Chapter 12- Honourable Overkill
Aquamarine was unlike any opponent I have ever faced before, and he was by far the strongest. When I think about it, me winning was really a miracle. This battle made me realise a lot things, like how much I need to improve. I may have to fight others like him in the future, and if I want to have a chance of survival, I need to get strong. That's what scares me. When I get caught up in the intensity of the battle, I forget that I'm putting my life on the line here, and there is a possibility of death. Up till now, I've only been surviving on luck, and against Aquamarine, I just used up the last of it, for soon, I was to face an opponent unlike any other. Those who say that Pokémon masters are the strongest know nothing. The world is vast, and the strongest aren't the ones who are bound to the pokémon leagues. I didn't know it yet, but I was about to face the one deemed absolutly undefeatable… the greatest fighter in the world… the man with no equal… the legendary Sky Render…
-Ash Ketchum
(Location- Rooftops)
"Man, they weren't kidding when they said not to get him mad. If I wanna fight him, I'm gonna have to be more careful!" Bonsai sat on the ledge of the rooftop. A day has passed since Ash's battle against Aquamarine. Though it may not seem like much healing time, for Ash Ketchum, it was plenty. He was fully recovered by now. "To think that anyone other than Sky Render and Aquamarine could heal that fast, he really isn't a normal person. Are we really gonna go at him, all at once?"
"Too bad, if I had it my way, I would've left him alone, long enough to mature and grow as a fighter some more. Especially if we're ALL going to attack him, he'd need it." said AntiArctic. Bonsai sighed in agreement. "Anyways, I'll be joining the rest of the group" Antiarctic said, "Just do your job and lure him to Green Forest!" The frozen fiend turned around and walked off
"W-wait! Why do I have to lure him there myself?!" Bonsai exclaimed
"Because it's your job" G.I. Jolt patted Bonsai on the back, "Remember, you're the fastest out of us, and all you have to do is bring him to us. Get him to chase you, we don't care how, attack him if you have to, as long as he comes"
"But isn't that a little dangerous?" asked Bonsai
"Pfft… a little!?" Jolt burst out laughing, "Sky Render chose you to do the job because he knows you're capable, and don't think he won't bash your head if you fail! I'd help you get him here, but if I fight EVERY one of your battles for you, you'll never get stronger!" G.I. Jolt turned around and walked off
Bonsai sweatdropped "Why do I lay my life on the line like this? Obviously trying to exploit any weakness Ketchum has will just lead to disaster, I'm gonna have to be careful…"
(Location- Teal Ville Town Square)
"…And that's what happened" Said Ash, he had just recounted the entire battle he had against Aquamarine. After returning yesterday, he was too exhausted to even speak, and they were really curious to know what happened.
"Amazing!" Ebi sat down on a bench, "I really didn't know how well you'd do against a stronger super fiend, but you've just beaten a REALLY tough one! That guy is the second strongest out of the whole group!"
"I'm having less and less doubt that you're gonna be the greatest pokémon master! I was asking around some of the local trainers on the Fiends, and Aquamarine's said to be invincible! He crushed thousands of opponents, and a lot of them were pokémon masters! To think you could beat the guy!" Said Brock
"…Aquamarine did all that?" Misty spoke to herself, "THAT JERK! After hearing about him doing such… STUPID things, I hate him even more! Why didn't you tell us about this earlier?! I would've loved to take another swipe at that guy's head with ye 'old reliable mallet" She crossed her arms, "Trying to win me over by getting strong is dumb enough, but that idiot has taken his low point to new heights! Imagine, he thinks he can win my hand by winning a fight… what makes him think that would make me fall for him over A… I mean… just forget about it!"
Ash didn't hear what she was saying. He was too busy feeling sorry for himself, "Normally by now, I'd be training and trying to get stronger, but I really don't feel much like doing anything right now… my cap is in… pieces"
"Really?" Ebi asked, "Do you have the pieces?"
"Here they are" Ash pulled them out of his pockets
"Thanks!" Ebi grabbed them, "Here, give me a bit of time and I'll have this thing fixed good as new, and even better!"
"You think you can fix this thing?" Ash asked, "I thought you only do gadgets and stuff!"
"Trust me, in the meantime, you go battle bad guys to pass the time, and take this!" Ebi handed Ash green-white marble pokéball, "I designed this new ball just for your battles against the super fiends. I call it the nitro ball. It is highly explosive and will do a lot of damage to any enemy it hits. I haven't given your board a supply of them yet, so use it carefully. For capturing pokémon they're useless"
"Thanks Ebi, I know for any technical support I could count on you!" Ash accepted the new pokéball
"Prepare yourself, Ketchum!" A voice called
"Huh?"
"BANZAIIIIIII!" Bonsai shouted and dashed right past Ash, his arms whirling through the air and a fan in each hand.
"Wa? What was that all about?" Ash wondered. Suddenly, his eyes opened wide, as he felt a tremendous burning pain on his arm, "Ow…!" he exclaimed, as he felt more and more of it, all over his arms! "OWWW! WHAT THE HELL DID YOU DO TO ME?!"
"Ash Ketchum! I'm here to fight you!" Bonsai pointed at him
"Who are you?!" Ash screamed, waving his arms which were covered in many thin cuts. They weren't deep enough to be considered deadly, but were extremely painful
"Consider that our official challenge to you, from the Super Fiends!" Bonsai smiled and opened up a war fan. It was a weapon shaped like a Japanese style fan, but was made of metal instead of paper and had sharp blades at the end.
