Chapter 7
Chess with Death
It was nearly five in the morning, and Ash and Misty had stayed awake almost the entire time on their long, love filled night together. It was then that Ash heard unusual sounds outside. "Misty, you hear that?" He said. "What?" She asked. Ash peered out the window. A group of vans and trucks were rolling in on his street, parking outside his house. It was a SWAT team. "Shit, do you think they're here for us?" Misty said. He saw a police officer outside talking with his mom, who was in tears. "Yeah, I think so." Ash said. "Well, should we turn ourselves in? They Have us surrounded." Misty said.. "No way! They'll put me in jail for the rest of my life, in jail away from you, Misty! I won't let them keep me away from you!" He screamed. A devious smile crossed Misty's face. "Well, if we're going to take a stand, we might as well kill them for Balberith and give me a little more time as a human, right?" Misty said. "Yes! YES! Balberith, save us!" Ash called out. Misty looked under Ash's bed. "Wow, a rocket launcher and a couple handguns!" She said.
As took the rocket launcher in his hand and pointed it out the window toward the SWAT team. "Duck and cover!" A policeman screamed. Ash fired a rocket into a truck and sent fire and debris flying. Dozens of people died. Some of the SWAT team members fired their pistols back, but Ash ducked back to the floor next to his bed. He heard lots of heavy footsteps charging up his the stairs. They were raiding the house. He and Misty each took a handgun and stood on either side of the door. When the footsteps grew close, the two of them shot through the closed door. They heard a couple bodies fall on the other side before the SWAT team returned fire. Suddenly, Ash wasn't at home anymore. He was in a dark black space with dust and sand on the ground.
"What just happened? Where am I?" Ash screamed. Moments later, a hooded figure appeared before him. It was the grim reaper, Death himself. "Ash Ketchum, you are in a moment where you could very well die." Death said. A television screen materialized in front of Ash, showing him taking his last stand in his room, the frame frozen with bullets flying toward him, inches from his heat and his face. "And I'll have you know, Ash, that I'm mighty pissed at what you've been doing with Balberith." Death added. "Killing all those people?" Ash said. "No, you cheated me! Misty's soul belongs in a Yamask, and I was tasked with keeping her there! You made me look like a divine fool when you brought her back! Now, I challenge you!" Death shouted. "What are we going to do, play chess?" Ash said. "Ha, no. I play chess for fun. You pissed me off, so you don't get to play chess. Ash Ketchum, you must fight me in a three-on-three pokemon battle!" Death bellowed.
Death reached for his belt, which normally would carry an hour glass to use as a timer in chess games. This time, instead, there were three pokeballs there. "I choose you, Pawniard!" Death called out. One of Death's pokeballs flashed, and out popped an angry growling Pawniard. Ash reached for the pokeballs on his belt. There were three there, which was unusual. Last time he checked, he had given away all of his pokemon except for Pidgeot and Pikachu, meaning he was supposed to only have two. Ash wasn't sure what his third pokemon would be, so he went with the safe bet and chose Pidgeot.
"Pokeball, go!" Ash called out. In an instant, Pidgeot appeared, crowing majestically. "All right, let's show Death what we're made of! Pidgeot, use Air Cutter!" Ash commanded. Pidgeot slapped his wings together and sent shockwaves at Death's Pawniard. Pawniard was stunned, but was otherwise unaffected. Death dramatically pointed his skeletal finger forward. "Pawniard, use Night Slash!" He commanded. Pawniard rushed toward Pidgeot with dark energy coursing over the blades on its hands. "Pidgeot, watch out! Dodge it!" Ash said. Pidgeot flapped his wings and tried to fly above Pawniard's attack. Death growled. "Pawniard, Pursuit." He said. Pawniard suddenly disappeared and reappeared in mid-air front of Pidgeot. As it fell, it dragged Pidgeot down with it, slicing it as the crashed to the ground. Pidgeot still had plenty of fight left in him. He shook Pawniard off and flew up above the metal warrior. "All right, Pidgeot, give it all you've got! Dive bomb it with Brave Bird!" He called out. Pidgeot flew high and went into a dive. "Ha, you think that will work? Pawniard, ready yourself for Finalia Strike!" Death called out. Pawniard's body glowed a purple and red light. "Abort! Abort! Pidgeot, stop and use Gust!" Ash called out. Pidgeot gracefully pulled out of the dive and sent a gust of wind at Pawniard, knocking it down. "Now finish it off, Pidgeot! Use Drill Peck!" Ash commanded. Pidgeot landed on top of Pawniard and violently pecked it into submission. Pawniard was knocked out.
