PokeWing Z: Dimension Rifters, Episode 75: Super Cherubim Bros
A mega-crossover fic by Dustin Dixon, Caleb McGone, and Rob Volzke
Let's just take care of this banal shorthand disclaimer for the next three episodes. WATCH FIGHT KTHX.
The air was thick around the two Kamoa brothers as Kensuke came to a stop in the center of the garden. Just then, Enma, Danny, and Jack arrived. Ash looked back at them for a second, then looked forward again with a confident smirk.
'I've never seen you this confident, Ash…' Danny thought. 'You really know you're going to win this fight, don't you?'
Ash slowly walked forward, his gaze not leaving Kensuke as he stopped a couple of feet in front of him. As they stared each other down, Kensuke spoke up again.
"So you really think you're going to defeat me, Asheron?" he laughed.
"Nope. Don't care about beating you. "Ash countered, as his smirk spread into a toothy, cocky grin. "I'm gonna KILL you."
(Title) Super Cherubim Bros
(Jingle) The first ten seconds of "Gohan Angers" from the Faulconer Team's Dragon Ball Z soundtrack.
"How ironic… we're going to fight in Dad's very last creation." Kensuke chuckled. "Not only did I never think I'd see you again, but… I didn't think I'd be fighting you again… clearly, things didn't work AT ALL like I thought they wo—" he was cut off as Ash spoke up again.
"My GOD you're a wordy bastard. Did you BORE the Unmaker to sleep?" Ash sighed. "Just shut the hell up and fight me." A pause, then Ash's eyes widened as he sensed a nearby energy. Turning to Enma real quick, he spoke up again. "Enma… why the FUCK did you bring my girlfriend to Makai?!"
"Figured your inspiration should see you win your big fight." Enma grinned. "After all, sitting here and sizing up your energy now… there's NO way you can lose to him."
"Is that so?" Kensuke frowned. "LET'S FIND OUT!" he shouted, throwing a mighty punch at Ash, who simply leaned back with a smirk.
"Swatting the air, Ken?" Ash laughed, as he leaned forward again and headbutted Kensuke in record speed. The final battle had begun…
"Feels like Ash and Kensuke have started fighting…" Riku said, his voice barely above a whisper as he, Janine, Jenny, and Jazz stood around the grief-stricken Wayne.
"I'd better get going." Jazz nodded, turning to Wayne. "Will you be okay…?"
"Save your pity." Wayne whispered, clenching his fists as he gritted his teeth. "Just go."
"…I'm sorry." Jazz whispered back, before her wings sprouted and she flew up the now-demolished stairwell.
"Why… don't we leave this to them?" Janine spoke up. "We'll take a trip somewhere far away from all of this Spirit Detective and Warriors of God bullshit."
"Somewhere like El'her?" Wayne frowned. "No thanks. I don't want to be reminded of what I lost anymore. If you want to go, go right ahead… I'm not going anywhere."
"You think you're the only one hurting from this, don't you?" Janine scowled. "You selfish bastard… Zenki was—"
"Absent from your life since the year he took us in!" Wayne countered angrily. "You don't have a right to say ANYTHING about him!"
"Wayne, if he was telling the truth, HE'S the reason our lives went to hell!" Janine nearly shouted.
"He was." Came Kitrala's voice as she walked up behind the four of them.
"Kitrala…" Janine whispered.
"Zenki did indeed kill your parents." She admitted. "This whole fight… he wanted to make amends for what he'd done. He specifically intended to fight Wayne and lose his life in this battle. I tried to reason with him, but…" she shook her head. Starting to speak up again, she shook her head once more. "He blamed himself for everything that happened to El'her that night… and for Cassion's death."
"But he KILLED Cassion. He admitted to it." Wayne spoke up. "I know the truth… I know that Cassion was his son."
"Our son… our only son. I became barren after giving birth to him." Kitrala explained. "But that… was a lifetime ago. It's useless now to reminisce about the past when the future is right before our eyes."
"I just killed your husband… the person who raised me from boyhood." Wayne sighed. "I figured you'd be a little angrier."
"Anger is useless. This is what he wanted. I can't be angry or upset with the outcome if he wanted this." Kitrala laughed.
"Save your breath…" Wayne said, his voice barely audible to the four people standing there with him. "Nothing you say or do will ever make this go away…" A pause, as he stood up. "Everything in my life has been meaningless…"
The energy spiking from the two brothers encompassed nearly the entire garden as they kept staring each other down, each trying to intimidate the other. When this failed, they returned to trading blows back and forth. Just then, Jazz entered through the doors, staring at the battle unfolding before her eyes in awe.
"YEAH! GO ASH!" Danny cheered, as Ash landed a perfect double hand axe to the back of Kensuke's head, following it with a knee to Kensuke's gut. This time, Kensuke felt it, as well as the air forcibly leaving his lungs as he struggled to breathe, stumbling back.
