Chapter 12- Deceiver Unveiled

 

~A warrior has to be ready for anything destiny throws at us, and has to be strong enough to take it. They say (in RPG’s mostly) that your fate is ninety-nine percent predetermined, coming from everyone else’s actions, while the only one percent of it is at your control. That single percent, you know what it is? I’ll tell you, choice. Choices you make will either bring you success or failure, and every choice you make will lead to something else. When fighting, choosing the right move is critical, it has to be done quickly, or it could cost you everything. Choices are made everywhere, from what you choose to wear in the morning to what path you choose in your life. The path I chose was a hard one, fighting against the injustices, defending those weaker than me and protecting the ones I care for… it was as simple as that at first, now it’s all about to change. I didn’t know it yet, but I was soon to make a shocking discovery, that this world is not as it seems… and the forces I have been fighting so hard against might be its only chance… because the peace that I have been trying so hard to defend masks the true face of evil…

-Ash Ketchum

(Location- Whitesand City)

 

After the shock of finding Ash sleeping with Misty in the same bed, and painstaking fifty minutes of them telling everyone that nothing rated NC-17 had occurred during the night (sadly), next to that, there was nothing to do but hang around in the city. Ever since the attack, the calm and playful atmosphere surrounding this city has vanished, and replaced with an unbearable tension and unrest. At the moment, Misty was finishing fixing Ash’s cap, and Ebi came over to Ash with a message…

 

“Ash?” asked Ebi

 

“Yeah?”

 

“Message from Gary” said Ebi as he led him into a room, turned off the light and held up his EbiDex. “Ebi-projector!” he shouted

 

Ash was shocked to how real it looked. It looked as if Gary was standing in the room right in front of him. The hologram of Gary spoke. Hey Ash. It’s me, Gary. You know I was around when you fought Red Kaiser, and I’m the one who brought you to the hospital, you can thank me later with a battle some other time. The doctors may have been concerned, but I know you’re tough enough to survive. If you’re hearing this, then I’ve already left. Seeing those Kaisers fight made me realize that I’m not strong enough, and I’m leaving the group. This is only temporary, because I’m going to train hard. Not just my pokémon… but myself too. Ebi explained that no one is born strong, even the Super Fiends who are legendary for their strength, have achieved that level through fierce training and battle. The next time you see me, I’ll be stronger, not just as a trainer. Just watch out that I don’t surpass you, okay? Well, that’s all for now, see you later!” The hologram faded

 

“Pretty cool eh? That’s not all, but I’ve improved the EbiDex communicating system for clearer sounds, (and it doesn’t make those annoying ‘CRRR’ noises)” Said Ebi, “Gary’s gone off training, to try and acquire the strength to fight them.”

 

“Hmm…” Ash sighed… he really didn’t know what sort of training Gary would have to go through to be able to fight THOSE monsters…

 

“Yeah… I understand why you’re feeling that way… and I don’t blame you” Ebi shook his head. “Red Kaiser… I’ve managed to get some data on him though…”

 

“What?”

 

“Well… it’s not much, because I haven’t been able to scan him fully, but anyways, this is what I know” Said Ebi, “Each of the Kaiser Knights are skilled fighters who have been outfitted with mechanical limbs and bodies, giving them power that far surpasses anything human… and Red Kaiser is undoubtedly the strongest of the four. However, the changes placed into him are more than simply the body. His brain has been altered so he becomes more aggressive and violent. When in battle he goes completely out of control, lashing out with fierce power.” Ebi straightened his glasses, “All of this is mainly theory as well as what I’ve heard from Gary’s retelling of the battle. I’m sorry I haven’t gotten more data on him…”

 

“It’s fine Ebi…” Ash sighed as he sat down, scratching himself. These bandages were really itchy. He yawned as he close his eyes and sat back. He remembered fighting are skilled fighters who Red Kaiser, that fearsome warrior… how could anyone be so powerful? That guy was more crazed than Aquamarine and even stronger. Those Kaisers… Ash didn’t expect them to be half as strong as any Super Fiend at first, but instead it turned out just the opposite, they were each several times as powerful. Invincible bodies of steel, the strength of many hundreds of men, as well as… “AH…!” Ash’s eyes opened up in realization… “Kaiser Beasts!”