"You're a super fiend?! Bonsai…" Ash growled, "BAYLEEF! USE RAZOR LEAF!" Ash threw a pokéball and yelled
"BAYBAAAY!" Bayleef materialized and sent the leaves flying through the air towards Bonsai
"URGH!!!" The razor leaves thrown by Bayleef struck Bonsai's hands and arms, leaving as many cuts on the fiend's arms as on Ash's
"We're even now!" Ash smirked, the pain in his arms was starting to leave. After all, he has felt more painful things over the years
Misty smirked, "I already heard about you, and I'll bet you know about Ash, and how strong he is! He beat the second BEST out of you guys!"
"It's not the strength that matters to us!" Bonsai smirked "The stronger our opponents, the harder we will fight! Prepare yourself!"
"I don't care who you are, but I'll NEVER back down on a challenge!" Ash pulled out a pokéball. "Get ready!" The group prepared themselves for an attack. Bonsai smiled, and then he turned around and ran. "WA!" Ash fell over in stupidity. He was expecting a tougher fight from a Super fiend! "What?! You're running away?!"
"Too many civilians, too much noise and too much interference! We'll take this battle elsewhere" Bonsai shouted as he moved with blinding speed
"Fine with me! I was wondering when the next fiend battle will be taking place, and I guess it'll be right now!" Ash ran after him. As he was running, he pulled the QuickSilver board off his back and threw on the ground in front of him, and then hopped on, speeding ahead to catch Bonsai
"ASH! WAIT UP!" Misty started running, trying to catch up with them
"It's about time I attend a Super Fiend battle! We've had two so far, and I've missed both!" Brock also followed
"I'm not a pokémon trainer, or that strong even! But I'll have to do what I can! I just hope I can contribute enough with my support in the fight!" Ebi spoke to himself and started running to the battlefield
(Location- Green forest clearing)
"Bonsai!" Ash shouted and jumped off the QuickSilver. "(Man, that guy can run fast…!)" Ash thought to himself, he couldn't see him anywhere. Right now, Ash was having a strange feeling, it was his pokémon trainer instincts kicking in. It was warning him… of danger… "WA!" Ash ducked as a bunch of projectiles flew through the air, barely missing his head. Ash sweatdropped "What the…?" he said, looking at the projectiles embedded in a tree. They looked like darts, but they were made of… ice? Looking around, Ash could sense danger, but he couldn't tell from where. Whoever attacked had masked his presence flawlessly, making no sound whatsoever.
"So you've finally arrived!" A cold wind blew, and a figure jumped out of nowhere. Standing atop the trees, a ninja clad in dark blue. "I am AntiArctic."
CRASH!
"WA?!" Ash looked around, a HUGE figure was emerging from the dense woods, pushing aside trees with ease, for a second it looked like a big Machamp was doing all this, but then Ash saw that he was a human! "What the…" he gasped, seeing the figure fully. A giant blonde haired soldier… "L… Lieutenant Surge…!?" he saw the man who resembled the gym leader he had fought so long ago…
"HAHAHA! Wrong! I see you've met my cousin!" The giant laughed. This man did share similarities to the gym leader, but there were some clear differences. His body was full of scars, and the muscles on his arms were many times larger than Surge's. This wasn't a man who spent his days battling with a pokémon, but a wilder dangerous one who fought with his own two hands! "My name is G.I. Jolt!"
"Scared already, Ketchum?" The next Fiend swooped down from the air, and levitated above the ground, crossing his arms, "What's the matter? Never seen a man fly before?" he laughed, looking at the expression on Ash's face, "Nothing's impossible for a super psychic like me. The name's Twin Dreamer!"
"Huh?!" Ash turned around and looked behind him, "Another one!?"
"No need for fancy intros" It was small man, holding a scythe and dressed completely in black. He was deathly pale and very thin. "Goth. Just call me that."
"Just how many fiends are there?!" Ash exclaimed
"Up till now, you have been a great thorn in our side." The last fiend stood atop a tree. He was dressed in a white Gi, and wearing two swords, one hanging from his side, the other from his back. His hair was black and spiky, and at the back of his head it was tied into a ponytail. He slowly approached Ash, "Challenging my team was your first mistake, facing me will be your last. I am the leader of the Super Fiends. I am Sky Render"
"Hmm…" Ash glared up at Sky Render. "So you're the leader…" Ash spoke, not taking his eyes off him for a second. Ash's instincts were warning him about everyone here. The way they acted, the way they moved… he could sense they were all extremely powerful… but this man… the leader… he was on a different level altogether.
"That is correct" Sky Render nodded lightly, "There is one more member who you haven't seen before, but he is currently unavailable. I'm putting him on defensive. He will keep your friends from coming to your help." He glared down at Ash, "You're alone now Ketchum… prepare yourself!"
"Grrr…" Ash growled. In every direction was a powerful Super Fiend, and Sky Render jumped down from the tree and stood ready for battle…
(Meanwhile)
"HURRY! He was running this way! We have to catch up!" Misty sprinted as fast as she can, trying to catch up
"(huff) Yeah… we mustn't (gasp) waste… time!" Brock ran as fast as he could. He didn't know just how everyone else could sprint non-stop without tiring out. "Why do they always have to do this? Running off to fight in some remote location… so remote that the fight ends the second I arrive…!"
"Then I guess you won't have to worry about missing ANYTHING!" A voice called. The ground exploded, and someone stepped out. "The reason I'm not fighting Ketchum right now is because my one and only leader sent me here to keep you guys from interfering! Cleft's my name, and if you wanna see your friend, you gotta get past me!"
"WHAT?!" Brock exclaimed, but Misty was shocked for a different reason.
"Ash…? He's there, by himself, fighting all of the fiends at once?! I HAVE TO HELP!" She dashed forwards…
CRACK!!