"Do we really have to go any further with this fight?" Enma asked. "Ash is far beyond your level now, Kensuke."
"Is he really?" Kensuke smirked, vanishing after he had caught his breath. He reappeared on the far end of the garden, cupping his hands together at his side. "LET'S FIND OUT."
"So that's how you wanna play?" Ash returned his brother's smirk. "Alright, GAME ON ASSHOLE." He mimicked his brother's action.
"KAAA…" they both chanted in sync. "MEEE… HAAA… MEEE…"
"HIT THE DECK!" Enma shouted, and the four spectators quickly dropped to the floor as the two brothers finished.
"HAAA-!" the two massive beams fired, meeting perfectly in the middle, creating a dome of destructive energy.
"This reminds me of our battle at the Kamoa Paradise!" Kensuke laughed. "And just like then…!"
"Yeah?" Ash grinned, suddenly exerting more energy into his Kamehameha and nearly knocking Kensuke over the edge of the garden as it faded. "Refresh my memory… did THAT happen when we fought at the Kamoa Paradise?!"
"It did not." Kensuke surprised Ash by returning his grin. "I have to admit… you REALLY improved in a mere hour. I'm curious to know how your energy isn't going nuts at this point."
"The Life Stone was inside of him." Enma spoke up.
"Life… Stone?" Kensuke looked confused.
"The fifth Spirit Stone." Ash smirked. "It was the culprit behind my power going nuts. Without it in my body, I can reach my maximum energy output."
"Hmm… no longer hindered. That and you've learned the Kamehameha simply by watching ME do it… it took me ten years to learn that…" Kensuke's smirk turned into a frown. "I worked for it, and you simply rode my coattails."
"Oh stop whining!" Ash griped. "You do realize I was actually WORKING for this strength, right? And no, I DIDN'T just learn it from watching you. I practiced it for the last three months before FINALLY getting it right!" he pointed a finger at Kensuke. "You can go on and on about me riding your coattails, but the fact is I've been training nearly every day since I sobered up."
"Oh, that reminds me…" Kensuke said, reaching into a crease in his breastplate and grabbing a flask. "Care for a drink?" he taunted. Not even a second later, the flask had shattered due to Ash blasting it with a Spirit Gun. Ash grinned upon seeing the shocked expression on his brother's face, and when Kensuke had glanced down at the broken flask, that was all the time he needed to close the distance between them with a powerful punch to the older Kamoa's jaw. As Kensuke stumbled back, Ash followed with a kick to his gut. As Kensuke dropped to his knees, Ash elbowed him in the back of the head, causing him to drop to the floor. Before Kensuke could recover, Ash grabbed several locks of his hair and pulled him back to his knees.
"Already out of steam, old man?" Ash smirked. "I've only just begun." He kneed Kensuke several times in the gut, then slammed his head into the ground as violently as he could. "I told you I was going to pay you back for Nalia."
"That's not going to happen. Not here or ever, Asheron." Kensuke coughed, spitting up more blood.
"Funny… I'm not the one bleeding internally right now." Ash smirked.
"YET." Kensuke corrected with his own smirk, vanishing and punching Ash in the face. As Ash recovered easily, his smirk widened. He drew his broadsword and slashed, but Ash was ready for him, materializing the Rift sword and hitting the giant weapon dead center, surprising everyone present as it slashed cleanly through the middle, causing the blade to split off and bury itself in the ground with a deafening thud. Kensuke allowed a single moment to react with a comically-wide-eyed stare as the blade sunk into the ground with a loud thud.
"Well, that's that for your sword." Ash grinned. "Now, let's work on an arm… or maybe a l—" he was cut off as Kensuke dropped his former sword and a new, much smaller sword materialized in his left hand. Without hesitating, he slashed Ash across the chest, causing the younger Kamoa to grunt as his eyes widened. As Ash stumbled back, Kensuke smirked once more.
"ASH!" Jazz shouted.
"I'm sorry, you were saying something about my sword?" Kensuke laughed.
"He can materialize a sword too?" Danny looked stunned. "Is he like Riku?"
"No… that's a legendary sword…" Enma said, eyes wide. "The Sword of Kings!"
"Exactly. THIS is why I named my group the Warriors of God… because this sword descended to me from the heavens in the middle of the final battle 57 years ago. Our victory was brought about partially by divine intervention, so…" Kensuke grinned wickedly.
"That was NOT divine intervention, Kensuke…" Enma nearly whispered, a hint of mystery to him as he stared on at his former protégé.
"So you think God gave you the ability to smite your enemies?" Ash spoke up. "That's some ridiculous shit even by ENMA'S standards."
"HEY." Enma glanced in annoyance at Ash.
