Chapter 20- Hunters and Kaisers

 

~The team has faced many hardships over the time we have been together. Through the countless dangers we have faced, we have somehow held together, but now we face a crisis we have never faced before, Ash’s disappearance. He was the main reason we travelled on this journey, because we all knew that following him would bring us closer to our dreams. To follow Ash in this journey is both the hardest and most wonderful task there is. As we risk our lives, gamble our futures and live day by day with death at our sides, there are no boundaries and we follow our hearts. When he left us, everything shattered. Next to go were Gary and Pikachu. There’s no telling how much longer the team will stay together, but all I know is that I am the next to go. All these years I have followed he on his journey, my purpose was uncertain until the moment I said that Ash will never be alone, because he has… me. His journey is full of hardships that he cannot accomplish by himself, and though I ignored my purpose at times, I have never forgotten it. The time has come where I stop lying to myself. I cannot ignore my fate. My journey is beginning, and though Ash hides, my purpose is still clear. I must find him, at any cost.

-Misty

 

(Location- Sapphire Bay, Seaside Town)

 

Sapphire Bay is a huge body of water that stretches for a hundred kilometres and is home to over fifty million water pokémon. The weather is always warm and the climate is great, but our heroes were not here on vacation.

 

“So have you seen him?” asked Misty, holding up a picture of Ash

 

“Hmm… nope! Sorry!” said the woman she was questioning.

 

Misty sighed as she walked off. That was the eighteenth person she asked. Surely somebody around here would’ve seen him, but no. Misty continued walking. Two days ago, after she had gotten the note that said Rainbow Reef, she left the group without a word. She being the water expert of the group, she had definitely heard about this place, and that is why she was asking for information. Sapphire bay is gigantic, and it’s only rumoured that the Rainbow Reef actually exists, so she was gathering info rather then going out and getting lost. She sighed and continued searching. Ash was somewhere in this place, and she was going to find him, no matter what. “Ash…” she spoke quietly, “I know how mad you are at me… that is why you hide, because you don’t want to see me… but please… just once… even if it is for a moment, I want to see you again… because I want to tell you how I really feel… and how sorry I am…” she continued to walk, searching for him…

 

***

(Location- Greyrock City)

 

“Misty! MISTY!” Amaebi was calling

 

“What’s wrong?” asked Tracey as he stepped into the scene

 

“I can’t find Misty!” said Amaebi

 

“That’s it?” asked Tracey, “Ah, I wouldn’t worry about it.”

 

“You would be worried if you knew how long she’s been gone for!” said Amaebi

 

“Oh really? And how long is that?” asked Tracey

 

“Two days” said Amaebi

 

“Whoa!” Tracey exclaimed, surprised, “She acts so distant from us, so I couldn’t even tell if she was gone or not. Oh well. She’ll probably turn up any time now”

 

“And what if she doesn’t?” Amaebi exclaimed, “What if she was looking for a cliff to jump off? I’m her friend, and I know she’s really troubled about Ash!”

 

“We all are. So?” Tracey crossed his arms. Seeing the look on Amaebi’s face, he spoke up, “Don’t look at me as if I were being heartless! Listen, I know Misty, and I know she’s not stupid enough to try something like that.” He sighed, “I know how hard it is to accept Ash’s death, but life goes on, and we can’t let ourselves be…”

 

“But Misty is so sure that Ash is alive, and I can’t help but believe her!” said Amaebi

 

Tracey sighed, “I can’t blame you. After all, you spend more time with her than I do. She was so devastated by his death that her mind even made her believe he’s alive, and you being such close friends, it’s no surprise it rubbed off on you”

 

“So that’s what you think it is? Insanity?” asked Amaebi in an offended tone

 

“I never said that!” Tracey retorted, “What I’m saying is…”

 

BAM!

 

“OW!” Tracey exclaimed when Brock appeared out of nowhere and whacked him

 

“How dare you!” said Brock. “I believe what she says!”

 

Tracey groaned “You only say that because you wanna get on her good side!”

 

“That’s not true! Well… okay, so it is true, but that’s beside the point! I don’t care if Ebi says Ash is dead, and that two hundred of the time he’s right, Ash is still the best friend I ever knew, and I won’t insult his memory by giving up so quickly! Come on Amaebi!” Brock reached and held Amaebi’s hand, “Let’s find Ash together!”