Cleft punched into the earth and created a large crevice in the ground, stopping her. "I told you, I will not let you pass…"
"Nothing is gonna stop me from helping Ash, not you, not ANYBODY!" Misty swung her mallet at Cleft's face, but Cleft tilted his head back, out of the reach of the heavy wooden hammer.
"We're fighting a Super Fiend, but we'll have to do this without Ash! I'm gonna have to be careful! EVERYBODY! GO!"
"You think you actually stand a chance?" A voice called. Everybody turned around to see who it was. Sitting up there on a tree branch, his head leaning relaxed against his arms, "Hey Cleft! It'll be way too unfair if we both fight at once! Can I count on you to take care of them?"
"You kidding!? They're just pokémon trainers! I can do this in my sleep!" Cleft laughed and took up a fighting stance
"Grrr…" Brock and Misty growled, those two fiends were so sure of themselves… they weren't gonna get away with this!
"This is bad…!" Ebi growled as he ran into the scene, seeing the two faced with Cleft. "Misty! No eyes!" He shouted, the two turned to him, "Don't go rushing into him! The Fiend's arrogance isn't because he's overconfident, it's because it's the truth!" He shouted, "Among fighters, this group stands at the top of the world! Even pokémon masters don't amount to anything when faced with these criminals!"
"That may be…" Misty spoke, "But that doesn't matter to us…! We'll fight with everything we got!"
(Location- Ash's battle)
"UNGH!" Ash was thrown back when Sky Render swung the wooden sword. Though he blocked it using the QuickSilver, the hit was strong enough to send him flying!
"I expected a lot more, from the one who beat Aquamarine…" Sky Render spoke in a calm voice, "And believe me, I'm holding back. I'm holding back a lot"
"You think I'm so weak you have to handicap yourself?! I'll show you! EVERYBODY! GO!!!" Ash threw his pokéballs, releasing Snorlax, Tauros, Totodile, Bayleef and Cyndaquil, while Pikachu stood ready. "MEGA PUNCH! TAKE DOWN! CRUNCH! VINE WHIP! FLAMETHROWER! THUNDER!!!" he shouted, pointing at Sky Render…
"NOT SO FAST!!!" As Tauros charged forwards, G.I. Jolt stepped forwards and grabbed him by the horns, "RHAA!!!!" He roared, pulling Tauros down and slamming him to the ground. "HMM!!!" he spun around grabbed Snorlax by the wrist, stopping his mega punch, "Heh… nice power…" he smirked, "LET ME SHOW YOU MINE!" he shouted, smashing Snorlax in the stomach with his fist. That one blow was strong enough to make Snorlax fall to his knees, writhing in pain.
"TWIN DREAM!!!!" Twin Dreamer fired a gigantic spiralling beam of psychic energy.
SMASH!!!
"CYNDAAA!!!" Cyndaquil screamed as the Twin Dream attack crashed through the flames, and hit him hard, sending him flying
"HMMM!!!" As Totodile pounced forwards, Goth jumped into the battlefield, raising his scythe in defence so Totodile bit into the metal blade. "Heh… is that all? HAA!!!" Goth swung the scythe with all his strength, with Totodile hanging on the end…
CRASH!!!
"TOTO…!!!" Totodile screamed as Goth slammed him right through a tree. Totodile's jaws let go of the scythe, as he hit the ground and blacked out
"How can you even think of fighting Sky Render…" AntiArctic appeared in front of Bayleef, and caught his vines his icy hands, "IF YOU CAN'T EVEN GET THROUGH ME!!?" He pulled with all his strength, and Bayleef came flying forwards, "HA!!!" AntiArctic flipped through the air, towards the grass pokémon…
CLASH!!!
"Bay…" Bayleef trembled… "Leaf…" its legs gave away, and collapsed to the ground. Its body was shivering, and encrusted with frost.
"The cold cuts right to the bone… wouldn't you agree?" asked AntiArctic
"WHAT?!" Ash exclaimed. How was this possible… in less than a second, all his pokémon were taken out by these fiends! And they weren't even using pokémon! How could any humans be so strong?!
"HMM!" as Pikachu was about to attack with lightning, Sky Render's hand shot up and grabbed him over the head, "Don't be surprised. You're not the first one who's faced the might of the Super Fiends and failed. Against G.I. Jolt's superhuman strength, Twin Dreamer's psychic powers, Goth's mastery of darkness and AntiArctic's techniques of ice… indeed, not even pokémon can compete with the power they hold." He said, clutching Pikachu in his hands
"AH! PIKACHU!!!" Ash screamed
"Pika…" Pikachu growled, "PIKACHUUU!!!!!"
BZZZTTT!!!!
"Hm…" Sky Render stared at Pikachu, with a bored expression on his face. Even as lightning was surging right through him, he didn't show any signs of pain. "Is that all?" he asked, as the electricity stopped, and he saw Pikachu was panting
"GRR… LET GO OF PIKACHU!!!" Ash screamed, charging towards Sky Render…
"Fine then. We'll give you back your pokémon" said Sky Render…
THUNK!!!
"WAAAHHH!!!" Ash screamed, when Sky Render threw Pikachu through the air, hitting him in the face. "Ungh… AGH!" he yelped as Goth, Twin Dreamer and AntiArctic threw Tototile, Bayleef and Cyndaquil at him. "Agh… ow… WA!!!" his eyes opened wide. Quickly, he snatched the four pokémon in his arms and dove aside…
SMASH!!!!
"WAAA!!!" Ash screamed, when G.I. Jolt lifted Snorlax and Tauros and threw them at him. "Wa…" Ash gasped, he barely missed those two… "GRRRR!!!!" he growled, getting up, "RETURN!" he shouted, calling them back as the Fiends laughed at him. "GRR… so that's it?! The almighty Super Fiends think they're so powerful, when in reality they're so weak, they can't even fight me on their own and have to gang up on me all at once?! Is that it?! HUH?!"