"I suppose you're going to throw fate in my face?" Ash frowned. "That you're fated to win this battle and go on to wipe out Amity Park and destroy the Unmaker?"
"Nope." Kensuke shrugged. "I just REALLY want to do both… especially in light of certain things said after our last battle."
"Boo hoo." Enma frowned. "If you didn't kill Ash, Delia might not have disowned you." He glared at the older Kamoa. "You've brought everything on yourself… just like years ago. Hey Ash." He turned to the young man. "Sardius built a time machine for Kensuke too, but this idiot broke it on purpose."
"Is that a fact?" Ash smirked. "So all that shit about me thriving while you suffered was just that… shit."
"…" Kensuke snarled.
"You could have joined me and Mom in the future, but your head was way too far up your own ass. You've been consumed with revenge for decades… hey, I get it." Ash shrugged. "It's not like I don't entirely sympathize, and if the time for me to officially meet the Unmaker ever comes, I'll be giving him one for Dad and the Empire as well, but… you could have had a happy life. You married Botan. You could've just settled down with her… but all you've done is let the Unmaker control your life… regardless of that tiny fragment of his soul within you."
"You talk too much." Kensuke frowned, readying his sword again. "I prefer it when you bleed instead. Let's go back to that." He swung his sword at Ash, who parried it with the Rift sword easily.
"You don't get it, do you? I'm just THAT good." Ash smirked.
"Mom certainly didn't teach you humility, did she?" Kensuke looked at his younger brother, head cocked slightly to the left.
"It's been awfully quiet around here recently…" Minamo "Nyamo" Kurosawa spoke up to Ratty. "What's going on? Hasn't Enma returned from Amity Park yet?"
"The fuck should I know?" Ratty griped. "DAYUMN, 300 channels SUPPOSEDLY tuned to the bitch's watch and I can't get a fix on him!"
"Maybe try Ash's watch?" Nyamo suggested. "I mean…"
"Yeah, tried that… all I got was static there too!" Ratty grumbled. "HEY! BOTAN! GET THAT FINE GRIM REAPER ASS IN HERE!"
"Ratty…" Botan mumbled, walking in. "I swear to god, one more word about my ass and my oar will be permanently situated in YOUR ass!"
"Bitch, this ain't no time for games! I can't get ahold of Enma or Ash! You need'ta get to Amity Park and take care of shit there in case it hit the fan!"
"Games…?" Botan looked creeped out. "Oh god, you just went there, didn't you?"
"Don't pay mind to where I went with that, just get'cho ass to Amity Park!" Ratty ordered. "Enma left me in charge again, so you best be doin' it!"
"When did he think that leaving you in charge would be a good idea?!" Botan shook her head, mounting her oar as she took off through the front doors of Spirit World's grand palace.
"I think I've been holding back too much for too long." Kensuke laughed, as his energy spiked once more. "I think it's time to come at you FULL FORCE!"
"Couldn't agree more!" Ash grinned. "Let's do this!"
"Then why don't we just drop all pretenses?!" Kensuke shouted, and in that moment, it began… the four spectators present stared in a combination of awe and horror as Kensuke leapt into the air, trying to land a kick on Ash, who responded by grabbing his leg and swinging him at top speed toward the edge of the garden. Before Kensuke could regain his bearings, Ash ran alongside of him, stopping when he out maneuvered his brother and sending him into the air with a mighty kick to his back. As Kensuke rocketed into the air, Ash's wings spread and he followed suit, sending the older Kamoa careening back to ground level with a powerful double hand axe. He then dove down at top speed, smashing his feet into Kensuke's gut with a horrifying cracking sound. The older Kamoa went wide-eyed, vomiting blood. He vanished from under Ash, appearing beside the young man and sending him flying with a wordless Spirit Gun. His wings spreading, he took off after Ash like a rocket, sending him flying up into the air with a kick, much like Ash had done to him beforehand. As Ash started to recover, Kensuke unleashed a furious volley of punches and kicks to his younger brother's chest and gut, causing his eyes to widen considerably. The four present stared on.
"I can't even follow it!" Jack commented. He turned to Danny and mumbled sheepishly. "Who's winning, again?"
"I… DON'T KNOW." Danny gasped. "They appear to be at equal strength!"
"Do they?" Enma asked. "Kensuke gained that burst of energy out of nowhere… I'm thinking he actually DOES have more than an even chance of winning, which means I may need to step in like I originally planned."
"Enough with this mystery crap!" Jazz spoke up. "Does Ash stand a chance or not?!"
"Let's see… I won't let it come to his death again… not THIS TIME."