 

“What?” Ebi, Brock and Tracey looked at him

 

“We have to leave the city immediately!” Ash exclaimed

 

“Hey Ash, I finished fixing your…” Misty walked into the room, and Ash snatched the cap out of her hands, “Hey!”

 

“Thanks Misty.” he placed the cap on his head and turned around “The Kaisers are ruthless, and though they left the first time, who can say they won’t come back? If they return, they’ll be looking for me, and they’re not gonna go around asking politely! They’ll unleash everything they’ve got and tear apart this town to find me!”

 

“Ash, I think you’re being a little paranoid…” said Brock

 

“Paranoid? Try saying that AFTER getting stabbed around fifty times!” Ash snapped back at him, lifting his shirt and showing his heavily bandaged torso, “Pack up everyone. The longer we stay, the more danger we put this city in! We go, NOW!”

 

***

(Location- Jade Cliffs)

 

Though it was a nice place, Ash didn’t like Jade Cliffs area much… the Red Kaiser didn’t give him a good reason to. If he could’ve avoided this place, he would’ve, but to get to the next town would require passing through this area.

 

“Can I ask again why we’re leaving?” asked Misty

 

“I already told you, it’s because the Kaisers are after me, and they have no trouble killing! If I stayed in Whitesand, they would come back! To them, they don’t care in the least about human life, and they’d slaughter the entire town just to get my attention! As long as I stay in Whitesand, I’m putting the people in danger!”

 

“You sure that’s what’s gonna happen?” asked Tracey

 

“Sure enough” said Ash, “If something were to happen to all those innocent people… I don’t know what I’ll do… it’ll be entirely my fault if anyone dies.”

 

“You know, I think sometimes you should worry a little less about other people and a tiny bit more about yourself” said Misty, “Even if they were going to die, which I don’t believe will be happening anytime soon, maybe you should let the people take responsibility of their own fate”

 

“What?” asked Ash

 

“Just because you’re strong doesn’t mean everyone else is weak!” said Misty “There are a lot of people out there, and believe it or not, they can fight too. For once, leave it to someone else. It’ll be fine! They are just as capable as you are!” she said reassuringly

 

“Just as capable?” Ash wondered. His thoughts flew back to that time when those Kaisers fought him. Smashing him with their fists, impaling him with their swords… “That’s what scares me. Trust me, if anyone else did as well as I did against the Kaisers, they’d already be dead.”

 

Misty grumbled, Ash heard her, but he wasn’t listening! First taking the cap without thank her, now this… she looked at Ash again, “Hey, what are you doing?!”

 

“HM!” Ash grunted as he tore of the bandages on his arm, “These bandages are really itchy, not to mention annoying!” he said as he was tearing them off

 

“Don’t do that!” she stopped him, “You need those!”

 

“No I don’t!” said Ash, but Misty held his arm still. Ash continued it with his teeth

 

“Don’t push it!” said Misty, but Ash continued

 

“Listen Ash. You may have a much faster rate of healing than most humans, but you’re still not healed enough yet. It’s best you leave them on” said Ebi, so Ash stopped. Misty crossed her arms. She was upset with Ash. He listens to Ebi, but not her! Suddenly, a chilling wind began to blow, causing everyone to shiver.

 

“What was that?” asked Brock

 

Ash raised his head and looked left and right. As always, his trainer instincts kicked in, it was warning him about it… it’s coming from behind… DANGER!!!!

 

“You think you can fight the Kaisers?” said a voice

 

CLASH!

 

“What? Bonsai?!” Ash exclaimed as he deflected the green-clad Super Fiend’s attack. He didn’t say anything. He simply swung his iron war-fans again. Ash ducked and dodged each swing from the bladed weapons, but Bonsai continued swinging. “What are you doing?!” Bonsai didn’t answer. Suddenly he disappeared from sight, and appeared right in front of Ash!

 

KAPOW!!!!

 

“AAAAGH!” Ash screamed as he fell to the ground from Bonsai’s punch

 

“At this rate, you’ll die before you even fight back. Your skills won’t mean anything against them. You don’t stand a chance” said Bonsai, and with that he retreated, disappearing in the blink of an eye

 

“What was that?!” exclaimed Tracey

 

“GRR…” Ash growled, “While it looked like he’s disappeared, he just ran off… but that speed…! Moving so fast it looked liked he’s vanished, and he was able to punch so quickly he landed a hundred hits made it look like one!”