"On the contrary" said Sky Render, "My team did not make any moves until you started calling your pokémon into battle" he crossed his arms, "If you call others to fight for you, then I will do the same, and my team will fight for me." Sky Render glared at him, "This is between you and me, and I will not have you bring in anyone to interfere. If you do, they will come down and make short work of it"
Ash growled, he was cornered like a rat. If he uses a pokémon, the Super Fiends will all attack him. If he didn't, he'd be dead on account of Sky Render himself!
(Location- Vs. Cleft)
"HAAAA!" Cleft punched Onix with his metal gloves, and broke out several chunks of rocks from Onix's body. This, along with the many other injuries Onix took from this guy was too much. Onix got hurt and collapsed "Heh… what are you thinking, trying to use a rock-type against me?! HAAA!!!!"
"ARGH!!!" Brock screamed when Cleft charged forwards and tackled him, sending him stumbling back and gasping for breath. "Why you…!" Brock growled, "HA!" he let out a shout, punching the super fiend in the chest
"That barely itched!" The fiend shouted, and then slammed his elbow directly into Brock's gut. Brock flew back and hit the ground,
"Ungh… agh…! He's… he's too strong…!" Brock gasped desperately
"BROCK! NO!" Misty shouted. "STARYU! DOUBLE EDGE!" She shouted
"HA!" Staryu sprung into the air, spinning like a shuriken towards Cleft's face
"Whoop!" Cleft casually tilted his body, and the pokémon flew right past him. "Too slow" he smiled…
"OH REALLY?!" Misty shouted, "SWIFT ATTACK!"
"Huh?" Cleft looked up, as thousands of tiny, sharp stinging stars rained down at him! "HMM!" Firmly placing his feet onto the ground, he crossed his arms in the X position. The attack ended, and he stood there unharmed. "Ouch, that stung a little!" he lowered his arms and laughed… but saw Misty wasn't standing still
"NOW'S MY CHANCE!!!" Misty ran forward with a hammer… "HAAA!!!!"
SMACK!
"URK!" Cleft exclaimed, when Misty smashed her hammer straight into his face
"HMPH!" Misty held the hammer over her shoulder as Staryu came flying in her direction, "STARYU! NOW! WATER GUN! MAXIMUM STRENGHT!"
"AAAAH!" Cleft screamed as the water pressure lifted him right off the ground and sent him flying into the woods
"Ha-ha! Water beats ground!" Misty cheered
"Ugh… th-thank you Misty…" Brock gasped for air as Misty helped him up
"Easy there Brock" Misty smiled, "Now there's no one in our way! Let's go help Ash!"
"NOT SO FAST!" Cleft stepped out of the woods, soaking wet, "What was that you said about Water beating ground?" he spat to the side, "I'm a human being! Only ground pokémon get hurt when touched by the water element, you moron!"
"HAHAHA!!!!" Bonsai laughed from up in the trees, "You're losing your touch Cleft! That girl got you good!"
"SHUT UP!" Cleft shouted angrily, slamming his fist against the tree Bonsai sat in
-CRACK-
"WHOA-WHOA-AAAAAAHHH!!!"
(THUD)
Misty, Brock and Ebi watched in shock. Cleft had punched the tree, causing it to break in half and sent the grass Fiend falling to the ground.
"Ouch…!" Bonsai groaned, getting up. He stretched a little and then turned around, "What was that for?!"
"Quit slacking off and actually fight! Not that I need your help in crushing these weaklings, but the sooner we get them out of the way, the sooner we can go see Sky in action!" Cleft shouted
"When you put it that way…" Bonsai drew his weapons, a pair of bladed war fans.
"GEODUDE! Up your attack and defence with harden and then follow up with DYNAMIC PUNCH!" Brock yelled
"GEO! DUDE!" Geodude became diamond-hard with the move. His body wasn't the only thing that toughened up, his knuckles did too "GEEEEO!" Geodude dashed forwards, swinging his heavy fists
CRACK!
"Hmph… Pitiful" Cleft scoffed, his arm outstretched. Right before the pokémon's fist reached him, Cleft had punched first, and Geodude's body cracked all over. Geodude got hurt and collapsed… "In both reach and power, I'm far superior"
"HAAAA!" Bonsai immediately dashed forwards towards Staryu, slashing repeatedly, cutting off Staryu's arms. He then folded both his metal fans, "RHA!!!" swinging both his arms, he struck the metal base of his weapons against Staryu's jewel, causing it to crack! The pokémon's strength faded and it collapsed…
"STARYU!" Misty screamed, running to her injured pokémon. Though the starfish pokémon could regrow lost limbs, she knew it was in pain…
"It's no use! They're too strong!" Ebi shouted. Earlier the two were throwing everything they got at Cleft and were getting nowhere… and now that Bonsai has stepped in, the battle has become too one-sided!
"There is no point in going on" said Bonsai, turning to them, "You've already lost, and we'll give you the chance to run."
"You're way out of your league" said Cleft, "The only one among you could possibly compete with us is Ketchum, and he's not here!"
"He's right…" Misty spoke to herself, "Ash isn't here to fight for us, but that's not gonna stop me from fighting!" she said, remembering how he fought Doppelganger. "He fought with the odds stacked against him, and he didn't give up!" She glared at the two super Fiends, "I won't back down… I WON'T RUN AWAY!!!"
(Location- Ash's battle)
WHAM!
