Atonement
Storm clouds had begun to form all around the world as the duel to decide the fate of the Earth took an unexpected turn. The Nightmare, having become the Ultimate Shadow Pokemon, had made a deadly surprise attack and struck down Latias.
At the Ketchum household, Delia Ketchum, along with Professor Oak and Mimey and all of Ash's Pokemon, witnessed the barbaric slaying on global television. "This is truly tragic. I'm sorry to say that it would seem that this battle has claimed its first casualty. The Trainer in particular seems to be taking it especially hard." Delia burst into tears that she had lost her future daughter-in-law even before her son had gotten married. Professor Oak attempted to comfort her, but to little avail.
In Altomare, Bianca screamed, "NO! Latias, don't die!" Her grandpa restrained her from shaking the TV, "Bianca, there's nothing you can do, so don't take it out on the television." Lorenzo was also in tears. Bianca stared at the screen again, but dropped to her knees, "Why...why did it have to be her...?"
At Ever Grande City, Amber and Onyx had a terrible foreboding as the sky turned cloudy. "Mommy..." Max looked up, "What's wrong?" Amber then screamed, "Mommy's hurt! We've gotta help her!" Brock tried his best to hold on to the children, but he let go with a yelp when Onyx bit his hand. "No! Your Dad said to stay with us! Get back here!" Onyx shouted, "Sorry, but we don't want to lose Mommy!" Despite the pleas of their friends, Amber and Onyx flew off in search of the stadium.
"No...you can't die...Mewtwo! Latios! I need your help! If we don't combine strength, we're gonna lose her!" Neo's brothers did as they were told and rested their hands on the wound in Latias's chest. In unison, they used Recover, trying to overcome the toxic Shadow energy that still lingered. "We won't let you die. I swear it."
The Nightmare, still a tad sore from the supercharged Big Bang attack, staggered out of the dust cloud. "Oh, what's wrong, Chosen One? Don't be all THAT upset. You'll be joining her before long!" The Nightmare gloated over his semi accidental murder of Latias. However, Ash, who still had not moved, could feel his mind becoming increasingly unstable.
"So Ash, where do you think we should have the wedding?" Latias asked as the two of them glided through the canals of Altomare in a classic gondola. Ash smiled, "Well, I was thinking of having it here." "OK, but where exactly?" Ash gave her a funny look, as if he was surprised that she had not guessed yet. "Where else? The first place you showed me your true form." Latias was taken aback at the thought of holding their wedding in a place that so very few humans knew about, but Ash comforted her, "I know what you're thinking, and I've got it all figured out."
Latias was surprised that Ash would plan so far ahead when he was a somewhat impulsive boy. "We'll make all our guests vow to never reveal the location of the garden to ANYONE. If they do, I'll sic Neo on 'em!" Latias giggled, knowing that Neo would never refuse an order from Ash. "How many guests will come?" Ash thought for a minute, "I dunno. Enough, I guess."
Latias sighed as she felt the warm rays of the sun radiate over them, almost like a testament of this golden moment. "Maybe we could spend the honeymoon somewhere special. Uh...Latias?" Ash noticed that Latias was just staring off into space. "And what...about children?" Ash blushed at that remark, being only twelve years old, as he was far too young by human standards to have children.
"Latias...what...?" She gazed into his eyes lovingly while a deep blush on her face. "I've never told anyone this, but every night after you left, I would masturbate while imagining that it was you and not a simple bump on a tree branch. I could imagine you filling me with your seed as you impregnated me. I've always wanted just that. To bear your children." She then ran her claws over her belly. "The very thought...of me being impregnated by you...fills me with such joy. Feeling your children growing within me as my belly swells with life...it's so beautiful...I can't even begin to describe it..." Latias had small tears flowing down her face as she imagined being pregnant with her lover's children.
Ash surprised Latias by joining lips with her. Short as it was, it was enough to wreck her train of thought. When they broke the kiss, Ash whispered, "We'll have as many kids as you want. I don't think I'm ready to be a dad just yet, but I will someday. I promise. I promise to be a great dad, and the best husband I can be to you." Latias closed her eyes and embraced the boy she had sworn to marry someday. Ash whispered, "That's a promise..."
As he played that promise back in his head over and over, Ash felt tears falling from his face. "But I failed to keep it.....I promised to be the best husband I could be to you...and I betrayed you..." Ash dropped to his knees as he gripped his head. The memories of Latias and his devotion to her, as well as his promise to wed her, began to crack in his mind.
