Chapter 21 – Martyr

(Animal I have become – three days grace)

Cerulean City - Battlefield

"GRAAAAAH!" Soma's battle roar was powerful enough to shatter the windows nearby. His deeper, more menacing voice devastated Ash and Pikachu's moral, freezing them with fear. He saw this as an advantage and rushed Ash with newfound speed that surpassed his.

SLAM!

Ash yelped as he was shoulder rushed by Soma, rolling on the ground. He recovered quickly and regained his guard. It didn't help that Soma ran at him even quicker. "Holy—"

SLASH!

Jumping away from Soma's slash in the nick of time, Ash gasped at the scar left on the ground. The asphalt was partially melted from the claw strike. "Oh come on! Run for it, Pikachu!" Ash spun around and started sprinting away as fast as he could. Pikachu followed closely, but Soma was even closer.

"YOU'RE NOT GETTING AWAY, KETCHUM!!" Soma pursued Ash on all fours, his thirst for blood fueling his anger. Ash embarrassed him one too many times this fight.

Death was the only suitable punishment for the mortal.

As Ash cut corners and jumped over obstacles, Soma bulldozed through everything and anything in his way. Ash had no idea how he was going to fight this beast. His only remaining Pokémon was Pikachu, not to mention they were both reaching their stamina limit. Though he managed to get some rest while riding Charizard, he was nowhere used to fighting this hard for such a long time. Even while running on fear and adrenaline, Ash was losing strength fast. He needed to recover and plan.

Unfortunately, Soma wasn't in a mood for either option.

"Ooooh…!" While chasing, Soma's mouth started absorbing red and orange particles in his mouth. Whatever was about to happen was going to be devastating. "FLARE BURST! HA!" A gigantic fireball shot from Soma's mouth at a super fast speed.

Ash turned around just in time to block it with his gloves.

KABOOM!

"GAH!" The force sent Ash soaring like a bullet, crashing hard into the asphalt. His hands were gravely burned and singed from the blast. Blocking such an attack was definitely one of Ash's worst ideas.

It was just as bad as freezing with fright as he saw Soma leaping at him like a hungry wolf.

CHOMP!

Ash tilted his head just in time to avoid having his head bitten off by the tyrant. Soma's bite attacks continued, and Ash doing his best to avoid losing his head. Unfortunately, Ash panicked when he saw a bite attack that was about to strike dead-on.

CHOMP!

Ash blocked it with his left arm, howling in agony as his arm was bitten by Soma's sharp jowls. The pain was added as he noticed that Soma's teeth also gained a fiery boost with his transformation. His teeth not only pierced him through the bones, but were also melting it. "GYAAAAH!" Ash started punching his face while screaming in agonizing pain.

ZAP!

"Grrrrr!" Soma growled as a powerful Thunder attack struck him from behind. He still held tight, determined to at least rip Ash's arm off. He almost succeeded until Pikachu aimed a Zap Cannon to his face. "RAAAH!" Soma finally released Ash's arm and got off the trainer, holding his face that burned with electricity.

Ash almost fainted from the devastating pain in his arm. Soma's two long fangs went through his forearm and bicep muscles, also piercing through his bones. Combined with the heat that could melt steel, Ash was in great agony. The rush of blood pouring out was almost enough to kill him. Ash knew his arm was useless now, but he could not stop. If Soma caught him again, he would be dead.

He stood up with wobbly legs, following Pikachu to a safer spot. Recovery was a must. The poor trainer couldn't even see straight, straining to keep conscious. Ash truly feared for his life. Pikachu offered to stay and keep Soma busy, but the last thing he wanted was to send Pikachu to his death.

Ash wasn't even sure whether he would bleed to death before Soma found him or not.

After a minute of blindness, Soma peeked his eyes open, only to find no trace of Ash. However, there was a trail of blood leading around the corner. "I will find you, Ash. And I WILL kill you!" Following his primal instincts, Soma started his hunt for Ash.

Speaking of Ash, he was resting inside a dark, empty building nearby. He could feel his conscious fading. His arm was beyond medical help. No matter the pain, he had to keep quiet and cautious. Soma was bound to find him soon, and he had to think of a plan before he was killed.

"This is ridiculous…" Satoshi said with a hint of sorrow in his voice. "Perform the spirit-sync with me so we can try and end this."

'…No.'

Satoshi's eyes widened. "WHAT!?"

'I won't do it. I already told you, didn't I?'