 

WHACK!

 

“AGH!!!!” Brock let go of Amaebi’s hand as he fell face flat to the ground.

 

“Sorry, about that, but Ebi made me promise to hit you every time you make direct physical contact with his sister” Said Tracey, tossing the mallet he used to the side, “But I have to say, you are right. Ash has done many things for us without asking for anything in return! I won’t give up on him either! I’ll also join you in your search!”

 

“It’s truly noble that you don’t give up on our deceased friend. Really” someone was clapping. Everyone turned around and saw Ebi, “You’re all correct, it would be a shame to give up hope, because that was what he always stood for.” Ebi looked into the sky, “Though I haven’t known him as long as you guys have, and that I have said this many times, Ash is the most remarkable person I have ever met. Able to bring hope even in the darkest situations, he stood up for the just until the end. Even beyond the grave, he continues to inspire hope…” Ebi spoke

 

“Ebi! When did you get here?” Tracey and Brock exclaimed

 

Ebi! Where did you come from? When did you get here?” Ebi repeated in a mock tone, “Geez, is that all everyone cares about? A simple ‘hi’ would be so much more polite” he sighed, “Sorry I was out so long. Just digging up some info”

 

“Really? What did you find out?” asked Tracey

 

“Well I found out Aquamarine passed by here not long ago. Not only that, but he fought two guys with capes and swords and ranting endlessly about heathens this and sacrifice that. Aquamarine supposedly vaporized the one in white. Now tell me, who do we know wear coloured capes, carry swords, and never shut up?”

 

“Ah! I know!” Brock exclaimed, “The Kaisers!”

 

“That’s right” said Ebi, “White Kaiser has been destroyed by Aquamarine, and Green Kaiser ran off, his tail between his legs. I’ll give Aquamarine credit, just this once” he said. “You know the case of all those kidnappings? It was a Kaiser operation, directed by KN-04, the guy known as ‘The Blue Kaiser’. Blue Kaiser’s the one with the Kaiser Beast that threatened to destroy the city, and he’s the one who… who killed Ash…”

 

Everyone looked at the ground, depressed about hearing of Ash’s death again. Brock spoke up, “So Ash’s murderer is Blue Kaiser!? That bastard… I’ll get him for that!”

 

“Cool it no-eyes” said Ebi, “Ash’s already been avenged. Goth came and did him in”

 

“Whoa…” everyone stared at Ebi, “How did you get all that info?”

 

“Not important. Anyways, while I know most of the story, I can’t help but feel I missed something important” Ebi shrugged, “Oh well. But I’ve got some darker news. You all know the Kaisers take in sacrifices within their temples?”

 

“Yeah, we know about that… but if a Super Fiend was fighting there , chances are  the whole thing must’ve been destroyed. I guess that means it’s all over, right?”

 

“Wrong” said Ebi, “The temple’s destroyed, but they’re still doing it”

 

 “HUH?” everyone gasped, “What?! How come!? There’s no reason!”

 

“That’s the point” said Ebi, “They are doing it for no reason. The mysterious deaths haven’t stopped, and even worse now is that they’re not bothering to take away the bodies, but leave them lying out in the open. They’re doing this all, for the sake of spreading terror among the people of this city, and they are doing a very good job.”

 

“AH…” everyone gasped.

 

“See how few people there are walking outside?” Ebi looked around. There was a fair number of people walking around, but much less than usual for a huge city like this. “The Kaisers have a strangehold on this city, and the authorities have no more power. The Cult rules it through fear. I really want to look for Misty and Gary, but we’d better focus on the task right in front of us. Freeing this place from the cult!”

 

“Right” Brock, Tracey and Amaebi agreed

 

“Let’s get into the pokémon centre” said Ebi, “Come.”

 

***

(Location- Kaiser Temple Fortanis)

 

“WHAT?!” the holographic image of the Kaiser Tyrant exclaimed

 

“Yes, it is true. KN-05 was murdered” Green Kaiser was on one knee, bowing before his leader which he spoke to through the holographic device. “We were not ambushed, we were challenged directly. We fought our fullest, and we were bested”

 

“This is impossible!” The Kaiser Tyrant growled, “First KN-04 Blue Kaiser, and now KN-05 White Kaiser. Our enemies are not simply on par with our knights… but capable of utterly destroying them?! Just what is going on?!”