"I could have destroyed the Nightmare for good, but I choked. Now you're gone...I killed..." Ash could feel his mind on the verge of insanity. "I'm no Chosen One.....I'm no hero...I'm a fraud! I'm a failure!!!" Ash grieved and screamed in turmoil, but then, he quietly whispered, "I shouldn't even be alive..."
At that moment, Ash's consciousness completely shattered. All his dreams, his hopes, his vows. They were all broken by his failure. As the mind of the Chosen One crumbled, the three orbs in his mind appeared once more. The white orb in the middle and the golden orb began to dim as the blood red orb began to pulse with malevolence. Soon, it totally eclipsed them both. At that instant, the mind of Ash Ketchum was replaced with a vile lust for vengeance and hatred of himself. Only one thing mattered to him now. The total obliteration of the Nightmare, and himself.
The Nightmare laughed, "What's wrong? Are you not feeling well? Perhaps I should end this now?" However, when Ash slowly turned to face him, the Nightmare froze at the sight of bloodlust and malice in Ash's eyes that exceeded even his own! Neo then felt an unholy power fill the area and turned his head to see a black aura beginning to engulf Ash! His hair was becoming a fiery hue and his eyes became blank with reddish overtones near the edges. "What's going on? His aura should be dark blue and blood red." Suddenly, Ash sprinted at the Nightmare, determined to end it all!
"Ash, no! You know you can't kill him in that state!" Ash paid no attention whatsoever as he was hellbent on erasing the demon who had murdered his lover. "You really should listen to the wisdom of the Ultimate Bioweapon. I won't need Shadow type attacks to kill you. It's time we end this!" The Nightmare waved his arm to erect pillars of rock in an attempt to catch Ash in a Rock Tomb, but Ash wasn't going to allow anything to get in his way. Whatever he couldn't dodge, he plowed right through.
Bayleef was sick with worry that Ash would be killed like he almost was the last time. "Why doesn't he ascend into his ultimate state?! Can he not focus hard enough?!" Mewtwo replied, "I think it's because he CAN'T reach it! His strongest state is a perfect balance of light and darkness. Right now, his negative emotions are so fierce; most of the light in him is being suppressed. The light and darkness within him is out of balance! He can't possibly reach his strongest form!"
The Nightmare finally had enough of trying to catch Ash with rocks and summoned his sword. "If I can't crush you, I'll just cut you to pieces!" With a swing of his sword, he aimed for Ash's face, but Ash delivered a quick kick to the side of the blade, sending it out of his hands! Ash then seemed to strike him with a punch, but bits and pieces of the Nightmare's face fell off!
"Wha...what was that?" The Nightmare looked at Ash's hands and saw dark energy had formed at the tips, creating what seemed to be claws on his fingertips! "Hmph. So the hero has become a beast, has he? Then let the hunt begin!" The Nightmare then blasted Ash point blank with a Psycho Boost! The deadly psychic forces left Ash stunned for a moment, during which the Nightmare blew him away with a Razor Wind! Ash steadily climbed to his feet, cuts and scratches covering his body and his clothes in tatters.
With a roar of fury, Ash charged again. "Don't you have anything to say? So be it." With Extremespeed, the Nightmare caught up to Ash in a flash and ran his hand right into his belly! A shockwave shook him to the core as he felt his body go a little numb. "That was Force Palm. Feeling a little stiff? Let me fix that!" The Nightmare then slammed both palms into the sides of Ash's head with Smellingsalt! Ash screamed in pain as he collapsed to his knees as the numbness left him.
As Ash looked up at the Nightmare with nothing more than hatred in his empty eyes, the demon smirked. "Still haven't had enough?" With a Blaze Kick, Ash was sent to the far side of the stadium, but as soon as he landed, he dashed at the Nightmare again! "Not this time!" The Nightmare fired another laser like Shadow Blast at Ash's head, but he evaded it without even stopping! Before the Nightmare could react, Ash sent his darkness infused fist into his face!
A moment passed as the world waited to see what would happen next as Ash left his fist implanted in the Nightmare's face. However, he started to chuckle. "You fool. If you think you can triumph over me with just brute force and speed, you're only lying to yourself." Ash just then noticed that it felt as if he had just struck a block of iron! Just before impact, the Nightmare had hardened his skin with Iron Defense! Out of frustration, Ash began to pummel him with a barrage of punches. However, it sounded like he was hammering away at a metal wall.
