Chapter 5: Last Stand

Hell. All around him, hell was risen from it's ice-and-fire depths to clutch at and torment him. Because of the copious and overwhelming level of stimuli around him, he found a part of himself disassociated from his own participation in the events unfolding in Cerulean's central square. Hideous, guttural roars and screeches and the horrified and indignant cries of his own comrades pierced his throbbing head, swollen and aching because of the sheer number of times he'd stumbled and fallen over the fleeing or the dead— Pokemon, human, and monster alike. It had begun to rain at some point, though the peals of thunder and the great hammering drone of the rain did nothing to dull the feverous clamor. Only minutes had elapsed since it began, but every so often he found himself paralyzed with exhaustion and could only slump where he stood, forced to take in the chaos that surrounded him. And it was only when he did that he noticed the demonic laughter that bubbled overhead, in sickening counterpoint with the combat and the rain.

He'd seen fighting before, and not just the etiquette-dictated exhilaration of exhibitions— he'd had his share of brushes with death, fighting this or that terror group. Trainers who counted themselves hardened after years of friendly battles could never understand how staring down the loaded barrel of a gun, or the frothing maw of criminal's Pokemon, could change you. It etched the lines into your forehead just a little deeper, wilted your smile just a little, delayed your laughter a moment longer. Those were conflicts that kept a man up at night, that haunted his dreams, and afflicted his neurology with unhealthy patterns of anxiety and paranoia. And it was all puddles compared with the ocean in which he was now adrift.

He'd had no Pokemon to protect him when the fighting had started, but thankfully he'd found a length of iron or steel bar— probably fallen from the rubble of the exploded barracks as it soared overhead— and had picked it up to wield it as a make-shift broadsword. Already it had saved his life four or five times, broken a few arms and mercilessly crushed a few skulls. Only a moment ago he'd had to run one of the creatures through, and it had bitten at his shoulder as he had closed the distance between them. He stood over it now, panting with the exertion and the shock of the injury. The red that clouded his vision was probably from the blood— either the monster's or his own.

There it was again, that insane laughter. He looked up at the figure belonging to the young man Fanpan, still hovering strangely several hundred feet above them. He knew now that it wasn't really Fanpan, that the young man he'd met back on the farms and whoever this crazed stranger was had nothing in common apart from their appearance. Probably it was Giovanni, having either disguised himself as the young rebel or possessed his body from afar. No human could do what Fanpan now did, anyway. He didn't have time to consider how any of it was possible, because charging for him now was another of the monsters— a lumbering, gargantuan thing that was half human, half Feraligatr (bottom to top, respectively).

Just as the creature was close enough to complete the swipe of it's clawed hand, he rolled away and forward to the right. Coming up, he struck at it's hip with a two-arm'd swing. Howling, it stumbled at the blow and lost it's balance as it failed to control it's momentum. Hibiki didn't miss his chance, turning and lunging at it as it attempted turn and snarl at it's attacker. Just as it's eyes met his, it's jaw lowering to shriek cruelly at him, it's neck snapped against the impact of another two-handed swing of his weapon. It's only protest was a muted grunt, and then it dropped soundlessly.

He had no time to celebrate his small victory, because just as he completed the killing blow something crashed into him on his right and sent him sprawling. The iron bar fell from his hands and the air was crushed from his lungs. As he rolled onto his back, gasping for breath, he saw the fuming mutant Tauros stamping at the ground. It looked like a centaur from the old legends, though lacking in any texture of nobility. Four, hoofed legs and the abdomen of a horse or bull that bore the torso of a man— complete with burly, muscular human arms and a two-horned head. Baying, it thundered toward him, charging to trample him to pulp.

Then a blast of invisible energy from somewhere behind his back roared in his ears and struck the creature full-bodied. Bellowing, it careened away to collide with a ruined building several hundred yards away. A hand gripped Hibiki's arm and lifted him to his feet— Suma, with Al at her side. She gave him a tearful smile, and he did his very best to return it, to thank her for saving his life. Then, for a moment, the two of them studied the battle that surrounded them.