Death was enraged now. "Pawniard return." He said, calling Pawniard back into its pokeball. "Go, Bisharp!" Death called out. A tall, pointy bisharp appeared from another one of Death's pokeballs. "All right, Pidgeot, let's mix it up. Use Sand Attack!" Ash said. Pidgeot flapped his wings and kicked up sand into Bisharp's face. "Bisharp, Dark Pulse!" Death said. Bisharp held up its fist and shot a ray of dark energy through the dust cloud at Pidgeot. It was a direct hit. Pidgeot was knocked from the sky. "End it Bisharp! Finalia Strike!" Death shouted. Bisharp raised its bladed arm above Pidgeot's neck and glowed with red and purple energy. It brought the blade down and Pidgeot was burned in black fire down to a charred skeleton.
"Pidgeot, no!" Ash screamed. "Relax. Pidgeot is fine. He's still in your pokeball back in the land of the living. This will all just be a bad dream to him." Death said. Ash reached for his oldest pokeball, the one with the lightning bolt decal on it. "I choose you, Pikachu!" Ash shouted. He threw the pokeball with great force, and Pikachu emerged, full of vigor. "Just lie old times, pal. Time to battle." Ash said. Pikachu was more than happy for a traditional pokemon battle. He hadn't had a good scrap in years, and was itching to fight.
"Pikachu, use Thunderbolt!" Ash commanded. Pikachu screamed and let loose a white-hot arc of lightning. Death's Bisharp tried to block the attack with its metal arms, but Pikachu's electricity surged through. Bisharp's metal body heated up from all the raw energy in Pikachu's attack. Its feet began to melt to the floor. Bisharp screeched in pain. "Keep going, Pikachu! We got this!" Ash said. Death shook his head. "Bisharp, you fool! Don't just take it like that! Use Mirror coat!" Death commanded. Biasharp's eyes lit up, knowing he had not lost yet. With all his strength, Bisharp pushed his melting joint to raise his arms, revealing a reflective surface on his elbows. Pikachu's attack was shot back it at, knocking him down as he cried out in pain. Bisharp laughed coldly. His feet may have been melted, but he was still in the battle.
"Bisharp, use Dark Pulse!" Death said. Bisharp shot wave after wave of dark energy at Pikachu from his arms. "Pikachu, use Agility!" Ash commanded. Pikachu began running in a blindingly fast zigzag pattern around the battlefield. He was nearly impossible to hit now, especially against something as immobile as a partially melted Bisharp. "All right, Pikachu, use Thunder Tackle!" Ash commanded. Pikachu's body coursed with electricity. He ran at top speed toward his immobilized foe. Death laughed. "Bisharp, Sucker Punch!" He said. With dizzying speed and accuracy, Bisharp brought up its fist into Pikachu's face with a powerful uppercut just before he could make contact with his attack. Pikachu was sent reeling up and backwards across the field.
Ash looked worriedly at Pikachu as it got to its feet. "How could we be losing against an opponent with its feet melted to the ground?" He thought to himself. Then, he remembered an old trick he and Pikachu learned back in their youth that was perfect for this kind of situation. "Pikachu, do you still remember how to use Double Team?" Ash said. Pikachu smiled and nodded. He was a little rusty, but he could still do it. Pikachu stood tall and several illusionary copies of itself appeared. They encircled and surrounded Death's Bisharp. "Now, Pikachu! Use Thunder Tackle!" Ash said. "Stop them Bisharp! Stop them all!" Death said, panicking. Bishrp swung and slashed at the pikachus around him, but he only struck at illusions. The real Pikachu slammed head first into Bisharp, sending waves of electricity through the metal pokemon's body. The force of the blow smashed Bisharp's ankles as its feet broke off and it fell to the floor, screaming.