 

“Until now, you’ve been playing hero, but you know nothing at all. You can’t make that claim till you know the truth of this world, and here’s the question… are you ready for the real thing?” asked another voice

 

Ash turned around and saw, “Cleft!” The Super Fiend swung his armoured fists at him, attacking with a flurry of punches. Ash took many hits and was knocked back. Cleft then jumped back and took a boxing stance, “You too?!” Ash growled, “Fine. If you wanna fight, let me warn you, I’m not gonna go easy on you just because you’re a friend!” He also took a fighting stance, “Come to think of it, you were never really friend! Just a temporary ally!” As he punched many times, Cleft blocked each hit and struck Ash many times with fast jabs and strong crosses. Cleft then struck the earth, creating a massive shockwave that threw Ash back! As Ash tried to straightened himself up, Cleft darted forward and uppercutted him, making him fall on his back!

 

“Too fragile… looks like playing is all you can really do.” Cleft struck the ground with his fist, opening up the very earth below and disappearing beneath the surface…

 

“Cleft, Bonsai, what’s with them?” asked Ash. Suddenly, he felt a chill…

 

“You need more than just power to fight the Kaisers… you need to be ruthless”

 

“Huh?” Ash turned around…

 

“HYOHEN!” the ice ninja AntiArctic appeared out of nowhere, forming razor sharp shuriken out of ice and throwing them.

 

“URGH!” Ash didn’t have time to shield, he fell back to the ground in an attempt to avoid them. He succeeded, but they grazed his skin… “AntiArctic?! Not you too!” Once again, AntiArctic didn’t answer. He just jumped down and dashed towards Ash. The two of them fought, but Ash couldn’t keep up with his speed, the ninja continued to move with a stunning display of acrobatic skills, and movements that were impossible to follow with the eye. “AGH!!!!” Ash exclaimed as a layer of ice froze beneath his feet, and AntiArctic ducked and kicked the side of his leg, making him fall over. As Ash fell, the ninja struck down on his head with a strong drop kick… Ash groaned as he lay there, gasping as the fiend held the ninja-to blade against his neck

 

“With your meagre skills, they’ll kill you a thousand times over before you even hit the ground” said AntiArctic as he held two fingers up, in a traditional ninja stance… a burst of smoke appeared and he vanished.

 

“If you’re gonna fight with the strongest, then you have to be ready for anything!” The massive figure of G.I. Jolt came smashing through the trees

 

“Come on! I’m ready for you!” Ash took a fighting stance… knowing this fiend intended to fight. He charged forwards and attacked, but G.I. Jolt grabbed him and put him into a submission hold. Ash tried to fight, but the Jolt was far stronger, holding him in a tight grip and slamming him to the ground. Ash struggled, but the fiend had him pinned… even without trying that fiend had beaten him!

 

“You think you’re able to fight them… but you’re just too weak.” said G.I. Jolt as he let go of Ash, and walked back into the woods.

 

“Gah!” Ash got up and growled, “Where do you think you’re going?! I’m not done with you!” he shouted… but suddenly turned around and gasped, realizing why his friends hadn’t come to help him! They were all trapped in some sort of bubble. They were trying to bust out and shout, but their voices couldn’t be heard! “What the…”

 

“To make yourself enemies with the Kaiser Cult… you’re challenging a monster so huge you can’t even see it… so complex you can never fully understand it… powerful you can not hope to match it.” Twin Dreamer spoke…

 

“What’s going on?! Why are you all attacking us?!” Ash shouted at the psychic Super Fiend levitate down into the area. He was the one who had his friends trapped. “Answer me!” Ash shouted, but there was no reply. Instead, the Super Fiend raised his hand and shot a small beam of energy, hitting him. “AGH!” Ash exclaimed, falling down to one knee, but growled, “WHY YOU…!” as he tried to run, the fiend’s eyes glowed, Ash suddenly felt his muscles tense up and lock, he fell to the ground… Twin Dreamer had hit him Psychic Stunner!

 

“Weak in the body, weak in the mind… The monster you seek to challenge will crush you into dust.” Twin Dreamer vanished, but Ash’s friends were still trapped

 

“War is approaching, death is inevitable, and sacrifices must be made. How much are you willing to sacrifice?” a cold voice spoke.

 

Ash knew who he would fight next… “Goth.” Goth raised his scythe and attacked.

 

CLANG!