"I've had enough of this. I'm also a little hungry." Suddenly, the Nightmare nudged over and sank his teeth into Ash's neck! Bayleef screamed as Ash froze with pain while the Nightmare chuckled. After a moment, the Nightmare pulled his jaws out of Ash's neck, a strange purple liquid dripping from his fangs, which seemed to vanish. After licking his lips, the Nightmare asked, "So, did my little Poison Fang treatment loosen you up?" At that moment, Ash began to convulse as the deadly toxins of the Poison Fang attack took affect. "Yes. The venom delivered with Poison Fang is a step above other Poison type attacks. Isn't it a lovely gift?" Ash gasped for breath as the toxins spread to his lungs. At that moment, the sky began to pour rain, as if the Earth itself could feel Ash's pain.
"Even beasts know when to give up. Perhaps it's time we end this." With that, the Nightmare summoned vines from under his wrists and grabbed Ash by the ankles with Vine Whip! He then began slamming him all over the stadium, into the ground and the walls! After that, he tossed Ash skyward. However, the poison was at full effect, leaving Ash too weak to do anything. "I'LL BREAK YOU!" The Nightmare pointed directly at Ash as rain fell from the storm clouds. In a flash, a deadly Thunder strike hit Ash dead on! He screamed as he was electrocuted by the potent Electric attack.
"Looks like he's well done. Now for the finish." Ash was falling right towards the Nightmare and was too weak to stop his fall. The Nightmare then pointed his right arm straight up and seemed to form a drill with it. As Bayleef screamed for Ash to pull himself together, there was a sickening sound as Ash was impaled on the Nightmare's Horn Drill. This proved to be too much for both Bayleef and Ash's mother. They promptly fainted at the sight of the child. Neo, Latios and Mewtwo tried to ignore the carnage, focusing on healing Latias, if she was even still alive.
The Nightmare threw Ash off his arm, but Ash surprised everyone by breaking his fall. "I was so sure I severed your spine." Despite the poison still flowing through his veins and the hole in his abdomen, Ash made a break for the Nightmare with a sword of darkness in hand. With a roar, he swung at his head, but missed due to his blurred vision from the poison. By this time, the Nightmare was completely fed up with Ash's resistance.
"Let's see if you can get back up after 50 Twinneedle strikes!" Using just the index and middle fingers on each hand, the Nightmare began landing precision strikes to many of Ash's internal organs. The tips were also delivering small amounts of poison with each poke, adding to the already fatal amount flowing through Ash's body. The strikes were being unleashed too quickly for Ash to break away, and after unleashing 50 Twinneedle strikes, 100 in all, the Nightmare sent Ash flying backwards with a Poison Jab to the face! After rolling head over heels, Ash came to a stop. This time, he was having great difficulty getting up.
"Heh. You must enjoy pain. Tell me, Chosen One. Why do you insist on fighting me when you obviously can't kill me?" It took a moment, but Ash finally got to his feet, the rain soaking the ground with his blood. In a demonic tone, he replied, "You...you took everything away from me...Kill you? Forget it...I'm gonna...send you to Hell..." Ash then looked up at the Nightmare, but his eyes were now not much more than brightly shining red flames! "All I want now...is to see you DIE!"
Ash suddenly gripped his head in pain, and suddenly, he looked at the sky and screamed, a wave of black energy sweeping over the area as a pillar of darkness shot up to the sky from him! To the horror of the people of the world, the pillar of darkness began to expand and spread across the sky as it eclipsed the entire planet! Soon, the Earth looked like a black orb in the void of space. On the surface, nothing could be seen as even artificial light sources couldn't be seen.
The Nightmare looked around in confusion as he couldn't even see his hands in front of his face. "What kind of diversion is this?! Where are you, Chosen One?!" Suddenly, he heard a sound directly ahead of him. "Hmmmm? Who's there?" After focusing his vision, the Nightmare staggered back at what he could only barely make out. Just ahead of him was what seemed to be some sort of beast from the depths of Hell. Its eyes glowed as red lights and it was down on all fours. Its body blended in with the darkness perfectly as it was completely black. The only thing that could really be seen was the dark fog billowing off its body. Even then it was extremely difficult to see.
"No...you can't possibly be..." The demon roared in a way that sent chills down the spines of everyone who heard it, even the Nightmare. Suddenly, it was gone. However, it made its presence known again when it cleaved a solid chunk right out of the Nightmare's chest! While it could be seen when stationary, this monster was impossible to see when moving. What was more, the Nightmare yelled in agony as something felt like it was burning his internal organs! With the Nightmare off balance, the demon made its move. A dimensional portal opened above and the demon soared up into it with the Nightmare's arm in its jaws.