 

“Our enemies know of our customs, and they have Chosen Ones among their numbers… the one that attacked us fought with strength on par with Red Kaiser” said Green Kaiser, “KN-04 and 05 have been killed in action and as a humiliation I was spared. Though I am still alive, I have been tainted with defeat, and…”

 

“Enough” said the Kaiser Tyrant, “Stand up Green Kaiser. A slave is the one that kneels, but not a warrior. True, we have faced losses, but you are not weak. Two of your brother knights have perished… it is a great loss, but do not falter. You, and KN-02 Red Kaiser are the remaining beacons of hope for the Cult… the fact that you are alive here and now show that our god indeed smiles upon you. Do not waste this blessing. Go and redeem yourself! Not by grovelling, but in the flames of battle! Go now… find the Chosen One’s comrades! Don’t just kill just them, but the entire city! Slaughter them all!” Green Kaiser bowed once more, and the holographic image of the Tyrant disappeared.

 

Green Kaiser walked though the ancient temple, ‘Fortanis’, Temple of Fortitude… The holy temple ruled by him. Located atop a high mountain ledge, it was a giant impenetrable stone fortress, to represent their unbreakable resolution. Among the knights, there were four holy temples, each one ruled by one them, each with a different form. The late Blue Kaiser, whose specialty lay in the fast and silent assaults and ending battles with a single piercing blow, his temple was hidden in the mountain, ‘Salvatis’, Temple of Salvation. The fallen White Kaiser, whose forces were dedicated the most to the development and training of Kaiser Beasts, his temple was located in a vast desolate desert, surrounding a shining oasis, ‘Vildars’, Temple of Purity… converting the savage wild Pokémon into noble and pure Kaiser Beasts. Red Kaiser had a great temple atop a plateau, overlooking the great plains known as Iron Valley. Iron Valley has been a place long avoided by travellers, with numerous stories of people who travelled there never being seen again. Red Kaiser, strongest of the Kaiser Knights, often hailed as the Warlord, legendary for his ferocity and savage nature in close combat, he commanded the vastest of the armies and focused on direct combat. He ruled ‘Korr Rajanta’… Temple of Divine Fury.

 

As Green Kaiser entered his chambers, he immediately bowed and paid his respects in his private chapel. As he opened his eyes, he drew his broadsword, gripping the handle tight as he looked at the blade. The once proud gleaming blade that tasted the blood of countless adversaries had large cracks running through it. Green Kaiser watched as the cracked blade shattered, and the pieces fell to the ground. He sighed, but his sadness was soon changed to anger. “RAAAH!” he shouted, throwing the broken sword on the ground, cracking the floor beneath him…! The humiliation of defeat and and the loss of two ancient comrades, White Kaiser and Blue Kaiser… “My brother knights…!” he spoke, trembling with fury, “I swear by my name, KN-03 Green Kaiser, Lord of Temple Fortanis… you shall be avenged!”

 

Green Kaiser immediately began to adorn himself with armour, which he would wear into battle… his old sword and shield had been destroyed, and he would don new weapons. As soon as he finished, he immediately burst through the doors of his chambers and stepped into the hall.

 

“L-lord Green Kaiser…!” A higher ranked cultist exclaimed, bowing his head, startled by his presence

 

“Mobilize the forces immediately, and prepare every Kaiser Beast available!” Green Kaiser shouted, “I want my army immediately!”

 

“Yes your lordship…” the cultist bowed

 

“As soon as they are mobilized, we move to Greyrock City! We shall reduce the city to rubble!” Green Kaiser shouted. As the cultists in the fortress began to arm themselves for battle, Green Kaiser clenched his fists. “That damned city is the place we lost so much… not just a temple, but Blue Kaiser and White Kaiser as well! Everyone connected to the murders of my brother… I shall punish them myself”

 

Green Kaiser wasn’t the only one making preparations. Hundreds of miles away, in the fortress of the Kaiser Tyrant… the ancient ruler of the cult walked through the dark citadels, accompanied by a retinue “Summon my transport!” he shouted.

