. And what he saw made his eyes widen in horror.
Ash's body was still sprawled on the ground, but a blood red cloak of aura was surrounding him, big enough to top whatever cliffs that remained standing.
"Heh heh! Woah, It's great to be out..."
"Hu-Huh?!" Fahrenheit responded, confused, and honestly, a little unnerved. It had been Ash that just spoke...but it was a totally different voice up until now. It sounded completely different...instead of the warm and confident voice the teen had spoken with, this voice was absolutely demonic and malicious in nature.
His eyes widened further as he saw that Ash was getting up, but that was impossible! He could've sworn he hit the heart!
Eventually, Ash pushed himself up onto his knees and rolled his shoulders.
It gave the tyrant a full view of the wound that had just closed up on Ash's chest.
"It healed!? How!?" Fahrenheit screeched in his head. Ash had shown no ability to heal until now!
"Gotta say..." Ash began as he raised himself to his feet. "...you do a pretty good at beating the stuffing outta your opponents..."
He fixed the villain with a grin. One that did well to intimidate him.
"Thanks to you, I get to come out and play...Heh heh heh!"
The aura around Ash's body only grew bigger the more Ash stood up. Fahrenheit unconsciously took a step back...just...what was this kid?
Ash seemed to look around his body.
"Not bad...Ketchum knows how to train himself, that's for sure...I feel much stronger then the last time I was free..." He said to himself.
Fahrenheit's eyes narrowed a little, perplexed by what was just said.
"Hm...you're...not Ash Ketchum? Preposterous! You have the exact same body! Are you trying to scare me with that little bit of power, and that new voice? Sorry boy, but you're failing miserab-AUGH!"
Fahrenheit was suddenly cut off as his throat was suddenly gripped in...this person's hand.
"I-I didn't even see him move! Where did this power come from? The brat was near death just a few minutes ago!" Fahrenheit thought as he brought his hands up to try and free himself.
It was then he noticed that the soft brown eyes that Ash had left, and in there place were haunting crimson red orbs, not unlike his own.
"Sorry, Ash isn't here right now. I'd ask you to leave a message, but I'm sure a dead man can't really do that..." He said, ominously.
Without warning, he landed a punch in Fahrenheit's gut, making the tyrant spit up blood.
Fahrenheit let out a groan of pain as he took a hit and attempted to retaliate by firing a point-blank Death Torrent, but before he could manage that, Ash used the hand he'd just punched with to grab Fahrenheit's right arm, and held it out. Before Fahrenheit could react, a leg came down on the arm, making a sickening cracking sound echo around the crater.
Fahrenheit screamed in pain while 'Ash' watched him suffer, that horrid grin on his face and an almost hungry look in his eyes.
"Aww, don't tell me that Ash beat all the fun out of you already...Oh well."
'Ash' then kicked Fahrenheit in the face, sending him sprawling backwards.
"Guess that means I'll have to kill you now." 'Ash' chuckled as he slowly walked up to his opponent.
Finally realising what exactly this 'Ash' had been talking about and knowing it was no charade, Fahrenheit now fearful of what this 'Ash' was began to painfully drag himself away...
...And gasped in agony as his hand was crushed under Ash's boot.
"No...th-this can't be real..." Fahrenheit's pain clouded mind managed to think.
"Ki-Kill me...? You...You can't! You said you weren't a killer!" Fahrenheit cried as he tried to fight the burning pain. How was 'Ash' this powerful! Or was it that he was so weakened by the fighting up until now?
His response was only a deep chuckle from 'Ash.'
"Oh, that must be what he told you...but here's some news for you, Lord Chrome Dome, heh...Ash and I, are VERY different people..."
With no mercy, 'Ash' lifted Fahrenheit up by the neck once more.
"It's time to end this little game..."
Fahrenheit looked deep into Ash's eyes, and finally realised he wasn't getting out of this alive. He began to feel something...and it wasn't something he'd felt for a long time...