It would be over shortly, and not in their favor. Of the forty or so that had remained, at least ten had tried to flee almost immediately (only to be slain), and fifteen or so more were already murdered with them. Less than twenty of their comrades were left alive, battling furiously beside their Pokemon and another falling almost each minute. Hibiki knew now that fighting on was fruitless, insofar as their purposes were concerned. But he intended to fight on anyway— that some measure of his courage might preserve his dignity into his final moments. And because he'd made a promise, a promise to fight the despair that threatened to crush a young woman's heart.

She was soaked through now, from rain and sweat and maybe even a little blood. He'd found her to be an incredibly difficult person, all heart and fire and difficult to reason or work with. But somehow it pained him to see her so blanched now. So he summoned all the strength he had left and set his face like flint. And as she saw the determination in his eyes, her smile widened in gratitude as tears freely flowed. But they had no time to turn back to the battle. A great force from overhead fell heavily on them, driving them to their knees. And not just the three of them, but every one of their companions as well. It appeared that the fiendish general of this hellish army had had his fill of amusement at last.

Hibiki looked up as the demented figure touched down before him and Suma. "Well, now, that was fun, wasn't it?" he mused, looking from face to face. The forces of the very energies at his control had tattered his thin shirt, and his bare chest heaved with exhilaration. "I must say, though," he added, looking at Hibiki with a discomforting sense of nonchalance, "I'm surprised our mutual friend is taking so long in getting here." He stroked thoughtfully at his chin as his wild and long black hair whipped in the wind, in spite of the rain that drenched it. "I'd have thought a little senseless slaughter would have drawn him out…"

"You did all of this," Hibiki spat, "just to get Ash's attention?"

Surprised, the young man appraised him. "Oh, yes. Tell me, you didn't think all of this was for you, did you? You're a bright and vital young man, Hibiki, but do manage your pride, hm?"

Suma glared. "You're a monster—"

Her words were cut short as Fanpan struck her face with a backhanded swipe. "Be silent, wretched girl."

"Don't touch her!" Hibiki roared.

Fanpan chuckled. "No? My, my, Hibiki, look at you." Then his eyes lit up, and a smiled played his features. "Actually, that's quite an idea, isn't it?" With that same sense of nonchalance, he held out his right hand, gazing adoringly at his palm. The air sizzled around it, pink and blue sparks of electric energy dancing across his arm. Then, with a brilliant flash, a slender blade of translucent pink-blue energy formed there, seeming to emerge from his knuckles. He nodded at Hibiki deferentially, "A sword is an elegant weapon, Hibiki— a relic from another time. Let's see if this gets his attention."

Suddenly he threw his arm overhead and wildly heaved it downward. Hibiki's eyes went wide as he anticipated with gut-crushing terror it's impact on Suma's head. And just as suddenly, a burst of pink energy, seemingly from nowhere, struck at his arcing sword and knocked him back a few paces. A few more blitzed toward him, and he gleefully struck them aside as he danced backward up the stairs. Another flash of pink-white energy as a boy appeared before them, facing the cackling villain. Plain blue jeans, bare feet, and a white t-shirt. A crop of messy, cowlick'd hair. He was perhaps no older than ten or eleven years, and despite his being out of place Hibiki recognized him at once without even seeing his face.

It was Ash, but not the middle-aged man they'd left behind in the caves of Ka. It was the boy who so many decades ago had embarked on his first journey, an image even Hibiki hadn't known— when they'd met, Ash had already been pushing seventeen years. And while it was a shock at first it came as no surprise that, just as it was with Fanpan or Giovanni or whoever it was, this was not really Ash standing before him. It was the child of an unearthly union between human and Pokemon. The force of it's presence was immense, but somehow not sickening in the way Giovanni's was.

Beyond where the boy stood, Fanpan frowned. "You're late."

"I was preoccupied," the boy answered, disinterested with the other's distemper.