Satoshi was flabbergasted. Never before had he seen such stupidity and stubbornness. "Open your eyes, fool! What good will that do you if you end up dying over it? Stop this insanity and synchronize with me, damn it!"

'I…will do this with my own strength, not yours. You can call me whatever you like, but I won't ever forgive you for hurting my friends. I can't forgive you.' Ash attempted to stand, but stumbled. The pain was too much to bear. It felt like two flaming swords went through his arm, searing it from the inside. What could he do in this situation?

CRASH!

A large hand burst through the wall behind him and gripped Ash. Ash stared at the face of death, terror striking the core of his heart.

Soma's grin was not a good sign.

"I'm going to enjoy this…" Soma snarled.

Cerulean City – Hospital

"No, Ash!" Misty was at the edge of her bed, staring at the one-sided battle in horror.

Brock shared Misty's inner torment, watching his best friend getting mauled by Soma. "I can't stand this. I have to do something." He was about to leave when Zansei stood in front of the door. Brock did not like this. "Move."

"You're in no position to do anything."

Brock's anger flared. He knew Zansei was right, but that did not mean he was going to accept it. "I said move!"

"Try me." Zansei provoked.

"RAH!" Brock swung his fist at Zansei, only to hit a wall of sand at appeared from behind the vizier. He continued to swing his hands, only to hit sand walls.

"If you can't even get pass me, you don't stand a chance in hell of facing Soma." Zansei did not like this situation any more than Misty or Brock did. He knew Soma was afraid of losing the battle, so afraid that he was going all out on a young kid. If Soma lost, his fighting spirit would be crushed. It didn't help that Soma could die from eating that Adrenaline Pill. As long as he was conscious, he would continue fighting at full strength, ignoring his body's stamina and condition. If the battle dragged on too long, Soma could die from battle fatigue without realizing it.

He was not going to allow that.

This was Soma's first time using the Adrenaline Pill, and he was almost impossible to control. Zansei would have to use force to stop him. 'Come on Ash. Why aren't you using Satoshi's power? This doesn't make sense.' He glanced over at Brock and Misty. Misty was in tears while Brock was still punching the wall of sand. Brock's fist did not have any strength behind it, still fatigued from his earlier battle. The vizier was not heartless. He felt their pain.

It was the same pain he felt when he saw his best friend fall to Shinra on that fateful day.

'Seriously, Shinra, you really messed Soma up big time. How could you do such a thing?' Zansei didn't want to think too much of it. Whatever happened in the past will stay there. He could only hope that Soma could let go of the past before it corrupt his soul even further.

He truly wanted Ash to win.

Just how the boy would do that…not even he knew.

'If worst comes to worst, I'll have to stop him myself.' Zansei watched on, witnessing the brutal battle between Ash and Soma.

Cerulean City – Battlefield

Satoshi could not comprehend it.

Here Ash was facing a threat that was quickly overwhelming him. At first, he thought the boy would actually be able to overthrow the destructive vizier. Things were going even better than he expected. But then Soma transformed into his awakened form…and that was when things went downhill.

Like a ragdoll, Ash was getting thrown, bitten, burned, battered, and utterly crushed. It was exactly as Zansei predicted: Ash stood no chance against Soma's awakened form. But regardless of the odds stacked against him and his defeat imminent, Ash was still struggling vainly. But it was not this that confused Satoshi.

It was the fact Ash STILL refused his aid.

"Ash, enough's enough! Use the spirit-sync!" Satoshi barked.

SMACK!

Soma's fist drove into Ash's stomach and sent him flipping into the air, only to crash hard onto the pavement. Ash could barely move, let alone fight back. 'Never!'

Satoshi knew for a long time that logic wasn't one of Ash's strongest characteristics. Here was Ash's true chance to try and defeat Soma in his most powerful form, and he wasn't going to use his help to at least have a chance of victory. "This is pointless and pure suicide! You're going to die if you don't use my power!"

Ash stood weakly on his feet, too dazed to hold a straight focus. The pain, combined with sheer exhaustion, made his vision blurry. His body was charred, bruised, and covered with deep cuts. 4 minutes passed after Soma's awakening, and Ash was already in the critical zone of health. 'I'd rather die than use your powers. I'll never forgive anyone who hurts my friends.'

"Forget about that for now! There's no point in dying thoughtlessly!"

'This is coming from the person who took over my body without my permission and injured Misty in the process! I don't want to hear it!' Before Ash could move, Soma held Ash with his giant hand and smashed his body against a building, knocking the wind out of him.