 

The forces in Fortanis had mobilized as Green Kaiser commanded and they began their march towards Greyrock City… meanwhile, high in the sky, a black aircraft bearing the emblem of the Cult… the Tyrant’s personal transport, was flying south, to Sapphire Bay

 

***

(Location- Rainbow Reef)

 

Hidden somewhere within the Sapphire Bay resided the beautiful Rainbow Reef, home to Aquamarine, as well as some of the rarest water pokémon in the world. Below the surface of the water were corals that came in the seven colours of the rainbow. Aside from looking nice, these corals had special properties, yet because the location is unknown and the supply is so rare, only one who has lived here long enough would know anything about them, someone like Aquamarine. This being Aquamarine’s home, it would be easy to tell why he is so strong. Though this place is beautiful, the terrain with all the heavy waterfalls, jagged cliffs and many whirlpools made it treacherous. Merely surviving this place was an arduous task, one that required a lot of determination and patience…

 

“This is so STUPID!” Ash shouted over the noise of the several hundred litres of freezing water endlessly pouring onto him every second.

 

“Never mind that” said Aquamarine who was sitting nearby and watching. “Focus!”

 

“GRR…” Ash closed his eyes. He and Aquamarine were in a deep cave full of many crystal formations, springs and waterfalls. The water in the springs and falls ranged from very hot to very cold and in power, between a light trickle to a raging torrent. Right now Ash was sitting beneath one of the medium strength ones, which was already strong enough to crush a regular human, and the water was very cold. He was supposed to meditate or something, but it hard to breathe or think, and this was very, VERY irritating. “I’ve been at this for hours! Just what is this supposed to do?!”

 

“Dunno, I just see people do that in anime” Aquamarine shrugged

 

“WHAT?! YOU’VE HAD ME SITTING UNDER THIS FREEZING WATER FOR THREE HOURS FOR NOTHING?! WHY YOU- WAAA!!!” Ash got up but slipped…

 

THUD!

 

“OW!”

 

“I’m just kidding! Can’t you take a joke?” Aquamarine laughed, but saw Ash wasn’t laughing. Aquamarine sighed, “While you may be a beginner at this sort of thing, your body is very strong and you can tolerate being crushed and frozen very well. I was just testing you to see if you’d survive my training, but you are still a novice. It was more the boredom than the cold that made this so hard. You follow me?”

 

“No”

 

“Oh well” Aquamarine shrugged and handed him a towel, “Let’s step outside”

 

The two of them walked outside, covering their eyes a bit. After spending so much time in a dark cave, it was too bright for them out here. “So what is it now?”

 

“You remember in the past, you would beat me? The reason wasn’t simply because you grew strong, but I became weak. I let rage overcome me and I abandoned my judgement… attacking without any thought, all just so I could inflict pain, while forgetting my goals. You, you have a similar problem, but you’re not being driven by rage, but by hatred.”

 

“So?” Ash crossed his arms

 

“I came here in order to calm my soul and let go of all the rage I held within me, and that’s why I brought you here. But another difference is that I wanted to lose my rage and was willing to do all sorts of tough things, while you… you really don’t want to be here. You don’t pay attention and you don’t focus” said Aquamarine

 

“That’s right” said Ash, “I didn’t become a fighter so I could sit in waterfalls or learn yoga! I train one way, through fierce battles and lots of action!”

 

“Action eh?” Aquamarine smiled. He had an idea, “Let’s see, you want to get rid of your anger, AND you want action?”

 

“Yeah” Ash said, “But I doubt someone like you could do anything to help!”

 

“We’ll see about that” Aquamarine smirked

 

“Huh?” Ash stared at Aquamarine “What are you doing?” Aquamarine closed his eyes

 

“You want action?” The sky was growing dark as tremendous energy was gathering. Aquamarine’s eyes opened wide, “BLACK SQUALL!!!!!”

 

FWOOSH!

 

“WAAAAA!!!!!” Ash was sent flying miles into the air, and landing several kilometres away with a loud SPLASH!

 

“You get action!” Aquamarine called as he watched Ash in the distance.

 

“AGH! WAGH!” Ash was splashing and struggling to get out of the water. When Aquamarine sent him flying, he didn’t just land in the water, he landed in a whirlpool. He had a hell of a time trying to get out. “GRR… AQUAMARINE!” Ash screamed as he escaped. In the distance, there were the cliffs, and Aquamarine was sitting on top of it watching him. “WHAT WAS THAT FOR?! AH! WAAAAAA!!”