"WAAA!" Ash screamed as he slid back, after blocking a heavy blow from Sky Render's wooden sword. "GRR…" Ash growled and straightened up, his right arm was in pain. Even though it was shielded, Sky Render's hits were so strong, the shock from the bokuto seemed to pass right through. "(Too… strong…!)" Ash grimaced, "(It's nothing but a wooden sword… my arm hurts so much… like it's going to break…!)" he growled… and the dark realization was beginning to set in. If this man had been using the real sword from the beginning, he would have been dead long ago. "(How… how could I have been so stupid…? To even hope to stand a chance against this man… he and I… the difference between us… it… it's just impossible!)"
"So you finally realize it?" Asked Twin Dreamer, having read Ash's mind. "It is absolutely hopeless… Sky Render is the strongest in the world! Trash like you can NEVER hope to defeat him!"
"That's enough, Twin Dreamer" Sky Render said, and approached Ash…
"URGH… AH!" Ash screamed when he raised the QuickSilver arm over his head and blocked, but Sky Render quickly struck his stomach, knocking the air out of Ash's lungs. Before anything else happened, he swung the wooden sword at the back of Ash's legs, causing him to trip and fall. Before he hit the ground, Sky Render struck him again, sending him flipping upwards through the air. "Hmph…" Sky Render turned around as Ash hit the ground. "You claim to have defeated Aquamarine, yet you cannot even lay a finger on me. Did he LET you win? You're not so tough…"
"Actually, he really is!" G.I. Jolt pointed at Ash, "He is weakling, both physically and mentally, but the kid is still really tough! Look! He's getting up!"
"Hm?" Sky Render turned around and saw Ash getting up, "You're still standing?"
"Heh-heh-heh…" Ash laughed weakly and smiled, "it'll take more than that to take me down, ya pointy-haired freak!"
"What did you call me…?" Sky Render growled, "You should know better than to insult your betters… HAAA!" Sky swung the weapon
"AH!" Ash exclaimed as the sword hit him, hard. He stumbled, and Sky Render attacked again and again, "Holding back this much, you're really underestimating me…" Ash gritted his teeth… taking the attacks, "Aquamarine's punch…" he spoke, clenching his fist… "WASN'T THIS WEAK!!!!"
SMACK!
"NGH!" Sky Render exclaimed and stumbled back, when Ash punched him
"AH…" All the other Super Fiends gasped…
"Hm!" Ash took a fighting stance, "I took the full brunt of Aquamarine's fury. Compared to everything he did, your attacks are soft!"
"YOU!" the other fiends shouted and dove down
"WA?!" Ash exclaimed as AntiArctic appeared behind him and grabbed his arm, twisting it behind his back. That wasn't all, but he felt the cold blade of a scythe press against his neck, and he could see Goth holding it to his throat. Twin Dreamer landed next to him and held his hand over Ash's head, ready to destroy his mind at any moment, while G.I. Jolt stood in front of him, cracking his knuckles, ready to crush the boy…
"That's enough" said a voice
"Huh?" the Super Fiends looked up at Sky Render
"Hmm…" Sky Render's eyes moved to his cheek, which had a small mark on it left by Ash's fist. "So you managed to hit me." He spoke, and then looked at the other fiends, "Let him go" Immediately, they withdrew as quickly as they snatched him
"Agh…" Ash gasped. Those Fiends… had they wanted to, they could have killed him right on the spot! So why didn't they?
"You managed to hit me" Sky Render touched his cheek, "That punch was quite impressive. Fast… strong… surely with that one hit, you would have eliminated any other opponent… had they been someone other than me" he spoke, taking a fighting stance. "Hmph!" he held his bokuto and ran towards Ash…
"URGH…!" Ash growled as he raised his arms quickly, defending himself from Sky Render's attacks, "HA!" he swung his fist, but Sky Render simply evaded it.
"Hm! Until that one strike, all of your punches were like this." Sky Render moved his body, easily dodging every one of Ash's hits. "Random, sluggish and WEAK!"
"AH!" Ash stumbled back when Sky Render hit his forehead
"If that one lucky shot was your best, then you have no chance of surviving this battle!" Sky Render shouted and attacked, dashing forwards and swinging the weapon at the side of Ash's neck, but Ash blocked it with the QuickSilver arm and punched with the other. It was too slow however, and Sky Render moved his head and dodged it, "However… while your fighting style may be awkward…"
"RHAAA!!!!" Ash roared, his fist shot forwards…
SMACK!
"GRRR…" Ash growled, his fist still pressed against Sky Render's cheek…
"Hmm…" Sky Render stood still. Although he had been slammed right in the face by a metal armoured fist, there was no reaction. He didn't stumble, flinch, or show any sign of pain. On the contrary, he was smiling… "I can see it now…" he said, looking at Ash, "Your determination… no matter how many you get hit, no matter how many times you fall… your will to go on, you do not allow yourself to quit, you keep getting back up, and fight beyond your limits… that's your strength!" he said, looking at Ash's eyes, "And the intensity of those eyes…" he spoke, "Full of power and passion, glaring right into me, almost willing me to lose!"
"HAA!!!!" Ash shouted, striking forwards with his fist once more…
"HM!!" Sky Render moved his entire body, evading the attack completely, "However… gifted as you are, you're still nothing but a novice. If I hadn't been going easy on you up till now, you wouldn't even be able to touch me once"
"Yeah right! Don't make any excuses!" Ash shouted
"Hmph… So you don't believe me?" Sky Render sighed, "Fine… I'll prove it."
"AH?!" Ash gasped, when before he could react, Sky Render was right in his face…!
SLAM!!!