True, genuine, fear...
"No! No! Please! D-Don't kill me!" Fahrenheit's voice took on a tone of terror as he struggled in 'Ash's' iron grasp.
"Ah, the begging and struggling...by far one of my most favourite parts! But alas, this is where we part ways..."
"No! NOOO!"
"Aahahahahaa!"
Like an executioner's blade, 'Ash's' hand glowed red and it was clear that something was forming from it. Fahrenheit's bringer of demise.
The redness surrounding Ash's hand gave birth to a single sai dagger.
"No! No! NO! Stop!"
With a merciless grin, Ash swung the dagger right at his Fahrenheit's temple.
Fahrenheit shut his eyes tightly as he could do nothing else. He was going to die.
"NOW PERISH! AHAHAHAHAHAH-AACK!"
The grip on Fahrenheit's neck loosened, making the tyrant fall to the ground, gasping for breath.
He groaned as he timidly looked to the one who had him inches from Death's door.
His eyes widened as he realised that Ash's eyes had returned to their normal brown and he was kneeling on the ground, panting. A shaky hand on his head.
Next to him were two peculiar creatures, checking to see if he was alright. One resembling a black, blue and cream coloured jackal and the other a yellow, brown striped mouse.
"Ash...are you ok...? He didn't do to much to you, did he?" Lucario asked, concerned for his friend.
Pikachu also shared Lucario's worries, although maybe a little more, due to having more...personal experiences with what just happened.
"Y-Yeah...I'll be fine guys..." Ash panted, obviously back to normal as his voice was no longer evil. Ash gave the duo a bright smile, showing he was truly back.
"Still, if a near death experience is all it takes for him to show himself, then I definitely need to be more careful...If Lucario wasn't here to shove him back in, who knows what could happen?" Ash thought, his brow furrowed.
Fahrenheit watched with a feeling of relief as the 'Ash' that utterly destroyed him was now no longer around.
Fahrenheit was defeated...there was no other way to put it. He had been beaten by Son Goku's apprentice...it was, anticlimactic, for him anyway. He came picking a fight, and couldn't end it. He hated that.
Ever since he got here, he'd basically done everything that would ensure that he would lose.
He destroyed his ship and by extension, any backup Scouters that he could've used.
He underestimated Ash, and got bunch of punishment because of it.
He basically handed Ash any opportunities to turn the battle around to him on a silver platter.
And here he lay, beaten, humiliated, and...dissatisfied. He accomplished nothing here, besides killing off half a town, and that was hardly notable.
Fahrenheit knew he was going to die, and he'd accepted that. Even if Ash didn't kill him, since he said he was no killer, Goku, or someone else would come and finish the job. He was way too weak to fight anymore.
Suddenly, as he looked at Ash, smiling at his pokemon, something snapped within him.
Groaning, he slowly got to his feet, trying not to be noticed, he'd only have one shot at this...
Ash was brought out of his thoughts as a whoosh of air suddenly rushed past him. What was worse was that both Pikachu and Lucario were no longer by his side.
Quickly assuming the worst, Ash turned to his left and his eyes widened in absolute horror.
The tyrant was standing with a crazed grin as one arm held Pikachu in a tight grip, while his tail was wrapped around Lucario's neck, similar to the position Ash was in earlier in the fight.
"No!" Ash cried as he reached his arm out.
"Stop! Move from that spot, and they die!" Fahrenheit warned, making Ash freeze in his tracks.
Pikachu was about to use a Thunderbolt to get free, but the pressure being put on his small body was too much. Plus, he'd hurt Lucario since they were all connected.
"Only move from that spot if you intend to kill me, any other movements other then that, and they die." Fahrenheit said, his twisted grin on his face.
Ash's worried face mixed with puzzlement.
"Wha-? Why do you want me to kill you?" He asked.
This earned him an amused chuckle from the tyrant before he answered.