 

Ash blocked Goth’s scythe. Ash grunted as he tried to push the scythe back. Ash growled and pushed with all his strength, but Goth moved quickly, attacking repeatedly. While Ash deflected, he didn’t know what was going on. He was so confused. Why were they attacking him? Each one of these fiends attacked him one by one, and now it was Goth’s turn! Goth was a terrifying sight, and the look he gave Ash send shudders doing his spine. Goth slammed Ash’s arm to the side and knocked him with the staff part of the scythe, knocking him down. Ash groaned as he looked up and saw Goth swinging the scythe down at him… “AAAAAHH!!!!” The moment Ash screamed, the dark fiend stopped. The scythe was barely touching Ash’s neck

 

“One who fears death has no place in the field of battle. You can’t even stand up to a band of rogues… what chances have you of opposing the Kaiser Cult?” Goth glared down at him… “If you want to die so badly, maybe I should be merciful enough to cut your head off, and spare you from the horrors of the cult. In fact… maybe it’s best that you should die… and open a new position of Chosen One to someone worthy”

 

Unlike the others Super Fiends he didn’t disappear. As a matter of fact, all the Super Fiends that have fought Ash appeared into the scene.  “You failed.” They all said at once as they approached him

 

“What… what are you going to do to me?” said Ash. He wasn’t just scared… he was terrified. He had been defeated so easily six times in a row by people he thought he knew. They all stared at him, and Ash could feel his courage shattering. “No… stay away! Don’t come closer! Stand back! GET AWAY FROM ME!!!” Ash cried as he covered his face and squirmed.

 

The Super Fiends looked at him sadly. Ash, the once greatest fighter was reduced to this sad heap on the floor.

 

“Hmph… how humiliating” The fiends were hesitant to even look at him.

 

“He’s useless. Just leave him” said Goth, and all of them vanished. The psychic bubble holding Ash’s friends up faded away, and they all fell to the ground.

 

“Ash!” Misty said as she ran over to him. Ash was on the ground, curved up in fear and hiding his face. Misty could hear him sobbing, “Ash…”

 

“I… I’ve tried h-hard to become s-s-stronger…” Ash sobbed. He was trapped in his own despair. “I-I wanted to… to protect others… it was the only way I felt fulfilled…” tears continued to fall from his eyes. He wanted nothing more than to hide somewhere and not come out to this dangerous world “B… b-but when I became a l-level two ch… chosen one, I thought I could continue and save more p-people… but instead, I l-lost to everyone!” he cried “I’m so pathetic!”

 

“Ash, it’s okay that you lost.” Said Misty, “None of us thinks any badly of you.”

 

“N-no! I-I needed to g-get strong! More than becoming a pokémon m-master… to protect people. That was my cause” Ash was shaking. “I… I couldn’t even stand up to those f-f… fiends… they weren’t even trying… I fought as h-hard as I could and I still couldn’t do anything…” he looked up at Misty, “Wh… when I saw all of you trap… trapped in that bubble, I w… was fighting to save all of you…” he looked at Misty, “But… I failed you… no matter what I did!”

 

“Ash…” Misty started to cry as she held him close. “Ash. It’s not your fault. You tried your hardest to fight for us. You went to fight those horrible Kaisers, and told me not to come because you didn’t want anything to happen to me. You put yourself in danger to protect others more times than I can count, and I thank you. It’s okay Ash, it’s okay” she hugged him, “I fell in love with the kind-heart, not the warrior, and the kind-heart is what you are” she cried as she held him close. Pikachu also held him and cried.

 

“Yes… maybe, but the kind-heart’s what… what’s getting us all into trouble all the time…” cried Ash, “the more I t-try to help people, the more t-trouble we get into. I thought I w… was invincible and couldn’t be beaten… I t-though I could get rid of b-bad people who try to harm g-good. I… I t-tried to protect people… but then w-when those K… K-K-KAISERS came, they killed people! Because of me!” said Ash. “These S-Super Fiends weren’t… weren’t doing this f-for real… they just testing me… protect those I care for… but… BUT…!” Ash hit the ground with his fist. The people themselves he fought, they weren’t what scared him. What truly terrified Ash was the feeling he experienced, being totally overwhelmed and crushed, unable to do anything… “I lost at every step… I couldn’t d-do anything! I cowered like a baby! I’m the lowest piece of trash that’s ever lived! I HATE MYSELF!!!!!” he screamed

 

“Oh get over it! You’re tougher than that!” a voice spoke up. Everyone turned to see… Sky Render!