"AAAAGHH!!!!" Ash screamed as he was sent flying into the air, "UUUGH!!!" he growled as he landed on the ground behind Sky Render, gasping to stand up, "WHY YOU!!!!" he punched at him, "HUH?!" he exclaimed when Sky Render simply raised one hand and blocked it, without even looking at Ash, "WAGH!!!" Sky Render swung the bokuto and slammed him across the face. Ash growled as he fell back. Sky Render was beating him… and his back was turned on Ash! "WHY YOU!!!!"
"You remember what I said about the intensity?" Sky Render spoke calmly, turning around and looking at Ash…
"AH!?" Ash immediately froze when he saw Sky Render's eyes…
"HA!" Sky Render moved forwards, and struck the bokuto into Ash's stomach. Ash screamed and fell to the ground. "Hm… you remember what I said about the intensity in your eyes?" he asked, "It's simple actually… my will and determination is that much greater than yours."
"Grrr…" Ash struggled to get up. He knew what Sky Render was talking about, the power and passion, willing you to lose… but the intensity in Sky Render's eyes… it was so much greater than his own! So much that he froze just by looking at them!
"Grrr…" Ash growled, he could feel his strength diminishing, simply because of Sky Render's eyes. The power… there was something strange about him… he could sense it, just by looking at his eyes. He was nothing like the fierce and brutal Aquamarine, he was calm and relaxed. But this power… it was unlike anything he's seen before. Sky Render really was holding back. His power… he was far stronger than Ash, far greater than Aquamarine's… no… it didn't end there. It was beyond anything human! Even legendary pokémon didn't hold this much power! Who… no… WHAT was he?!
"Hmph… it's always the same story, for everyone challenges Sky Render." Said AntiArctic, as their leader approached Ash, "People always think 'Maybe I can do it… maybe I can stand up to him…' but soon after the battle begins, you instantly realize how wrong you are. It's happening to Ketchum now… he is realizing that he can never win…" he said solemnly, as Sky Render slowly approached Ash…
(Location- Vs. Bonsai & Cleft)
CLANG! Brock slammed Cleft on the back of the head with his frying pan
BAM! Misty swung the mallet straight in Bonsai's the face
"GAH!" Both fiends stumbled back.
"Pant… pant…!" said Misty and Brock were gasping for air… they had been fighting their hardest with their remaining pokémon and makeshift weapons against these seemingly unstoppable enemies.
"They're putting up a good fight" Said Cleft
"Yeah… for rookies that is" said Bonsai. The two of them could easily continue for hours. This wasn't even a contest. "Still… I'm surprised how long they lasted"
"It isn't over yet…! As official Gym Leaders, we'll teach you to look down on us…!" Brock panted
"Ah, Gym Leaders. How quaint." Bonsai said, slowly approaching them, "You have pretty good potential, but it's way too early for you to think about fighting us"
"Come fight us again after a bit of training! Like ten years worth!" Cleft shouted, raising his fist… "GROUND ZER- AAAAAGH!!!!!"
"AAAAARGH!!" Bonsai screamed. From out of nowhere, a huge round of Pokémon attacks flew out of the sky, slamming into them! The resulting impact was a massive explosion that sent the two of them flying clear into the sky and out of sight!
"What was that?!" Misty Brock and Ebi all shouted
"No one, and I mean NO ONE hurts my friends!" Said the guy. Standing next to him were two large pokémon, and three smaller ones. "I'm finally here! Sorry about the lateness" he looked at Misty, Brock, and the new guy he's never seen before
(Location- Ash's battle)
"NGH…" Ash struggled to get up as Sky Render approached him.
"You still have the strength left to stand?" Sky Render asked, rather surprised
"Not just stand… fight too" Ash panted, taking a fighting stance. "You know… you are right…there really is no way I can win…" he looked down, "But…"
"Hm?" Sky Render and the fiends looked at Ash… something was different about him… his breathing became slower, his trembling stopped…
"HM!!!" Ash raised his head and glared at them. Sky Render's eyes opened wide, as the other fiends watching suddenly jumped back. The intensity in Ash's eyes… it changed completely, it matched that of Sky Render! "THERE'S NO WAY I'LL EVER GIVE UP!!!!" Ash roared… charging forwards, "RHAAAA!!!!!!
SMACK!!!
"UNGH!!!" Sky Render exclaimed, and fell over onto his back
"AH…" All the other Super Fiends gasped. They were all trembling, looking down at Ash, not believing what they just saw. "Sky Render… he's down!"
"ugh…" Sky Render sat up, "Hmm?" he moved his hand and touched his mouth with his thumb. His eyes widened, when he saw blood.
"He… he's bleeding!" G.I. Jolt trembled. All of the fiends turned their head at Ash. That kid… who was struggling to stand a few seconds ago, had brought Sky Render to the ground! "W… who is that kid!?"
"Like that? Because more's on the way!" Ash was in a fighting stance. Ash regained the confidence he needed. With the confidence, Ash felt all the pain from where Sky Render hit him with that wooden sword fade, and he felt ready for anything
"Hmm… heh…" Sky Render chuckled as he got up, "You're really not an ordinary guy, are you Ash?" he asked. Ash noticed Sky Render called him by his first name, instead of just 'Ketchum'. "So this is the power that defeated Aquamarine…" slowly, he put away the wooden sword he was holding, and his hand reached to his back, unsheathing the mighty sword, Skyfall… "HAAA!!!!"
"HUH?!" Ash gasped, before he could react, Sky Render had darted forwards, towards him! "AAAH…!" he raised his arms in defence…
CLASH!!!!