"No...what is this?!" The Nightmare was able to see again, but he didn't like what he saw. The world around him was constantly shifting matter and antimatter. There was no form. Only never ending destruction. With a swing of its head, the demon threw the Nightmare down into the swirling antimatter. Try as he might, the Nightmare couldn't levitate with psychic power. As he looked up at the black form of the demon, he saw a human form concealed beneath the dark shade. "You...I swear this is not over, Chosen One! Someday, I will escape from here and believe me; I will hunt you down and...!"
As soon as the Nightmare came in contact with the antimatter, there were enormous dimensional distortions as he screamed in agony as his body was blown to pieces, but his ability to regenerate prevented him from dying as he was constantly scathed by the ever present antimatter. However, the surging concussions blew Ash right back out of the portal, after which it closed, sealing the Nightmare away, until his body would finally be destroyed after one thousand years of torment.
As he fell towards the stadium, Ash could feel the dark aura vanish as the blackness began to recede, allowing light back into the world. However, he was completely spent from his wounds and the poison and could not save himself from the fall. But he didn't mind. Before he lost consciousness, he whispered, "Latias...I'll be seeing you soon..."
"No...don't die...don't die..." "Wake up...wake up, Daddy..." "Don't go away, Daddy...please don't go..." At the sound of familiar voices, Ash slowly opened his eyes and found himself surrounded by his closest friends and family. "Don't tell me...we all died...?" Bayleef, still in tears, replied, "No. you're still alive. Dear little Amber and Onyx saved you from that fall. Mewtwo healed that wound in your body while I used Aromatherapy to remove the poison. You're going to be all right." Ash could feel Amber and Onyx clutching at his face as they cried. He gently stroked their feathers to comfort them. Still, he was disappointed that he was still alive.
"Neo...I want you to do something for me..." Neo knelt down beside his master, "What is it?" Ash looked at him with a tired stare, "I want you to kill me. I want to join Latias...please..." Neo looked disappointed for a moment, but then he chuckled, "If I were to do that, I would have to kill Latias too." Ash looked puzzled, "Wha...? What do you mean by that?" Neo gave him a weird look and pointed, "Just look at who's laying on your chest."
With some difficulty, Ash managed to raise his head and look ahead. What he saw left him speechless. Lying on his chest, while sobbing heavily, was Latias. After a moment of awkward silence, Ash spoke, "Latias?" She then looked up at him and, without saying a word, embraced him.
Ash looked at Neo as if he was going to cry. Neo knew what he was going to ask and said, "I'll admit it was bad. She came extremely close to death. It took me, Mewtwo, and Latios to overcome the poison of the Shadow energy and heal her." Ash then had a look on his face that showed the deepest gratitude Neo had ever seen.
Ash tried to get up, but fell right back down. "Heh, looks like you win, Neo." The bioweapon asked, "Win? Win what?" Ash gave him a funny look, "The championship. Remember the rules? Whoever is unable to continue fighting first is disqualified. I can't even sit up, so that means I can't keep going." Neo objected, "But...but you're the stronger of us. You should have won..." Ash shook his head, "No. I'm pretty sure that if we kept going without any problems, it would've been a draw. I might be stronger and faster than you, but you're almost indestructible and can adapt to any situation. And what's more, you never get tired. You'll always outlast me in endurance, Neo. That's why we're equals."
Neo signaled the referee over, who had been hiding in the bunker where the news crew was. "Sorry, but it looks like Ash can't keep going." The referee gave a sigh of relief that the crazy fighting was over. Into the microphone, he spoke, "Since Ash Ketchum can't continue, the winner by default is...um..." The referee asked Neo, "Is your name Axl or Neo?" Neo suppressed a laugh and replied, "It's Neo Ketchum." The referee ended with, "Is Neo Ketchum!" Audience around the world burst into applause as the new champion was announced.
Ash breathed a sigh of relief that the fighting was over, but as his hand brushed his pocket, he felt a lump. Remembering what Neo gave him, he looked up at him, only to see him give a look that said, "Now is the time."
Ash managed to grab the object in his pocket. "Latias?" His lover looked at him, "Yes, dear?" Ash then slipped the object out of his pocket and said, "Before anything else happens..." He then held up a jewelry box and asked while opening it to her, "Will you marry me?"
Everyone in the stadium, as well as everyone who was watching the event on live television, was silent at the sight of Ash proposing to Latias. As she looked at the gold bracelet's sapphire, tears began to fall from her eyes. "I thought.....you would never ask..." Latias leaned forward and embraced her love.