 

Everyone gasped at the sight of the most powerful and leader of the Super Fiends. Ash immediately cowered back, behind Misty. He was scared of everything, and even the one he respected most, Sky Render. He was terrified of him. “What are you doing here?!” Misty shouted

 

“PIKA!!!!” Pikachu attacked Sky Render with lightning, but the fiend swung his wooden sword and broke apart the stream of electricity.

 

“Those others… why did they attack Ash?!” Misty screamed, “He’s had enough physical damage already! Why did you have to add emotional damage as well?!”

 

“I’m sorry if the test was harsh, but I had to show Ash” said Sky Render

 

“Show Ash what?!” Misty screamed

 

“The true horror of battle… when everything you hold dear is at stake, and facing powers that totally overwhelm you… and what it’s like to lose everything” said Sky Render, “We have all tasted that pain for real, and Ash who has never known the pain of true loss needs to understand it as well… because unless something is done, many more will suffer this very pain. We have thought about it for a long time, since you departed from Scarlet City… and now we have decided it is time for Ash to finally learn the truth”

 

“Oh, we know the truth, we know it already!” Misty screamed

 

“You do?” asked Sky Render

 

“Yeah! The way you acted like our friends, the way you pretended to help us, and yet all you were trying to do was get close enough to stab our backs! You’re worse than the Kaisers! At least THEY had the decency not to lie about where they stood!” Misty shouted, her fists trembling with rage…

 

Sky Render sighed “You are right. It was very selfish of us to do this, and not think whether he would want to help us or not and used such extreme measures.”

 

“Help you what?!” Misty cried out

 

“To help us in our ongoing battle” said Sky Render as he bowed his head to Misty

 

“Help you in your fight? HELP YOU IN YOUR FIGHT!?” she screamed and got up, “You piece of… DOES ASH LOOK LIKE HE CAN BE FIGHTING!? DOES HE?!”

 

“Misty” Ash’s voice spoke up. Everyone was surprised to see Ash getting up. Ash staggered a bit, but he was standing up, “Please. This pain he talked about… and how he said many others will experience it for real… I want to know what this is all about.” Ash straightened up… though he was still shaking

 

“Ash, I will have to talk to you, alone” said Sky Render

 

“So you’ll what? Separate him from us so you do whatever you want? Who knows what your intentions are!” Misty said as she stepped up, in front of Ash

 

“No, I just want to talk!” said Sky Render

 

“We’re not gonna leave our friend alone with the likes of you, punk!” Brock said as he also ran in front, shielding Ash from Sky Render

 

“Enough damage’s been done without you and your lackeys’ help!” Tracey joined in

 

“I never liked you Super Fiends, and even when you started ACTING all good and nice, I still didn’t trust you, and now you’ve shown your true colours!” shouted Ebi as he and his sister ran in front of Ash, “Don’t make us laugh by asking for his help!”

 

“Pika!” Pikachu growled

 

Sky Render looked at them all, obviously very impressed. “Such friendship, such loyalty. It seems Ash’s determination and sense of honour has rubbed off on you folks.” Said Sky Render, “I don’t blame you that you don’t want to talk. In this case, this is the last time we see each other. Farewell” He turned around…

 

“Stop!”

 

“Huh?” Everyone looked at Ash

 

Ash wiped a tear out of his eyes, “Sky Render? What is it you want to talk about?”

 

***

(Location- Top of Jade Cliffs)

 

“This place is quite secluded, and because this is the site of battle where the Kaisers were seen, people are scared to come here” said Sky Render

 

“Yeah-yeah… tell me something I don’t know” Ash crossed his arms, “What’s so important, that you had to go through all this?”

 

“It’s about… The Shadow of the Deceiver” said Sky Render.

 

“That again…” Ash thought, “Aquamarine kept mentioning it. What is it?”

 

Sky Render growled, “What I am about to say may be overwhelming, and I’ll understand if you don’t believe me, because if you don’t you won’t be the first one…” he looked at Ash, “You must not tell others unless I say so. Are sure you will hear?”

 

Ash paused. He though whether he wanted to hear, then he decided, “Tell me.”