"NGH… AH!" Ash screamed, the second Sky Render struck the QuickSilver, he spun his body and swung the sword, faster than ever to his neck… But the moment the sword touched his skin, Sky Render stopped the swing which surely would have beheaded him. "AAAH!!!" Ash screamed, when Sky Render pulled the sword back, leaving a small cut on the side of his neck. "GRR…" he growled, placing his hand over that small cut, "AHH!!!" Sky Render swung again, slashing Ash's chest with only the tip of the blade. "AH…" Ash gasped, looking down at his shirt, which had a rip in it. The swing was handled with so much and dexterity, it didn't even touch his skin, but the force… it was so strong it threw him back!
The fighting continued, but it was completely one sided. So many times Ash tried to hit him, but not once could he touch the fiend, and Sky Render kept swinging his sword, but stopping them and pulling it back inflicting only small wounds. By now, Ash was covered in so many tiny cuts, if Sky Render didn't stop his swings, Ash would have been in pieces by now.
"AH!!!" Ash screamed as Sky Render stopped a swing that would've chopped off his arms, and pulled it back, inflicting another small cut. "Ugh… agh…" Ash panted. His clothes was stained in blood, and his body was covered in so many small cuts. Even though none of them were critical, there were so many… "Grr…" he growled, looking up at his opponent. Sky Render wasn't even sweating. Even the mark from Ash's punch seemed to have faded away, and while Ash was exhausted, Sky Render looked like he could go on. "Ungh…" Ash gasped, struggling to stand
"You have fought way beyond your limit" Sky Render said, raising his sword, "I should finish you now…" he said, running forwards…
"Grrr… RHAAA!!!" Ash roared and charged towards Sky Render…
SMASH!!!
"AAAAHHH!!!!" Ash screamed, when Sky Render slammed him in the face with the handle of the katana. "Ungh… ah…" he gasped. He couldn't take any more. His legs began to wobble… "Agh…" he fell to the ground, and collapsed… Ash was defeated
"It's over…" said Sky Render, lowering his sword… "Huh?" he felt something strange on his ankles, and looked down. His eyes opened wide at what he saw.
"Grrr…" Ash growled, his arm reaching forward and gripping Sky Render by the ankle. Though he was defeated, though he couldn't even stand, he had still managed to wriggle his body and crawl towards Sky Render, grabbing him. "GRRR…" he growled, pulling his body upwards, until he could at least sit up on his knees
"Hmm…" Sky Render glared down at him… "HA-HA-HA-HA!!!!" he burst out laughing, "I was right! You really don't know how to give up!" he laughed, smiling down at Ash, "That's what's so unique about you. No matter how many times I hit you down, you refuse to stop." He said, obviously quite impressed, "You know… you'd make an excellent Super Fiend." He said, kneeling down to Ash's height
"Are you making me an offer to join or something?" Ash growled
"Of course not." Sky Render replied, standing up, "You have won my respect. Though I would be more than happy to let you to join, I know your kind all too well, because you and I… we're exactly the same" he spoke. "You have honour. You chose your path, and will defend it no matter what… the same way I will defend mine. Though our paths are different, we are very similar…" He raised his sword, "Truly I am sorry. Had we met under different circumstances, I'm sure we definitely would have been friends… but you are too dangerous, and there is no other option…"
Ash looked up at him, and then looked down to the ground. Somehow he didn't feel that angry, or any hatred to Sky Render. Strangely, he felt some respect for the Super Fiend. He had a true sense of honour. Sky Render raised the sword…
"HA!" Sky Render swung his sword down…
Ash closed his eyes and cringed, he didn't cry out or anything, even as the sword came down at his… "Huh?" he opened his eyes and blinked, when he saw the sword stop just short of his forehead.
"Surprised? Don't be…" Sky Render smirked, pulling his sword back and twirling it a bit, sheathing it behind his back, "No. I won't kill you… not now anyways" he turned around and walked off, "Do not challenge my team again, Ash. I do not want you as our enemy. Should you continue to act as a hindrance, we will have no choice but to kill you…" Suddenly he stopped walking. "However… if you do insist on remaining our enemy, I have one request." He looked at Ash and smiled, "Get strong, and become a worthy adversary." He kicked off the ground, into the air and out of sight,
"What's he doing?" Asked AntiArctic, "I've never seen him leave a fight!"
"I don't know…" Said Goth
"Ketchum may not be very strong, but Sky Render sees great potential in him, that's why he doesn't want to eliminate him. He's daring Ketchum to get stronger, and that sort of challenge makes him indirectly promise that he'll put up a better fight in the future" Twin Dreamer crossed his arms, "Sky Render has great respect for the kid."
"Maybe Sky respects you enough not to finish you off right now, but I don't! I say we crush the kid right now!" G.I. Jolt cracked his knuckles, and approached Ash… "UNGH!" He exclaimed when Pikachu sprung up and skull-Bashed him on the face, causing him to stumble back a few steps
"Huh? Pikachu?" Ash looked at his pokémon
"Pikachu! Pikachu pika!" Said Pikachu
"No, I didn't exactly forget about you… well, yeah… I did" Ash looked down
"Heh, the mouse packs quite punch there, doesn't he?" G.I. Jolt rubbed his cheek, "Although not enough!"
FWAP!
"AAH!" Ash and Pikachu screamed when G.I. Jolt swung his massive arm, sending them flying, but he wasn't done yet.
"HEH!" In each hand, Jolt grabbed Pikachu and Ash by the neck. "Unfortunately for you, you won't even live to see Sky again, because I'm gonna crush you both right here!" He shouted, tightening his grip, "Good thing I wear gloves, because this is gonna be really messy!"
"Oh no you don't! DOUBLE EDGE!" A voice called
"HA!" Starmie flew and slammed the back of Jolt's head
"AGH!" G.I. Jolt dropped Ash and Pikachu
"STARMIE! HYDRO PUMP!!!"
"MEGA PUNCH, GEODUDE! BIND HIM ONIX!"