"Bisharp, return." Death said, with frustration. In a flash of light, Bisharp went back to Death's pokeball. He reached for the last pokeball on his belt. "I didn't expect to have to use this. You're very lucky to have lasted this long." Death said. Death opened the pokeball, and in a flash of light, his last pokemon appeared. "I choose you, Dusknoir!" Death called out. Floating before them was a large and round ghost pokemon with a single red eye in the center of its baggy, gaseous head. "Come on, Pikachu, we can take this guy! Use Thunder!" Ash said. Pikachu called to the heavens and summoned a wicked bolt of lightning from the sky. Dusknoir was hit, and caught on fire. The strange cloth-like material its body was made of was burnt and torn, but it seemed to feel no pain. "Dusknoir, use Draining Touch." Death said. With uncanny speed, Dusknoir rushed at Pikachu and squeezed it tightly in its fist. Pikachu screamed in pain as Dusknoir sapped its life force. Quickly, all of Dusknoir's tears and burns disappeared.
"Get it off! Pikachu, use Thunderbolt!" Ash said. Pikachu zapped Dusknoir hard enough to break free from its grip, but was left panting and tired. "Dusknoir, use Earthquake." Death said. Dusknoir slammed its fists into the ground and sent shockwaves across the battlefield. Pikachu was knocked down and fell on its face. Dusknoir slowly made its way over to its fallen foe. Pikachu braced itself. "Dusknoir, use Finalia Strike!" Death commanded. Dusknoir's body glowed with black and purple light. It made a fist and struck Pikachu on the back. In a flash of fire and smoke, Pikachu was reduced to an ashen silhouette on the ground, its body completely destroyed.
"Pikachu! No!" Ash screamed. "One more to go, Ash. Ready to lose?" Death said. Ash growled. Seeing his best friend incinerated like that threw him off. Awkwardly, he reached for his last pokeball, unsure of what was inside. "Pokeball, go." He said. In a flash of light, a yamask appeared, the same one with Misty's face on its mask. "Misty?!" Ash said. The yamask nodded. It was Misty. "Isn't it sweet? You get to die together in a single battle." Death pulled a different yamask's mask out from under his cloak. It had Ash's face on it. "After I beat you both, you can be sad little ghosts together! How hopelessly romantic." Death taunted. Ash took a couple deep breaths. "All right, Misty, we can do this. This is just like any other pokemon battle. What kind of moves do yamasks learn again?" Ash said. Misty shook her head with a sad look on her face.
Death was growing impatient. "We battle now! Dusknoir, use Flame Wave!" Death commanded. Dusknoir's eye glowed red, and out shot out a wall of black fire that slowly advanced toward Misty. "Misty, watch out!" Ash said, unsure of what Misty was even capable of. Misty held out her mask like a shield. When the wall of fire grew close, a pink aura appeared around it, and the fire turned to dust. "What? What's the meaning of this?" Death said. Ash laughed. "Yeah, we might still be in this one. Misty, counter attack!" Ash said. Misty wailed in anger and shot a beam of fiery pink energy from her mouth. Dusknoir had a large round hole burnt into its body.
With all of her willpower, all of her mental might, Misty manage to talk, something few pokemon ever accomplished. "You… You leave us alone!" She croaked in yamask's low, sad voice. Death growled in anger. "Dusknoir, use Draining Touch!" He commanded. Dusknoir disappeared and reappeared behind Misty. It reached out to drain her life force, but instead drained forth more of that deadly pink energy. Dusknoir caught on fire and backed off. Even as its body burned, it still showed no sign of pain. "Misty, what did you do to him? What's going on?" Ash said. "It's the power of love, Ash. It makes us strong." Misty said.