Across the world, cheers and joyful weeping filled the air as Latias gave her answer. "Yes."Chapter End Notes:See? Why would I let Latias die? ;
At the Ketchum household, Delia Ketchum, along with Professor Oak and Mimey and all of Ash's Pokemon, witnessed the barbaric slaying on global television. "This is truly tragic. I'm sorry to say that it would seem that this battle has claimed its first casualty. The Trainer in particular seems to be taking it especially hard." Delia burst into tears that she had lost her future daughter-in-law even before her son had gotten married. Professor Oak attempted to comfort her, but to little avail.
In Altomare, Bianca screamed, "NO! Latias, don't die!" Her grandpa restrained her from shaking the TV, "Bianca, there's nothing you can do, so don't take it out on the television." Lorenzo was also in tears. Bianca stared at the screen again, but dropped to her knees, "Why...why did it have to be her...?"
At Ever Grande City, Amber and Onyx had a terrible foreboding as the sky turned cloudy. "Mommy..." Max looked up, "What's wrong?" Amber then screamed, "Mommy's hurt! We've gotta help her!" Brock tried his best to hold on to the children, but he let go with a yelp when Onyx bit his hand. "No! Your Dad said to stay with us! Get back here!" Onyx shouted, "Sorry, but we don't want to lose Mommy!" Despite the pleas of their friends, Amber and Onyx flew off in search of the stadium.
"No...you can't die...Mewtwo! Latios! I need your help! If we don't combine strength, we're gonna lose her!" Neo's brothers did as they were told and rested their hands on the wound in Latias's chest. In unison, they used Recover, trying to overcome the toxic Shadow energy that still lingered. "We won't let you die. I swear it."
The Nightmare, still a tad sore from the supercharged Big Bang attack, staggered out of the dust cloud. "Oh, what's wrong, Chosen One? Don't be all THAT upset. You'll be joining her before long!" The Nightmare gloated over his semi accidental murder of Latias. However, Ash, who still had not moved, could feel his mind becoming increasingly unstable.
"So Ash, where do you think we should have the wedding?" Latias asked as the two of them glided through the canals of Altomare in a classic gondola. Ash smiled, "Well, I was thinking of having it here." "OK, but where exactly?" Ash gave her a funny look, as if he was surprised that she had not guessed yet. "Where else? The first place you showed me your true form." Latias was taken aback at the thought of holding their wedding in a place that so very few humans knew about, but Ash comforted her, "I know what you're thinking, and I've got it all figured out."
Latias was surprised that Ash would plan so far ahead when he was a somewhat impulsive boy. "We'll make all our guests vow to never reveal the location of the garden to ANYONE. If they do, I'll sic Neo on 'em!" Latias giggled, knowing that Neo would never refuse an order from Ash. "How many guests will come?" Ash thought for a minute, "I dunno. Enough, I guess."
Latias sighed as she felt the warm rays of the sun radiate over them, almost like a testament of this golden moment. "Maybe we could spend the honeymoon somewhere special. Uh...Latias?" Ash noticed that Latias was just staring off into space. "And what...about children?" Ash blushed at that remark, being only twelve years old, as he was far too young by human standards to have children.
"Latias...what...?" She gazed into his eyes lovingly while a deep blush on her face. "I've never told anyone this, but every night after you left, I would masturbate while imagining that it was you and not a simple bump on a tree branch. I could imagine you filling me with your seed as you impregnated me. I've always wanted just that. To bear your children." She then ran her claws over her belly. "The very thought...of me being impregnated by you...fills me with such joy. Feeling your children growing within me as my belly swells with life...it's so beautiful...I can't even begin to describe it..." Latias had small tears flowing down her face as she imagined being pregnant with her lover's children.
Ash surprised Latias by joining lips with her. Short as it was, it was enough to wreck her train of thought. When they broke the kiss, Ash whispered, "We'll have as many kids as you want. I don't think I'm ready to be a dad just yet, but I will someday. I promise. I promise to be a great dad, and the best husband I can be to you." Latias closed her eyes and embraced the boy she had sworn to marry someday. Ash whispered, "That's a promise..."
As he played that promise back in his head over and over, Ash felt tears falling from his face. "But I failed to keep it.....I promised to be the best husband I could be to you...and I betrayed you..." Ash dropped to his knees as he gripped his head. The memories of Latias and his devotion to her, as well as his promise to wed her, began to crack in his mind.
"I could have destroyed the Nightmare for good, but I choked. Now you're gone...I killed..." Ash could feel his mind on the verge of insanity. "I'm no Chosen One.....I'm no hero...I'm a fraud! I'm a failure!!!" Ash grieved and screamed in turmoil, but then, he quietly whispered, "I shouldn't even be alive..."