"Let's see your amazing tricks now, boy!" Soma growled. His hand started glowing bright red. Ash had no idea what he was doing until his body was suddenly engulfed in flames.

Satoshi watched Ash's anguish and suffering, feeling both furious and despaired. Far too many times he had seen this happen; Overzealous warriors who fought carelessly for a cause, only to die a dog's death. So much sorrow created from foolishness that was thought to be heroism or righteousness.

Never again would Satoshi allow someone to repeat what he had once done in the past.

'Wait…there is one way to stop this…!' Because he was a spirit, there was one technique he could use that would turn this battle around.

But it would be his final technique.

With Soma, he lifted Ash in the air, done with his toying. "You've proven to be challenging, but your luck has run out. It is unfortunate you've turned out to be a shallow threat. Time for you to die."

"Damn it…! Not yet!" Satoshi was doing his best to channel all of abilities. Hopefully he could pull it off before Ash was finished.

As Ash hung weakly from Soma's large fist, he still held great defiance; for both Soma and Satoshi. 'Don't do anything, Satoshi. I don't care if I end up dying because of my decision.'

Satoshi's anger soared at the comment. "You idiot! Why are you doing this now!? What is so important about your ridiculous decision that you're willing to die for!?"

"Any last words, Ash Ketchum?" Soma spoke through deep snarls as he cocked his lethal claw, aiming for Ash's head.

Normally, this would be a dire moment for anyone. Ash somehow found some humor in it. Here two people were asking him his "final words" at the same time, unusual for someone like him. Unlike the movies or TV shows, he didn't have any flashbacks of his life or some kind of crazy revelation.

What he found was acceptance of his limitations.

"Yeah, just one." Ash grinned weakly, technically speaking to both Satoshi and Soma. 'Friends.' was his answer to Satoshi. His answer to Soma, however, was very different. "Thunder."

Out of Soma's view, an angry Pikachu pounced from a hidden spot and prepared to unleash the most powerful Thunder attack he could muster. "PIKA—"

SMASH!

Using Ash as a cannonball, Soma threw Ash at Pikachu, which canceled the attack and caused a painful collision. After hurtling several yards, Pikachu ended up unconscious after a previous beating from Soma and Ash was too dazed to even stand up. "Ugh…this is bad…" Ash knew he was in trouble the moment Soma anticipated the attack and countered it. He was out of tricks and plans for this battle.

His final battle.

"I won't waste anymore time. Die, Ash!" Soma sucked in a deep breath, taking in as much air as possible. "HA!" From his mouth erupted a great ball of condensed flame that would very well lead to the end of Ash and Pikachu. And with no strength to move, Ash was a sitting duck.

Ash had all but given up hope when the ball of flame struck, followed by a large explosion that engulfed the area in fire.

"Ha! I've finally crushed that fool once and for all!" Soma whooped victoriously. With another victory under his belt, he felt he was one step closer to taking revenge on Shinra who utterly humiliated him and took everything away from him. Just to make sure, he would have to check to see if Ash was truly dead, if anything was left of him and Pikachu. He was about a yard away when he noticed something within the fire, but it was too vague to make out. Strangely, it resembled human form. What was it?

SLASH!

"GRAAAAAH!" Soma roared with agony when a long, black blade lunged from the flames and slashed his chest. It was a very deep wound, but nothing fatal. "W-what!? It's impossible! I JUST killed you!"

(Need to be strong – Toshiro Masuda)

"Heh, it must really suck to be you, Soma." Satoshi remarked snidely. With the wave of his hand, the flames parted and dissipated from the sheer dark energy that emanated from him. Except for the red pupils, everything else was pure black, straight from the pit of darkness. He held onto a ridiculously large Shadow Blade that vanished in his hands.

The strangest part of this miraculous recovery was the fact Ash was still on the ground behind him.

"Ugh, Satoshi…!" Ash growled, infuriated. This attitude was quickly replaced with shock by Satoshi's glare. If looks could kill, Ash would be even more of a ghost than Satoshi.

"I'll deal with you after I kick Soma's flaming ass." Satoshi's tone was cold and biting, practically spitting acid at Ash. Not wasting any time, he didn't even give Soma a warning. After all, he didn't have much time. "Shadow Lance!"

ZAM!

The beam struck at Soma's chest and pushed him back a few meters. The towering beast, however, was still keeping his balance and prepared a counter attack. "Gun Flare Barrage!" Dozens of small, but dense fireballs launched from his hands at Satoshi, who took every blow.