Death stared coldly as the fire on his dusknoir faded, leaving its body tattered and torn. "The power of love? Really? You think that will save you? Suppose you do beat me, what then? You'll still be captured by the police and sent to court and judged for your crimes. Even then, you'll get locked up for good, maybe even executed, and then I'll be here again, and I won't go easy on you. There is no escape, no hope, Ash." Death said. "You're wrong, Death, there will always be hope! As long as I can feel love for Misty, I have hope, hope that I can be with her, hope that I can love someone as much as I love her, hope that my life is worth living, worth it for loving her!" Ash said. "Such sentimental rhetoric… You are a fool." Death said, coldly.
Death sprayed a Hyper Potion on Dusknoir, and most of its wounds were instantly healed. "This battle is far from over. Dusknoir, use Hypnosis." Death said. Dusknoir's eye began to swirl and spin, giving off a stupefying aura. Misty could not help but look into the eye and fall asleep. Death laughed. "Now, Dusknoir, use Finalia Strike!" Death said. "Noooooooooo!" Ash cried out. Dusknoir's body glowed with purple and red light. It balled its hand into a fist, and struck at Misty… Only, nothing g happened. Finalia Strike failed. Ash felt a wave of relief sweep over him. "What? How could that not work! You're cheating!" Death screamed. Ash laughed. "Finalia Strike is a killing blow move, isn't it?" Ash said. "Yes, it's my secret technique I teach to all my pokemon." Death said. "Think it through. Misty's already dead. You can't kill her again." Ash said. Death screamed out in frustration. His best move was useless on Misty.
Soon, Dusknoir's hypnotic spell wore off, and Misty awakened. Angrily, she charged up a beam of powerful pink love energy, and blasted Dusknoir to shreds. Though it could still fight, Dusknoir was badly wounded now. It lightly quivered as it recovered from the attack, the first sign that it felt any sort of pain at all.
"Dusknoir, use Earthquake!" Death said. Dusknoir punched the ground, sending powerful shockwaves at Misty. The waves of earth crashed uselessly on the pink shield of love around her. "Dusknoir, use Shadow Punch!" Death commanded. Black energy engulfed Dusknoir's fists. With a mighty heave, it pushed all the force it could muster into this one punch. Again, it crashed uselessly on Misty's pink shield of love. Mist counterattacked with another blast of energy. Dusknoir's body was nearly shredded now. It drooped and trembled as it floated above the ground, clearly near death, although not yet knocked out. Finally, Death used the last trick he had. "Dusknoir, Transform." Death said.
Dusknoir morphed into a cloud of shadows, and reconstructed itself to look just like Misty when she was alive. It was still in its current dying state, and this was reflected in how this illusionary Misty looked. The Dusknoir Misty had burns all over her body, and a broken leg. Some of her hair was scorched off, and one of her arms was mangled. She looked just like Misty after the motorcycle crash on the day she died, right down to every rip and tear in her clothing, every burned lock of hair, every bruise, every scar. This was not a coincidence. Death had planned this all along.
The Yamask Misty started to charge up for a final attack. As she did, the Dusknoir Misty looked up at the Yamask Misty and Ash. "You wouldn't really hurt me, would you?" She begged, with tears in her eyes. Yamask Misty looked to Ash. She wasn't sure what to do. Ash was ready to cry. "Stop it! Stop it!" Ash shouted. He walked over and stood between the two Mistys. "You win, Death. I concede. I can't bear to see Misty die again, and know it was my doing, even if it's only an illusion." Ash said. Death laughed. "Then meet your fate." Death said. He raised his scythe and struck Ash right in the heart. Ash fell down, dead. Back in the land of the living, Ash was struck in the head and the heart by police gunfire. He fell over, dead.
Death walked over to Ash's body with a new yamask's bearing Ash's face on it. He was about to affix it to Ash and turn him into a yamask, when, in a flash of light, Balberith appeared in front of Death as a living ball of light. "No, Death. He's mine." Balberith said. "What do you mean he's yours? I have orders from Arceus to…" Balberith cut Death off. "Your orders mean nothing. Begone!" Balberith bellowed. Balberith let out a bright flash of light from his ethereal body. Death was blinded and engulfed in searing pain unimaginable to any human. When he got to his feet, Ash and Yamask Misty were gone. "Damn you, Balberith! Damn you to hell!" Death powerlessly shouted.