At that moment, Ash's consciousness completely shattered. All his dreams, his hopes, his vows. They were all broken by his failure. As the mind of the Chosen One crumbled, the three orbs in his mind appeared once more. The white orb in the middle and the golden orb began to dim as the blood red orb began to pulse with malevolence. Soon, it totally eclipsed them both. At that instant, the mind of Ash Ketchum was replaced with a vile lust for vengeance and hatred of himself. Only one thing mattered to him now. The total obliteration of the Nightmare, and himself.
The Nightmare laughed, "What's wrong? Are you not feeling well? Perhaps I should end this now?" However, when Ash slowly turned to face him, the Nightmare froze at the sight of bloodlust and malice in Ash's eyes that exceeded even his own! Neo then felt an unholy power fill the area and turned his head to see a black aura beginning to engulf Ash! His hair was becoming a fiery hue and his eyes became blank with reddish overtones near the edges. "What's going on? His aura should be dark blue and blood red." Suddenly, Ash sprinted at the Nightmare, determined to end it all!
"Ash, no! You know you can't kill him in that state!" Ash paid no attention whatsoever as he was hellbent on erasing the demon who had murdered his lover. "You really should listen to the wisdom of the Ultimate Bioweapon. I won't need Shadow type attacks to kill you. It's time we end this!" The Nightmare waved his arm to erect pillars of rock in an attempt to catch Ash in a Rock Tomb, but Ash wasn't going to allow anything to get in his way. Whatever he couldn't dodge, he plowed right through.
Bayleef was sick with worry that Ash would be killed like he almost was the last time. "Why doesn't he ascend into his ultimate state?! Can he not focus hard enough?!" Mewtwo replied, "I think it's because he CAN'T reach it! His strongest state is a perfect balance of light and darkness. Right now, his negative emotions are so fierce; most of the light in him is being suppressed. The light and darkness within him is out of balance! He can't possibly reach his strongest form!"
The Nightmare finally had enough of trying to catch Ash with rocks and summoned his sword. "If I can't crush you, I'll just cut you to pieces!" With a swing of his sword, he aimed for Ash's face, but Ash delivered a quick kick to the side of the blade, sending it out of his hands! Ash then seemed to strike him with a punch, but bits and pieces of the Nightmare's face fell off!
"Wha...what was that?" The Nightmare looked at Ash's hands and saw dark energy had formed at the tips, creating what seemed to be claws on his fingertips! "Hmph. So the hero has become a beast, has he? Then let the hunt begin!" The Nightmare then blasted Ash point blank with a Psycho Boost! The deadly psychic forces left Ash stunned for a moment, during which the Nightmare blew him away with a Razor Wind! Ash steadily climbed to his feet, cuts and scratches covering his body and his clothes in tatters.
With a roar of fury, Ash charged again. "Don't you have anything to say? So be it." With Extremespeed, the Nightmare caught up to Ash in a flash and ran his hand right into his belly! A shockwave shook him to the core as he felt his body go a little numb. "That was Force Palm. Feeling a little stiff? Let me fix that!" The Nightmare then slammed both palms into the sides of Ash's head with Smellingsalt! Ash screamed in pain as he collapsed to his knees as the numbness left him.
As Ash looked up at the Nightmare with nothing more than hatred in his empty eyes, the demon smirked. "Still haven't had enough?" With a Blaze Kick, Ash was sent to the far side of the stadium, but as soon as he landed, he dashed at the Nightmare again! "Not this time!" The Nightmare fired another laser like Shadow Blast at Ash's head, but he evaded it without even stopping! Before the Nightmare could react, Ash sent his darkness infused fist into his face!
A moment passed as the world waited to see what would happen next as Ash left his fist implanted in the Nightmare's face. However, he started to chuckle. "You fool. If you think you can triumph over me with just brute force and speed, you're only lying to yourself." Ash just then noticed that it felt as if he had just struck a block of iron! Just before impact, the Nightmare had hardened his skin with Iron Defense! Out of frustration, Ash began to pummel him with a barrage of punches. However, it sounded like he was hammering away at a metal wall.