"Well, I certainly hope whatever demanded so much of your attention was worth the time," Fanpan jibed with a wave of his arm. "It's quite out of character for you to let innocent lives be so wasted."

"Do not make light of this," Ash scolded, only somewhat stern. "Your mind may be quite warped but you look no less foolish."

"Foolish?" Fanpan snickered. "You send your little ragtag band of wanna-be heroes to 'storm the castle' and die at my feet while you twiddle your thumbs in a cave— and you call me foolish?"

Ash ignored the taunt. "I see you've had to change hosts already," he observed after a silent moment.

Fanpan shrugged, sighing. "Yes, well, apparently the mortal frame doesn't withstand these forces as well as I had hoped."

Ash shook his head. "I'm a little surprised you didn't anticipate that, considering how much time you've poured into the plans that led to all this."

Fanpan guffawed. "And what about you, hypocrite? You stand before me an infant."

Ash sighed, then drew in a deep breath. A steady glow emanated from his body, white-pink like the blasts of energy he had hurled at Fanpan earlier. It increased in intensity until Hibiki had to shut his eyes against it. Then it was suddenly gone, and when Hibiki opened them a new figure stood before him. Ash, or whoever this new person was, still stood with his back to he and Suma. But it was similar to the things Giovanni had made of the citizens of Cerulean— again, without the ghastly aspect.

Human feet supported strong, muscular legs. A long, thick tail sprang from his back, an homage to the one that had belonged to Mewtwo— however, this tail was a pale pink unlike the Pokemon's deep violet. Strong human arms ending in powerful human hands were crossed against his muscled chest, and an almost human head sat squarely atop broad shoulders. There was still a crop of black and spikey hair crowning him, and though Hibiki could not see his face he thought it was quite likely that it was more human in appearance as well. In all, it's flesh was a pale pink, like that of the ancestor Pokemon from which Mewtwo had been born. This new being sizzled with the energy it contained.

Fanpan whistled. "You cut quite the figure. Tell me, why the facade?"

Ash, or Mewtwo?, tsk'd. "You took a Pokemon's power into a human body because the man, Giovanni, was obsessed by power and control— you did it for yourself." That earned him a distasteful grunt from Fanpan. "I cloaked myself with the human boy's image because I wanted to remember a time before either he or Mewtwo suffered at your hand. Perhaps it was just as selfish, but their pain is now my pain after all."

"Which are you, then?" Fanpan demanded, mocking. "The man or the monster I made in a test tube?"

Again, he did not take the bait. "If you're asking whom absorbed whom, then it was Mewtwo who took the man into himself. But I am neither of them, the result of their combination. More Pokemon than human, to be sure, but—"

"Oh, don't prattle at me," Fanpan snarled. "I don't care who or what you are, I care only for the diversion of my amusement before getting on with business— and you've wasted enough of my time with this little charade of a 'resistance'. Now fight me."

Ash shook his head. "I have no intention of indulging you."

Fanpan sighed, and teleported from where he stood to loom over Suma again. Lifting his bladed right arm over her, he prepared for another killing blow. But Ash teleported in turn, standing behind them, and with a precise blast of telekinetic energy slammed Fanpan into the distant sky. And then he too was suddenly in the sky and their battle commenced in earnest. Hibiki was not able to follow it, but could only take in the panorama of the city before him that served as their arena. In a span of seconds they occupied dozens of different places in the sky— Fanpan thrusting his blade into suddenly empty space as, from the distance, Ash peppered an again suddenly empty space with volleys of pink-white energy.

To and fro their battle danced for several minutes, neither able to land a successful strike on the other. At one point, a supremely vehement swipe of Fanpan's violet-pink blade sent an airplane-sized 'v' of energy cutting through the sky. Ash dematerialized the moment it would have made contact, freeing it to cleave the city below with terrible effect. Buildings toppled and the earth shook violently with the blow. Fanpan had little time to gloat over his handiwork, because a similarly scaled orb of pink-white energy careened toward him from behind. He turned to thrust his blade into it, inching back against the impact. Hibiki thought could hear him groan against the strain as it pressed downward, it's glaring light almost blinding him and the others below, and thought it was apparently more powerful than Fanpan had expected. With a shriek of effort he thrust out his left hand and pierced the star-like ball of energy with a laser-bolt of power, and it exploded in effervescent light.