"I have sealed my death since I came to this wretched planet. I have achieved nothing of worth. I haven't killed Son Goku, and I haven't killed you...so, I'm going to give you a choice, boy..."
Ash listened, hanging onto every word since his pokemon's lives were in the balance.
"Don't kill me, and I'll kill these...creatures you've seemed to have bonded with. Then, Son Goku will kill me..."
Ash swallowed, he believed he knew where this was going, but why was this guy so insistent with Goku killing him if it came to that?
"Or, kill me, and save these creatures, but stain your hands with my blood."
Ash grit his teeth, remembering the promise he made back when Goku had started to train him.
"I only killed if it was necessary. Believe me Ash, if I could've avoided killing them, I would've, but the only way to make them stop their evil ways was to end their life."
"But I'm not a killer! I wouldn't kill anyone, no matter how evil they are, I'm not like that!"
"Hahahahahaha! Your friends, or your vow, Ash? Whatever you choose...I'll still win! I will destroy you. The choice you make will kill you from the inside. That's how this ends, no exceptions...I'll die, but I'll win!"
Ash's breathing picked up the pace and his hands curled into fists. There was no outs...he had to choose!
He looked at the frightened and concerned faces of both Pikachu and Lucario.
Tears rolled down Ash's face as his heart beat faster and faster. Sweat dropped from his brow mixing with the free-flowing tears.
"Times running out, boy...choose, now!" Fahrenheit said, clearly enjoying seeing Ash like this.
Ash began to shake terribly as the thoughts of what either option meant for him. He had no choice, but to choose now!
"CHOOSE!
"RAHHHHH!" Ash let out a wordless cry, his voice cracking with immeasurable anguish.
Goku and the rest of the spectators took a deep breath as the foul energy seemed to settle and dissipate.
"Th-That...what was that exactly...?" Goku thought.
"Why...where did that come from...that evil energy showed up so suddenly, and red aura was definitely not a Kaioken." Vegeta panted as he tried to get his breath back.
Suddenly, Gohan noticed two watchers that were missing from the group.
"Where's Pikachu and Lucario?"
"What? They're gone?!" Goten asked.
Goku grit his teeth and reached out with his Ki senses, trying to find the two. If anything happened to those two...
Goku eyes opened wide as he picked up their Ki signatures at Ash's location. But...something was up...Ash's Ki was fluctuating dangerously. He needed to get down there!
Putting two fingers to his forehead Goku teleported down to the bottom of the crater.
What he saw down there shocked him to no end.
Kneeling on the ground, was a sobbing Ash, who was trembling violently. His tears streaked down his face as his emotions opened up for all to see. Lucario and Pikachu stood next to him, trying to quell the pain in Ash's heart.
Goku quickly realised what happened when he saw the body of Fahrenheit. Strangely, or, maybe more appropriate, quite unsettlingly, Fahrenheit had a grin on his face.
His head was turned all the way around. and that obviously meant he was dead; there was no way to survive that. Goku to concluded that Ash had finished the fight by snapping the tyrant's neck.
Goku looked at Fahrenheit's corpse with a face of disgust before his features softened as he approached Ash.
With no words needing to be said, Goku took the sobbing teen into his arms.
"Shh, it's ok...you'll be ok..." Goku whispered as he pat Ash's back reassuringly.
"You did good, Ash...you did good..."
Lucario and Pikachu watched with a sad expression as they watched Goku embrace Ash's shuddering and sobbing form.
Ash had just taken his first life...
Well, that's the end of the Fahrenheit arc, I really hope you all enjoyed it. I put a lot of work into it. As for what happened to Ash with the evilness...well people that have been with my stories for a while might be able to piece together what is going on. All I'm gonna say is that it's kind of like Naruto with the Nine Tails, but at the same time, kind of not...All shall be revealed in time...heh heh!
Anyway, the next chapter will be the aftermath of the Fahrenheit arc. Look forward to it guys.
Goodbye, my fellow fanfictioners.