'I have to hurry. I won't last much longer like this!' Satoshi cocked one of his hands and focused all of his remaining power in it. It crackled with purple lightning, an effect caused by the swirl of black and purple energy in his hand. "It's time to end this! Oooh!" The force of the energy was so condensed it created several forces of burst that was even able to push Soma back.

Soma didn't like this one bit.

Jumping back, Soma gathered his fire energy for another Gun Flare Barrage. "Eat this! HA!"

"Take this!" With a battle cry that would shake the heavens, Satoshi ran at the vizier with his powerful attack in hand. With it, he knocked down the flurry of fireballs that flew his way. He couldn't let anything get passed him, or else Ash and Pikachu would get killed.

Unfortunately for Satoshi, Soma realized this quickly.

"Let's see you block this attack! Blazing REAVER!" Soma swiped his flame engulfed hand at Satoshi, unleashing a blade wave for each nail on his hand.

Satoshi noticed that one of the blades, if it passed him, would hit Ash dead on. With a cry, Satoshi knocked down two of the blades, one that aimed at his chest, which would've struck Ash, and his head. He jumped over two other blade waves and made his way flying at Soma.

Unfortunately, of the five blade waves, one of them struck dead on.

SHING!

The Blazing Reaver blade was so powerful it sliced cleanly through Satoshi's torso and one of his arms. Satoshi summoned every ounce of will he could and delivered his final attack. "SHADOW EDGE!"

WHAM!

"GAAAH!" Soma roared in agony as the ball of dark energy embedded into his chest, trying to pierce through.

Satoshi was not through yet. The energy ball in hand started shining brightly, preparing to burst. "IGNITE!"

KABOOM!

With that explosion, the two were blown away by the force. Soma was sent crashing through a wall while Satoshi was hurled into the air. The dust and debris left Soma's status unknown, but Satoshi's situation was obvious.

The end of his life drew near.

(Naruto Shippuuden – Despair)

As the remnants of Satoshi's body began to freefall, Ash gaped in sheer horror. "SATOSHI!" With a burst of strength he never realized, he sprinted to catch the spirit with his functioning arm. This was a new level of pain Ash never witnessed before, and it was hard to stomach it all in. Satoshi was torn diagonally from the waist and was missing an arm. But there was a fact Ash realized that made him pale considerably.

Satoshi felt the pain.

And it was all because of him.

"Satoshi! What's going on with you? I thought you couldn't feel pain unless you synced with me?"

Satoshi was breathing in large gasps, his face contorted with ungodly levels of pain. His eyes were barely open, the red irises staring at Ash. "Ugh…Ca…can't see…your dumb face…"

Feeling himself tearing up, Ash bit his lip to stifle it. Though in the face of death, Satoshi was still obnoxious and defiant. Even when the pain was great enough to take away his vision, the man did not change in the least. "Satoshi…I…"

"Don't…be a wuss. No… sorries…"

"But it was because of me that you're like this! Please, tell me what I can do to save you! Don't…" Ash could no longer hold back the tears that flowed like rivers down his face. "Don't die on me!"

Satoshi laughed weakly at the irony, his sightless eyes staring into the smoky sky. "Die…? I've been…dead for years. Only this time…for real…"

"That's a lie!" Ash denied fiercely. "A dead person couldn't have done the things you've done! We didn't get to know each other too well, but you were a mentor and a great friend. One of the greatest friends I've ever had. I just…I wish I was as strong and smart as you are. If I was…then you wouldn't be…"

"Quiet…fool…and listen…" Satoshi berated with a raspy voice. Breathing was growing more and more difficult with each second. His remaining time 'alive' was severely limited. "Revenge…pain…despair…it's all a…vicious cycle. If you died…your friends and family…would've…fallen into…the cycle." He coughed violently, a faint, black mist slowly escaping his body. "You die…Brock fights in place…and Misty too…even if they're still weak and injured…they will give their lives…to avenge yours…just as…Kasumi and Takeshi…would've done…for me."

'Satoshi…' Ash was beginning to understand why Satoshi was trying so hard to get him to defeat Misty and use his power. He had a feeling Satoshi knew this would happen from the beginning.

"I rather die…than let my friends die…rather kill…than die…that's how I lived." Satoshi lifted his arm, reaching for the sky. "Damn Kasumi…said there would be light…but all I see…is darkness…"

"B-but…d-darkness isn't completely bad. Isn't that what right, Satoshi?"

Satoshi slowly lowered his hand, placing it over Ash's arm that held him. He smiled. "Heh…bout time…we agreed on…something. Here…" His hand glowed violet. The energy flowed from Ash's arm and slowly expanded to cover his entire body. "I'm useless now…carry the torch…and fight."