The crowd below screamed benignly against the deafening might of the sound-wave and shut their eyes against it's blinding, scourging gleam. When at last Hibiki was able to see again, the two beings had resumed their combat as it had been before— dusting the sky with their images and peppering the earth below with blasts of energy from blade and open palm. It seemed to go on for hours, but Hibiki thought that not even ten minutes had passed them by. Just when he began to wonder how long they could keep going as they were, Fanpan appeared on stairs before them. With a snap of his fingers, his features twisted in the cruelest smirk, the army of mutant creatures stirred and charged the dozen or so humans cowering before them.

Their attack on the humans would not be completed, as the Ash-Mewtwo hybrid appeared in their midst and halted monsters with a white, psychic barrier. The creatures that came into contact with the barrier recoiled as it shocked them, and the lot of them snarled in contempt. Fanpan cried out in rage. "You can't hold that barrier and stop me from crushing every one of your pathetic little friends with a thought."

Ash sighed, and with a flick of his wrist something snapped in Hibiki's head. It didn't hurt, but it certainly felt awkward. Somehow he was thankful that Ash had just done whatever it was he had done, because a split second later Fanpan was snapping his fingers and shrieking with outrage. "What did you do?" he demanded.

"I wiped the energies inherent to Pokemon-kind from their beings— well, all but Ms. Maki. I sheltered her a little more personally," he answered. "Their physiology will not respond to your psychic assaults any longer. You could say I've sanitized them."

Fanpan growled. "You can't sanitize them from me smashing them with a building!" he squealed. "Or from the claws of my children." He snapped his fingers again and the barrier popped as easily as a balloon. Again, the horde charged the humans before them. With a groan of effort, Ash cried out and swept his hands the length of the ring charging him and the humans he sheltered. And for no reason Hibiki could see, the ranks of the army surrounding him dropped suddenly— dead. Fanpan stomped his feet vainly. "What did you do?" he repeated, with increasing madness.

"While you've trickled away your time," Ash bellowed, psychically and physically, cowing crowd and villain, "learning to harness the powers inherent to Pokemon kind, I've spent two lifetimes closely observing, sifting through the life-force of this world. Ash sought not to master Pokemon for their power, but simply to understand them as fellow, living beings. And Mewtwo," he added, "has done the same with the natural world— embracing it's shape and contour with his very soul."

"Ugh!" Fanpan groaned. "What does that even mean?"

"It means," Ash answered, "that you've been arrogant and shortsighted to assume that the forces belonging to Pokemon's ancestral world are the only forces at work in this one." Fanpan was silent, maybe trying to piece together what that meant for himself. The strangely disassociated part of Hibiki wondered himself at what the Pokemon-human hybrid was talking about. "The reason I took so long in getting here," Ash went on, "is because I was working to harness the forces derivative of their ancestral world. To answer your question: what I did?, was reach into the human parts of your… creations, and separate them from the parts belonging to Pokemon. Because their very lives depended on the mutant and unholy connection between the two, the end result was their death."

"Hmph," Fanpan grunted, crossly amused. "You just butchered over a hundred living things— you're no better than I am."

"They were dead the moment you spawned them," Ash answered.

"And what of us, hm?" Fanpan retorted. "What of me? I'd wager you can't do to me what you've done to them— the moment you reach out for me I'll smother you with every ounce of my power. And then?," he prompted, "then, I'll torture and kill every last human in this world— starting with these pitiful cretins."

Ash shook his head, disdainful. "No, I can't do it to you," he confessed. "Our life forces, both of us, are too great to be so easily deconstructed. But I can take my own in my hands," he amended, "and use it as a weapon."

Fanpan was again silent for a moment. Then he asked, "How?"