 

“So be it” said Sky Render as he took a deep breath, “In this world exists a great evil, one that plagues this earth and threatens to consume it entirely. Darkness itself pales in comparison of the true horrors this evil force is capable of, and even devils themselves cower in fear. This evil I speak of… I, the Legendary Sky Render that you know… am a product of this evil”

 

“What?” Ash stepped back, but Sky Render stopped him

 

“Listen further” Sky Render sighed, “You know, out of the millions of wanted criminals in the world, I’m the number one on every list. Every country is after me, as the number of crimes listed under by name goes on forever, ranging from assassination and murder all the way to massacres of entire cities and terrorism on a global scale” He sighed, “Do you know how much I am worth?”

 

“Um…”

 

“Currently, there is a reward of Seventy Billion for my capture, and it’s sure to go up by the end of the month.” Sky Render crossed his arms

 

“WA?!” Ash nearly fell over, but straightened up. Great… he was alone with a mass murderer, one that was totally stronger than him.

 

“Let me back up a bit… to several years ago.” said Sky Render, “Like you, I started a journey of my own, leaving my hometown and go on an adventure, with nothing but a wooden sword by my side and the clothes off my back. I was a lot like you… when I see or hear of injustices happening, I would use my skills to fix it. Quite often I found myself fighting criminals in the underworld… thwarting all sorts of schemes from conspiracies to political assassinations… this kept up for a while. Eventually I got the notion that all these crimes were linked… orchestrated by something called ‘The Kaiser Cult’. I was young and arrogant back then, as far as I was concerned there was no one as strong as me. Having confidence in my abilities, I set out to find the source of these conspiracies and put a stop to it all… and that’s when it happened.” He growled… “In one major city, I heard of a plot to assassinate a politician of great importance and decided to put a stop to it. I was totally in on the scheme, how they’d be posing as security guards and carry out the deed when no one was around… and that’s when I made my move. I went in and attacked, decimating anyone who got in my way. Over a hundred armed guards, whether handling a pokémon or a gun, it made no difference. I continued and eventually found the politician… but then something completely unexpected happened”

 

“The man I went to save, he had killed his own bodyguards. What’s more, he knew I was coming! I then learned I had been completely set up!” He exclaimed, “How I got information of the assassination scheme… it was that organization I was hunting, they were onto me, and purposely let this information slip! All those security guards I took down, they were all innocent… more than that, the only person who was part of the Kaiser Cult was the politician himself! He attacked me with an antique sword hanging from the wall. Though I was far stronger than him, he kept coming at me with full killing intent… and he fell by my blade…” Sky looked down, “As he fell to the ground, inches from death, he smiled, saying that his mission was complete… this death had to happen, for their plan to be set into motion…” he clenched his fist tight, “That politician of high standing was part of the Cult I have been hunting… and as he died, the authorities came. What had happened here was very clear. I had broken into this restricted place, attacked the security guards and killed the politician. From that moment, I was a criminal. With no alternative, knowing that there was no way I could be proven innocent, I fled.” He looked down and sighed

 

“Because of that trap I had fallen into, and because everything I did was captured on security cameras, there was solid evidence against me. Now that I was wanted murderer… things kept getting worse… as I found myself being set up a second time, this time involving assassination of royalty… only difference was this time some of the bodyguards were working for the Kaiser Cult. The same thing happened, I couldn’t stop the crime from happening, and I was left the only one on the scene…” he scowled, “More and more things kept happening, more assassinations, even mass murders and massacres… when I try to stop the crime, my enemies were always one step ahead of me, and the blame falls on me. Even times when I was nowhere near the scene of the crime, people believed I was responsible… while the real criminals vanish without a trace… no, more than that… members of the Kaiser Cult always worked for the victims, in one case WAS my victim. At this point, my record has been stained beyond imagine, and it became easy for the real villains to shift the blame on me… and it was then I realized something. Law? Justice? They don’t exist… I have become wanted by the world government… I am the enemy of this world.”

 

“Um… did you try absolutely everything to prove yourself innocent?” Ash asked

 

“I have, but the real criminals don’t need to do anything now to convince the law I’m guilty. I already said this.” Sky Render scorned, “Even times when I found solid evidence that I was innocent, but they don’t care. They still continue to hunt me and turn more people against me every day. The law doesn’t like being proved wrong…”

 

“What?!” Ash exclaimed. “That’s an outrage! I can’t believe how corrupt they are!”