~0~
Ash awoke from what felt like an eternity of slumber. He was in a cushioned wicker lawn chair in a sunny, sand place. The air was warm. He wasn't wearing a shirt, but he had on a small and primitive pair of shorts with a gold trim. He had a small golden crown upon his head. He didn't know where he was, but it felt warm and inviting. He looked over to his side, and saw Misty with him. She wore a golden tiara and a pair of sunglasses on her head. Her garments were mostly ornamental, golden accessories meant to accentuate her beauty more than cover her body, which they scarcely did. The two of them sat nearly nude in the sun. "Misty? Misty! Is that really you?" Ash said, almost hysterical. "Yes, Ash, it's me. Ash, are you all right?" Misty said. Ash wrapped his arm around Misty and smiled. "Never better. Never better." He said. He held her close and gave her a long, passionate kiss. "So, Misty, where are we?" He asked, glancing around him. He saw palm trees, vast expanses of desert, armies of slaves toiling away around them, fanning them with palm fronds, carrying giant urns full of water. "Ash, this is Babylon, our new home. Balberith brought us here?" Misty said. "Babylon?" Ash said, confused. "Yeah, Babylon. It's actually part of the underworld now. It was a city so sinful and depraved that God broke it off of the planet and banished it here. Go ask Balberith sometime, he can explain it to you." Misty said.
Ash stretched his arms and stood up. "Come on, Misty, I need to thank Balberith. We wouldn't be here without him." Ash said. "That's a great idea! Yeah, let's go!" Misty said. The two of them walked out of their rich desert villa to Balberith's temple in the sands below. They knew it was Balberith's Temple because there was a huge sign on it saying, "Balberith's Temple" on it. About one dozen slaves were inside, fighting each other to the death over and over for Balberith's amusement as he reanimated them again and again. Balberith's body was not a ball of light like it usually was. Now, he was goat headed humanoid that stood more than twice as tall as an ordinary man.
Balberith greeted his two visitors like they were old friends. "Ash! Misty! So good to see you today! How do you like your new life as Prince and Princess of our new district?" Balberith said. "Oh, it's wonderful! It couldn't be better!" Misty said. "It's great, Balberith, you've made my dream come true! But what's going on here, exactly? What's up with Babylon?" Ash said.
Balberith smiled. "Ash, for every being killed in my name, be it man or pokemon alike, they become a slave to me in the afterlife here in sunny Babylon. You provided me with hundreds of slaves, the people who suffer and toil eternally to make life here great for me and my favorite followers. You died for me, so you were technically my slave, but since you did so much for me, I rewarded you with freedom and power. You earned it." Balberith said.
Balberith walked out from his temple and led Ash and Misty back into their towering estate. He pointed out a window. "Look, there's the Hanging Gardens! Wouldn't you love to take a stroll through the flowers together?" Balberith said. He pointed out another window. "Over there's the Pleasure Temple, where you can make love in whatever romantic atmosphere you could ever want, and have any sex-toy built that you could imagine!" Balberith said. Misty giggled and softly touched Ash's exposed thigh. "I want to go there some time." She whispered. "Look, Ash! Even you're mother's here! She's a house slave, the head maid in your palace! You killed her when a piece of shrapnel went into her head when you fired a rocket into those police cars shortly before you died!" Balberith said, opening a door to Ash's living room. Ash's mom was there, wearing a light robe and a collar and chain around her neck. She was polishing a vase. "Hi, Ash. Hi Misty." Ash's mom said, smiling. For a slave, she was treated exceptionally well, compared to the others. "All of this is possible, Ash, all of this happened because of you." Balberth said.
All of this seemed a little fucked up to Ash, but with all the evil things he did before he died, he was just glad he ended up here and not some kind of hell. "You know, Balbeerith, I don't think this could have turned out any better. Thanks." Ash said. Balberith smiled. "That's all I ever wanted to hear." He said. Ash lifted up Misty in his arms. "Come on, Misty. We have a city to explore. Let's check out those hanging Gardens and then maybe look into that sex temple." Ash said. Misty Giggled. "Ooh, Ash."
Thank you for reading my story.
The end.