"Just like the energy that powers your blade," Ash explained, "or the blasts I throw, I can take up my life-force as a form of energy and fire it like a gun. You'll be unable to deflect it because it is inherently opposite to the power you worship. And as long as it is intact, I can control it's course— you could waste hours dodging and avoiding, eventually you will falter and it will collide with the human part of your being. It will rupture the already sensitive bond between your two halves, and though the impact would kill me, it would kill you, too."

More silence from Fanpan. It seemed to Hibiki that the shield of his arrogance was faltering against what he heard, though he feigned to preserve it. Somehow, though, Hibiki thought the villain sensed the truth of Ash's words. And he didn't know why, hardly understood any of what he was hearing, but he knew them to be true, too. Then Fanpan shifted, and said simply, "Join me."

Beside him, Ash blinked at the suggestion. "What?"

"Join me," Fanpan repeated. "I've spent decades working to master Pokemons' powers because I don't simply want to control the forces of their ancestral world," Fanpan gushed, "I want to go there." Ash seemed shocked by what he heard, and now Hibiki was entirely lost. "Don't you understand? In this world," Fanpan went on, urging, "our connection with the forces that drive Pokemon-life are muted, dulled. While even here we are like gods, could you imagine what we might be capable of on the next plane of reality? Or in the one beyond that?"

Ash crossed his arms, understanding dawning on his face. "Your plan to bend our greater kin to your will," Ash pondered, "it wasn't just to ensure your control over this world. You don't know what you'll find when you get to the next one."

"Actually, it goes a little deeper than that," Fanpan sighed. "Despite my considerable efforts, opening a rift to the next dimension isn't simply a matter of power. For reasons I can't yet understand, a Mew can traverse the barriers between realms unharmed. But at the moment I took it into my being, it's immunity was lost. The result? A toll must be paid for the travel."

Ash's arms uncrossed, in shock. "You'd expend their lives as payment for your… exotic vacation?"

Fanpan tsk'd. "I should have known your vision would be so limited. Look, if it makes you feel any better," Fanpan offered dryly, "join me— I'd wager we can figure out a way up without having to waste a single life."

"You're as psychic as I am," Ash responded. "You know just as well as I do that I could never do what you ask."

"Then by all means," Fanpan retorted, throwing up his hands, "let's resume our little dance with death. But, sooner or later, one or both of us will slip up and one or the other or both will be dead— a monumental waste of everyone's time." Ash didn't stir, and when he was unresponsive, Fanpan demanded, "Well? What'll it be, hm?"

Ash was silent for longer than Hibiki found bearable. As much as Hibiki loathed their position, he knew what Ash— the man— would likely have chosen: he would have thrown his own life to the wind in a moment to lay down the monster that stood before them. But as for Mewtwo… Hibiki didn't know the Pokemon as well as he did the man. Were his two halves locked in bitter argument over their dilemma? Was this third being so estranged from his human counterpart that he would truly consider—

"Very well," Ash said suddenly. Hibiki felt his heart lurch at the words, and Fanpan grinned to hear them. Before anyone could react, Al appeared behind where Fanpan stood upon the stairs leading to the compound's main entrance. Hibiki blinked. Then understanding seized him. Wait!, he cried silently, reaching involuntarily where the Pokemon stood. But Al did not heed him. Hibiki thought he saw a smile form on the Pokemon's face as he considered both Suma and the man who swore to protect her. Then his three-fingered hands were splayed out before his chest, and a thunderous roar of energy opened up some kind of… rift in his chest.

The sound of wind tearing into a hole in the fabric of reality turned Fanpan's head, but it was too late for him to do anything. The Mewtwo-Ash hybrid cast out his hand and, with a burst of telekinetic energy, pushed Fanpan into the opened rift. The moment he disappeared inside it, a flash of purple-white energy blinded them all. And as he struggled against having been yet again blinded, Hibiki realized that where once an Alakazam, a demon, and some kind of inter-dimensional rift had stood… there was now nothing. Giovanni was gone.