"FURY SWIPES, SCYTHER!"
"WA! Scyther?!" Ash exclaimed as the five pokémon dashed at Jolt
"Oh no you don't! HAAAAA… ARMAGEDDON FIST!" G.I. Jolt swung his fist at the attackers. Electricity gathered around his fist, and it sounded like thunder had crashed as the explosive power in his fist shattered Starmie's jewel, Scyther's right blade and sent Onix and Geodude into pieces
"If Scyther's here, then that means that… Tracey!"
"Cavalry has arrived!" Tracey gave him a thumbs-up
"This is even better than a party!" AntiArctic jumped from the trees
"It's our turn to fight!" Twin Dreamer grinned
"Finally. I was getting bored…" Goth got up and raised the scythe
"You think so?" Ash smiled, "If Tracey's here, then that means the rest of the backup! It's been so long since I've said this, SOLAR BEAM! HYDRO PUMP! FIRE SPIN! SKY ATTACK!"
"ROAR!" From the air, Charizard opened his mouth and blasted the fire
"SQUIRTLE!" Squirtle withdrew into his shell and spun through the air firing water
"BULBA!" From the bulb on his back, Bulbasaur fired a powerful beam
"PIGEOOO!" At a high speed, Pidgeot swooped from the air and slammed into Twin Dreamer, knocking out of the air
However, even this powerful round of attacks wasn't enough to bring down the fiends. All of them just got right back up. And through the woods, into the scene stepped Bonsai and Cleft, joining the others.
"Hm…" Ash stood there, his friends by his side, and his pokémon in front of him. Though he was bleeding and wounded heavily, that look of intensity still hadn't faded from his eyes, as he slowly managed to take a fighting stance one last time…
"Heh… so this is what he meant…" The fiends stared back at Ash and his team. The intensity, the passion, the power… there was no telling what Ash was capable of… "As much as we'd like to see what you're really capable of… I think we'll follow Sky Render's example, and save it for another day!" They said, disappearing into the woods. "Remember Ketchum! Get stronger, and become a worthy adversary!"
"Hmmm… whew…" Ash sighed and collapsed, exhausted
"ASH!" Misty ran to him to see if he was okay
"He's fine, just really exhausted" Said Ebi, "I'd be like that, more likely even worse if I was the one fighting the legendary Sky Render"
"Sky what?" asked Brock
"Sky Render… the leader and the most powerful of the Super Fiends." said Ebi, "He uses no pokémon, because he has no need for them. His skills are unsurpassed, and with the SkyFall Sword he wields, he is said to be unbeatable in combat.
"That's putting it lightly…" sighed Ash
"Who were those guys you were fighting?" Tracey asked
"I'll explain later" Ash sighed, "I'm tired…"
Ash, Misty, Brock, Tracey and Ebi started making their way back to Teal Ville. "Wait! Now that Tracey and the backup's here, then I'm sure you're ready to take on the Team Rocket base!" Said Brock, "That was the plan in the first place!"
Ebi smiled "And that's not the only good news we have! I've got the latest news! The Missingno gang will be no more in a matter of days! After you beat Doppelganger, he was the only reason the Fiends had ANY connections to that band of weaklings! Without any tough Fiends to help them in the fighting, those guys… what were their names… Jessie and James are leading a bunch of other Team Rocket grunts back to Scarlet City and are gonna crush the Missingno gang. Giovanni's really serious about something, and is trying to eliminate other criminal organisations as we speak. He's already taken out twenty-eight gangs and criminal rings. After beating the bosses and leaders, because Team Rocket promises more than any other gang, it was easy to recruit more guys. He seems to be building an army, for something. You've beaten 001, 003 and 004, and done a ton of damage to the organisation, but I doubt that even YOU'RE a big enough problem to need to build an entire army. And last, but certainly not least, trainers taking the Dark Forest detour away from the Team Rocket base have claimed to be attacked by strange and not to mention HORRIBLE creatures, assumed to be pokémon, but all unidentified and extremely powerful as well as aggressive. I wonder what's this all about?"
Ash sighed. He'd like to get Team Rocket out of the way, and also the Missingno gang, then he could concentrate 100 on getting strong enough for Sky Render, and then there's those creatures, which one should he go? "Can we continue this some other time? I need sleep…"
"Well remember! The choice is yours! You can either head back to Scarlet city and finish off the Missingno gang for good, or you could infiltrate Team Rocket's base and see what they're up to, or investigate the Dark Forest beasts!" Said Ebi, "Oh and by the way, because you're getting stronger opponents, you're gonna need to carry more than six pokémon at a time."
"How am I supposed to do that?" Asked Ash
"The pokéball limit is controlled by your pokédex, and the strong program keeps people from cheating by using more than six" Said Ebi and pulled out a small cartridge thing, "I've discovered a bit of technology SO advanced it can override the code of ANY technology in this world! Put it in your pokédex and you can ignore the six-pokémon limit!"
"SWEET!" Ash put it into the pokédex, "How did you make something like this?"
"I really shouldn't take the credit for something so wondrous, because I didn't make it. I bought it from somewhere." Said Ebi
"Where?" Everyone asked
"Well, keep it a secret, because it's better this news doesn't get out. I bought the thing at Wal-Mart. It's a gameshark" Ebi said proudly. Everybody sweatdropped.
Even though it was a losing battle against a Super Fiend, Ash couldn't help but respect Sky Render. Will Ash ever become strong enough to defeat him? And in other news, where should they go now? Should they head to Scarlet city and break up the Missingno gang? Should they break into Team Rocket HQ? Or should they investigate the monster claims in the dark forest? I'm going to use all three of these, but which one will I use first? Choose a scenario, Kupo!
(TO BE CONTINUED)