 

“At first I thought it was simply because the government was corrupt… but that wasn’t it. True, their reasons for not believing me was justified… though there were those who listened… but they all disappeared mysteriously.” Said Sky, “To say government is corrupt is more than an understatement… as I soon discovered a secret within the government, one so shocking that they were desperate to silence me at any cost. I had learned the dark secret of the source of all this evil… the Kaiser Cult…” he said, “Do you know how come all those criminals get away so easily, while the government continues to pursue me regardless of innocence? Do you know how come my enemies are always one step ahead of me and even when I’m nowhere close to the scene of the crime, I get blamed? I’ll tell you why. It is because those criminals practically OWN the government! If you think the Kaiser Cult is trying to take over the world, you’re wrong. They already have”

 

“SAY WHAT?!”

 

“The way they work is unbelievable, so much that the governments of the world practically belong to them. They have people working everywhere… among the authorities, people protecting important political figures, or even being the politicians themselves. Members of the Kaiser Cult are all in league, manipulating the system to work the way they want, passing money to the right places, and wiping out anyone who may hinder them. By manipulating the powers that govern this world, they are able to keep their existence a total secret… while they continue their schemes, producing weapons of unimaginable power, and mobilising vast armies the likes of which this world has never seen, even the horrible experimentation on human bodies and production of Kaiser Beasts, all designed for war…” Sky render turned to Ash, “At this point, the Kaiser Cult has the government wrapped around its finger, and they can get away with almost anything. Right now, they are still biding their time and building up their power, waiting for the right moment, to unveil themselves in a global crusade, conquering this world before anyone realizes, and reshaping it to however they see fit. From that point on… the world will end”

 

“N-NO! That’s impossible!” Ash exclaimed

 

“I thought so too, but I have no reason to lie about this. Members of the cult are all extremists, and strongly despise anyone who is not with them. Because they are a cult, a religious figure… they don’t fear death, and have no problems with killing… my village was destroyed as a result…” Sky Render growled, “Though I’m alive, they continued to hunt me. I’m as good to them alive as I am dead. Alive, they can shift the blame on my and use my face as a mask to hide their existence. Dead, I will no longer be a threat to them, nor can I reveal their secret to anyone. That’s what I meant when I said I am the product of this evil… because of them I adopted the name Sky Render… it is because of them that I am considered a notorious criminal…”

 

“Then… this is the Shadow of the Deceiver?”

 

“Yes… the Shadow of the Deceiver… it is the shroud they have cast over themselves, and hidden themselves from the world” said Sky Render, “No one knows what’s out there… no one realizes that war is approaching. As we speak, the Cult grows more active, and they are slowly stepping out of the shadows. The fact that you have seen and even fought the Kaiser Knights is proof, because this is the first time they have been seen in years” Said Sky Render “Fortunately no one had followed us, because these are secrets you must keep. If the Cult finds out you know their secret, they will hunt you relentlessly, as they do the Super Fiends…”

 

“Yeah, well bring them on!” Ash said as he closed the QuickSilver to his arm, “You and I are both chosen ones, and if you fight for what is right, then I will too! With the two of us working together they don’t stand a chance!”

 

Sky Render sighed and looked at him, “You are more than strong enough to join me in this cause. My comrades all joined because they have their own stories to tell regarding the Kaiser Cult. We are wanted criminals. We’re not fighting for the sake of law or justice, but the survival of the world itself. But because our enemy has merged itself with the law, we cannot strike without being labelled the villains.” said Sky Render, almost disgusted, “Super Fiends… though the name is distasteful, if we’re evil in the eyes of THOSE people, we’ll carry it name proudly. Carnage and destruction… that’s what we’ll give the Kaiser Cult until every last one of us is dead!”

 

“That’s it then!” Said Ash, “I want to join you in your fight. I don’t care what those people think, because I could help. I have a lot of influence, and I can be the one to pass on the message and clear your name! I don’t care if some guys will see me as a criminal! I’ll even give up my dream of becoming pokémon master, because this is big, WAY bigger then being the champion of some sport! I want to held you in this fight!” Said Ash, “I want to become a Super Fiend!”

 

The truth has been told at last. Such madness the Deceiver brings. Heroes turn into Villains, the brave cower, and even Ash has chosen to join the group he has been fighting against for long, all to fight the Kaiser Cult! What will happen from here on? Find out next time on Pokémon: Shadow of the Deceiver!

 

► TO BE CONTINUED