"I've had enough of this. I'm also a little hungry." Suddenly, the Nightmare nudged over and sank his teeth into Ash's neck! Bayleef screamed as Ash froze with pain while the Nightmare chuckled. After a moment, the Nightmare pulled his jaws out of Ash's neck, a strange purple liquid dripping from his fangs, which seemed to vanish. After licking his lips, the Nightmare asked, "So, did my little Poison Fang treatment loosen you up?" At that moment, Ash began to convulse as the deadly toxins of the Poison Fang attack took affect. "Yes. The venom delivered with Poison Fang is a step above other Poison type attacks. Isn't it a lovely gift?" Ash gasped for breath as the toxins spread to his lungs. At that moment, the sky began to pour rain, as if the Earth itself could feel Ash's pain.
"Even beasts know when to give up. Perhaps it's time we end this." With that, the Nightmare summoned vines from under his wrists and grabbed Ash by the ankles with Vine Whip! He then began slamming him all over the stadium, into the ground and the walls! After that, he tossed Ash skyward. However, the poison was at full effect, leaving Ash too weak to do anything. "I'LL BREAK YOU!" The Nightmare pointed directly at Ash as rain fell from the storm clouds. In a flash, a deadly Thunder strike hit Ash dead on! He screamed as he was electrocuted by the potent Electric attack.
"Looks like he's well done. Now for the finish." Ash was falling right towards the Nightmare and was too weak to stop his fall. The Nightmare then pointed his right arm straight up and seemed to form a drill with it. As Bayleef screamed for Ash to pull himself together, there was a sickening sound as Ash was impaled on the Nightmare's Horn Drill. This proved to be too much for both Bayleef and Ash's mother. They promptly fainted at the sight of the child. Neo, Latios and Mewtwo tried to ignore the carnage, focusing on healing Latias, if she was even still alive.
The Nightmare threw Ash off his arm, but Ash surprised everyone by breaking his fall. "I was so sure I severed your spine." Despite the poison still flowing through his veins and the hole in his abdomen, Ash made a break for the Nightmare with a sword of darkness in hand. With a roar, he swung at his head, but missed due to his blurred vision from the poison. By this time, the Nightmare was completely fed up with Ash's resistance.
"Let's see if you can get back up after 50 Twinneedle strikes!" Using just the index and middle fingers on each hand, the Nightmare began landing precision strikes to many of Ash's internal organs. The tips were also delivering small amounts of poison with each poke, adding to the already fatal amount flowing through Ash's body. The strikes were being unleashed too quickly for Ash to break away, and after unleashing 50 Twinneedle strikes, 100 in all, the Nightmare sent Ash flying backwards with a Poison Jab to the face! After rolling head over heels, Ash came to a stop. This time, he was having great difficulty getting up.
"Heh. You must enjoy pain. Tell me, Chosen One. Why do you insist on fighting me when you obviously can't kill me?" It took a moment, but Ash finally got to his feet, the rain soaking the ground with his blood. In a demonic tone, he replied, "You...you took everything away from me...Kill you? Forget it...I'm gonna...send you to Hell..." Ash then looked up at the Nightmare, but his eyes were now not much more than brightly shining red flames! "All I want now...is to see you DIE!"
Ash suddenly gripped his head in pain, and suddenly, he looked at the sky and screamed, a wave of black energy sweeping over the area as a pillar of darkness shot up to the sky from him! To the horror of the people of the world, the pillar of darkness began to expand and spread across the sky as it eclipsed the entire planet! Soon, the Earth looked like a black orb in the void of space. On the surface, nothing could be seen as even artificial light sources couldn't be seen.
The Nightmare looked around in confusion as he couldn't even see his hands in front of his face. "What kind of diversion is this?! Where are you, Chosen One?!" Suddenly, he heard a sound directly ahead of him. "Hmmmm? Who's there?" After focusing his vision, the Nightmare staggered back at what he could only barely make out. Just ahead of him was what seemed to be some sort of beast from the depths of Hell. Its eyes glowed as red lights and it was down on all fours. Its body blended in with the darkness perfectly as it was completely black. The only thing that could really be seen was the dark fog billowing off its body. Even then it was extremely difficult to see.
"No...you can't possibly be..." The demon roared in a way that sent chills down the spines of everyone who heard it, even the Nightmare. Suddenly, it was gone. However, it made its presence known again when it cleaved a solid chunk right out of the Nightmare's chest! While it could be seen when stationary, this monster was impossible to see when moving. What was more, the Nightmare yelled in agony as something felt like it was burning his internal organs! With the Nightmare off balance, the demon made its move. A dimensional portal opened above and the demon soared up into it with the Nightmare's arm in its jaws.