"Come on! Not like this…! Look, I'll use your powers, alright? I'll use it as much as you want! Maybe if you turned back into a spirit, you won't have to die! Ain't that right?" Ash began to shudder when he didn't receive a response. "…R-right?"

Satoshi's body began to fade away, growing transparent. His end was imminent. "Damn. In the end…never was able…to do much…of anything right. I can't even…settle the score…with Kasumi. I had always…thought she would be…the one to kill me. Heh, had it coming…" At this point, Satoshi was almost completely gone. "Ash…I need your help…for once."

"Anything." Ash nodded.

"Lean closer…message for Kasumi…" When Ash was close enough, he whispered the small message for Kasumi.

"…Okay. I'll tell her. Rest in peace…Satoshi…"

Satoshi released what would be his final, hearty laugh. "You're alright kid. You'll get far. Now…get out there…and…kick…ass…" Right then, the guardian of darkness faded from sight and existence.

Satoshi was dead.

"No..ugh…SATOSHI!!!!" With tear-stained eyes, Ash collapsed onto the ground, weeping uncontrollably. Satoshi gave his life so he could protect his friends. Not only that, but he understood things to which Ash did not even fathom. Because of his naivety and his hastiness, Satoshi was killed. Ash felt truly alone, and worse yet, remembered all the scolding words he received in the past. Everyone he knew seemed to be on such a high level of change and understanding…except him. He seemed to be the only one who hasn't changed in the years he traveled.

It took Satoshi's death to open his eyes to the truth.

'Am I…really that dense? What have I been doing all this time?' So many emotions were beginning to flood his veins faster than Satoshi's last gift, which was his remaining mana and dark powers. As the powers began to awaken within him, Ash felt a sorrow and fury he never thought he held. However, as much as Ash wanted to reason out these radical emotions, this was no time to sit down and contemplate emotional matters.

Soma was still standing strong.

"Ugh, what a hit…" Soma pressed onto his fresh wound, which was bleeding profusely. If he wasn't in his awakened form, he would've died for sure. Satoshi had to be dead at least. But Ash was still alive, and he was going to much sure no more surprises awaited him.

It was too bad for Soma that the true surprises were about to begin.

(Dragonball Z – Spirit vs spirit)

Feeling a stunning amount of energy, Soma stared in surprise at Ash, who was overflowing with dark energy. He could not believe his eyes as he saw Ash crouched, clenching his fist and teeth tightly. 'What the hell?' When the vizier caught Ash's glare from his bangs, he froze on the spot. Something very big was going on with Ash, and he began to wish he wasn't going to find out.

Upon sight of Soma, Ash's hidden anger soared exponentially. If he didn't take down this tyrant, Satoshi's death would have been for nothing. It could also lead to the death of Misty and Brock. This was not a battle he could lose. "Soma…! I'm not going to let you get away with this! I will make you PAY! HAAAAA!"

CRASH!

The earth around Ash ruptured upon his roar. This newfound power fused with his own life-force to unlock a force that not even Soma had witnessed. His skin darkened as his hair grew longer and more radical while gaining red tips, and his eyes gained a jet black color, further enhancing the blood red irises. This transformation did not end there, for a black shroud covered his clothes, then body for a new transformation.

"No way…! That brat actually fused Satoshi's power with his own soul!" Soma was almost frightened by the unexpected show of will and power. He steeled himself, knowing a brutal fight awaited him.

The first thing unveiled from the black shroud were black, riveted metal plates on the back of his fingerless gloves that reached up to his elbows. A long black cape was added to his new outfit, cascading down to his ankles. The major colors of his clothes turned red while the rest were dark red. As the cloud of blackness faded, Ash stood proud with his latest transformation.

Though Satoshi was gone, his essence was still with Ash.

'I won't let you die in vain, Satoshi.' Ash took a deep breath, winded from the rush of strength he suddenly gained. The healing properties of his transformation was amazing, completely healing his damaged arm. The refreshing power made him feel like he evolved into something greater than he used to be.

As he slid into his battle stance once more, he held renewed determination and strength. The battle was even now. "Let's finish this, Soma Homura! I'm going to crush you no matter what!" Ash's voice was very different, deeper and stronger than before. Though very similar to Satoshi's, it was still Ash's voice.

"That's what I'm talking about! Bring it on, Ash Ketchum! RAAAAH!" Soma thundered with battle lust.

The epic climax of this devastating battle had begun.