Ash recovered from Kensuke's assault and sent him flying with a well-timed Shotgun. As Kensuke flew back, Ash vanished, reappearing behind him and grabbing him in a full nelson. He took off into the air and then dove back down at enough speed to shatter the sound barrier, a sonic boom sounding out as he dropped Kensuke mercilessly to the ground, dirt and grass flying up from the impact the older Kamoa made. As Kensuke recovered slowly, getting up to face his brother, he saw that Ash had since transformed into his Kamoa Cherubim form, and now stood several feet away, a big grin on his face as he glanced toward the older man.
"So… still think you stand any sort of chance against me?" Ash smirked as he walked over to Kensuke and gripped him viciously by the throat. "Answer quickly. I might just, y'know, accidentally crush your windpipe while waiting for you to gurgle a response…" his smirk turned into a look of surprise, however, as Kensuke kicked him in the stomach, forcing him to let go.
"You really ARE giving it your all... I'm amazed you've been able to do this much damage to me. But playtime has sadly come to an end." Kensuke laughed, looking up into the air, grinning psychotically as he glanced down at Ash again. "Now that I've seen the absolute peak of your powers, I know without a doubt that you stand no chance against me!" A pause. "Has Dad been watching me for the past 50 years?"
"No. He's been inside of me." Ash explained. "What are you getting at?"
"Then if… say… I hit some sort of milestone achievement, he wouldn't have a clue about it, would he?" Kensuke spoke up once more.
"No… seriously, what are you getting at?" Ash asked.
"I'm just getting at this…" Kensuke smirked, as he balled his hands into fists, bending his arms as he spread them equally apart from his midsection.
"OH GOD." Enma said, wide-eyed.
"Wait… what?" Jack asked. "Someone explain what's going on! I'm confused!"
"He's…" Enma started.
"WHOA." Yusuke's head jerked up, causing the others in attendance at the observatory to turn toward him.
"What is it?" Ayumu asked.
"It just felt like death stepped on my grave… in a hundred-mile radius!" Just then, Botan flew into the room through the gaping hole left by Zenki's rebounded Phoenix Flare. "...Oh wait, there she is."
"Hilarious." Botan quipped, her eyes comically narrow. "But I'm guessing you felt THAT, right?"
"That YOUR old man?" Yusuke asked.
"Without a DOUBT."
"…" Kensuke smirked as he stood there for a few seconds, unmoving… and then, a giant surge of energy exploded forth from him… he let out an insane, shrill cackle as his wings spread and a cloud of dust kicked up from the ground. Enma stared on in absolute horror.
"It… can't be…" he stammered. "He learned to do THAT?!"
"Do WHAT?" Jack asked.
"You're about to find out…" Enma alluded mysteriously, as the four of them were actually physically pushed back by the energy now being exerted from Kensuke, who continued to laugh maniacally as the aura changed from a pale blue to a bright golden color.
"No…!" Ash's eyes widened tremendously as he noted the sinking feeling in the pit of his stomach, wanting to avert his eyes but finding himself unable to do so out of a mix of horror and strange curiosity. After what seemed like an eternity, the energy began to calm once more… and as the dust cleared, Ash got his first look at what Kensuke had done… now his brother stood before him, much the same as before, with one notable difference… his hair was now the same blonde color as Ash's. Kensuke had transformed into a Kamoa Cherubim.
"This is the first time I've ever needed to use this ever since I learned how to transform ten years ago." He grinned maliciously as he stared his younger brother down. "I never knew this when I fought the Unmaker, so of course Dad couldn't have known I managed to achieve the pinnacle of our race… and ten years before YOU did." Kensuke walked forward, taking note of Ash's horrified expression. "That look on your face says it all, Asheron. You've got nothing left to fight me with… and based on your OWN expression, Enma…" he turned to the lord of Spirit World. "NEITHER DO YOU. Now what was that you said earlier about how I should just give up because Asheron outmatched me?" A pause, as he awaited a response from Enma. When none came, he spoke up again. "Yeah, didn't think you had a rebuttal for that. I may be the only one left of my group, but I'm worth ALL of them combined!"
"We'll… see about that!" Ash growled, firing a Spirit Gun… or he would have, had it not been for Kensuke closing the distance between them immediately and headbutting him viciously. As Ash recoiled in severe pain, Kensuke spoke up again.
"Not very pleasant when it happens to you, now is it? I, however… find it HILARIOUS." He repeated the headbutt, and as Ash recoiled once more, he spoke up yet again. "Oh, I could do this all day!" Ash backed away slowly, but was surprised as he bumped up against his older brother. "Going somewhere, Asheron?"
"Just…" Ash started, but was met with a painful kick to his spine by Kensuke.
"Never mind, I'll answer it for you… you're going straight to Hell… along with all of your other friends here whose names I can't be bothered to remember."
"Uh, my name's D—" Danny started, but was cut off as Kensuke spoke up again.
"I don't give a shit. Soon all of you will have the same name… ROTTING CORPSE." Kensuke grinned psychotically as he advanced upon Ash once more…