"No...what is this?!" The Nightmare was able to see again, but he didn't like what he saw. The world around him was constantly shifting matter and antimatter. There was no form. Only never ending destruction. With a swing of its head, the demon threw the Nightmare down into the swirling antimatter. Try as he might, the Nightmare couldn't levitate with psychic power. As he looked up at the black form of the demon, he saw a human form concealed beneath the dark shade. "You...I swear this is not over, Chosen One! Someday, I will escape from here and believe me; I will hunt you down and...!"
As soon as the Nightmare came in contact with the antimatter, there were enormous dimensional distortions as he screamed in agony as his body was blown to pieces, but his ability to regenerate prevented him from dying as he was constantly scathed by the ever present antimatter. However, the surging concussions blew Ash right back out of the portal, after which it closed, sealing the Nightmare away, until his body would finally be destroyed after one thousand years of torment.
As he fell towards the stadium, Ash could feel the dark aura vanish as the blackness began to recede, allowing light back into the world. However, he was completely spent from his wounds and the poison and could not save himself from the fall. But he didn't mind. Before he lost consciousness, he whispered, "Latias...I'll be seeing you soon..."
"No...don't die...don't die..." "Wake up...wake up, Daddy..." "Don't go away, Daddy...please don't go..." At the sound of familiar voices, Ash slowly opened his eyes and found himself surrounded by his closest friends and family. "Don't tell me...we all died...?" Bayleef, still in tears, replied, "No. you're still alive. Dear little Amber and Onyx saved you from that fall. Mewtwo healed that wound in your body while I used Aromatherapy to remove the poison. You're going to be all right." Ash could feel Amber and Onyx clutching at his face as they cried. He gently stroked their feathers to comfort them. Still, he was disappointed that he was still alive.
"Neo...I want you to do something for me..." Neo knelt down beside his master, "What is it?" Ash looked at him with a tired stare, "I want you to kill me. I want to join Latias...please..." Neo looked disappointed for a moment, but then he chuckled, "If I were to do that, I would have to kill Latias too." Ash looked puzzled, "Wha...? What do you mean by that?" Neo gave him a weird look and pointed, "Just look at who's laying on your chest."
With some difficulty, Ash managed to raise his head and look ahead. What he saw left him speechless. Lying on his chest, while sobbing heavily, was Latias. After a moment of awkward silence, Ash spoke, "Latias?" She then looked up at him and, without saying a word, embraced him.
Ash looked at Neo as if he was going to cry. Neo knew what he was going to ask and said, "I'll admit it was bad. She came extremely close to death. It took me, Mewtwo, and Latios to overcome the poison of the Shadow energy and heal her." Ash then had a look on his face that showed the deepest gratitude Neo had ever seen.
Ash tried to get up, but fell right back down. "Heh, looks like you win, Neo." The bioweapon asked, "Win? Win what?" Ash gave him a funny look, "The championship. Remember the rules? Whoever is unable to continue fighting first is disqualified. I can't even sit up, so that means I can't keep going." Neo objected, "But...but you're the stronger of us. You should have won..." Ash shook his head, "No. I'm pretty sure that if we kept going without any problems, it would've been a draw. I might be stronger and faster than you, but you're almost indestructible and can adapt to any situation. And what's more, you never get tired. You'll always outlast me in endurance, Neo. That's why we're equals."
Neo signaled the referee over, who had been hiding in the bunker where the news crew was. "Sorry, but it looks like Ash can't keep going." The referee gave a sigh of relief that the crazy fighting was over. Into the microphone, he spoke, "Since Ash Ketchum can't continue, the winner by default is...um..." The referee asked Neo, "Is your name Axl or Neo?" Neo suppressed a laugh and replied, "It's Neo Ketchum." The referee ended with, "Is Neo Ketchum!" Audience around the world burst into applause as the new champion was announced.
Ash breathed a sigh of relief that the fighting was over, but as his hand brushed his pocket, he felt a lump. Remembering what Neo gave him, he looked up at him, only to see him give a look that said, "Now is the time."
Ash managed to grab the object in his pocket. "Latias?" His lover looked at him, "Yes, dear?" Ash then slipped the object out of his pocket and said, "Before anything else happens..." He then held up a jewelry box and asked while opening it to her, "Will you marry me?"
Everyone in the stadium, as well as everyone who was watching the event on live television, was silent at the sight of Ash proposing to Latias. As she looked at the gold bracelet's sapphire, tears began to fall from her eyes. "I thought.....you would never ask..." Latias leaned forward and embraced her love.
Across the world, cheers and joyful weeping filled the air as Latias gave her answer. "Yes."Chapter End Notes:See? Why would I let Latias die? ;