 

Aquamarine laughed as he saw Ash get pulled back into the whirlpool. Suddenly Aquamarine’s head jerked up when he sensed a familiar presence “Sky”

 

“Aquamarine” Sky Render nodded, “What is Ash doing?”

 

“Taking a little swim” answered Aquamarine, staring at the scenery, “Along with being blessed with much natural beauty, the Rainbow Reef is also chock full of hazards. If a non-water expert like Ash is swimming here, he’ll forget about all this troubles, and he’ll realize things can be a LOT worse.”

 

“But do you think this will actually work?” asked Sky Render, “I mean, you’re sure this is not just going to make him madder than he already is?” 

 

“Positive” said Aquamarine

 

“GOD-#$%^&*-HELL!! WHAT THE #*&%$ IS WRONG WITH YOU?!” Ash shouted

 

“Ah don’t mind the swearing. Sooner or later he’ll run out of breath and stop… or drown. Meh” Aquamarine shrugged, “Psychology man, it works”

 

“AQUAMARINE YOU !@#^$% BASTARD! WHEN I GET MY HANDS ON YOU, I’M GONNA ^?$@!# % TEAR OFF YOUR (!@#$?# AND SHOVE IT UP YOUR @#$%!!! YOU’RE A DEAD MAN AQUAMARINE!!! YOU ARE SO (!@#$?#-ING DEAD!!!”

 

Sky Render sweatdropped.

***

(Location- Greyrock City Pokémon Centre)

 

“You see, I found a way of identifying Kaisers. You know how they go for bionics and stuff? Most of them are low-classed without improvements, but they all carry a chip embedded in the back of their skull that acts as an invisible badge to show they’re Kaisers and indicate their ranks. They all have sensors designed to detect them”

 

“So how does this help us if we can’t see them?” asked Tracey

 

“I’ll get to that soon enough. Catch!” Ebi picked something up and tossed it to Tracey

 

“Whoa!” Tracey caught it, “What is this?”

 

“It’s called Ebi-Armour” answered Ebi as he took off his shirt and put one of them on. “These are high-resistant armours even better than the mesh and very light. I was intending to make them so they’re sown into our clothing like the normal mesh, but I didn’t get enough time, so you’ll have to wear it underneath for now. Sorry for the inconvenience.” He apologized, “Excuse me for a second, I gotta go get something!” he said as he pulled his regular shirt back on and walked out of the room.

 

“He doesn’t have to apologize for anything” said Tracey, it on. As he wore it, he hopped around a bit, “Whoa, these sure are light! I wonder how resistant they are…”

 

“GRRRR!” Brock growled, trying to rip his apart. “Gah!” he gave up and put it down, “If I can’t rip it, it has to be hard. Seeing how strong I am!”

 

“Are you really that strong?” asked Tracey, “I’ve never seen you fight”

 

“And I never saw you fighting either, that’s what’s so convenient. We’re stronger than before, and since no one’s seen us fight all out, no-one knows what we can do!” Brock laughed as he put his Ebi-Armour on, “Gotta hand it to Ebi! Tough as diamonds, light as air! Seeing how I’m not fast, I can finally stop worrying about dodging! The items he makes are not only really cool, but they let us concentrate on our strengths instead of our weaknesses! I’m actually starting to like the guy!”

 

“Of course” said Amaebi as she walked in after putting her Ebi-Armour on “Ebi always makes sure his equipment work at maximum efficiency!”

 

“Thanks!” Ebi stepped into the room, “By the way, take these!” he held up differently coloured three cell phones. The first one had stone colours granite and marble. The second had jungle colours, green and blue. The last one was pink with white clouds

 

“Hey, nice cell phones!”

 

“And they’re yours” said Ebi as he handed the granite-coloured one to Brock, the jungle coloured to Tracey, and the white and pink one to Amaebi. “These phones are waterproof, can be used anywhere in the world, can watch and record live TV, and download music (and I highly doubt any of you got any moral issues with that bit)”

 

“Whoa… thank you!”

 

“Don’t thank me yet. Turn them on!” said Ebi, and everyone did as they were told, “Important! Press MENU!” Several options came up. “Now press the MAP option!”

 

“Whoa!” they all looked at the screens. It looked just like the mini map on the EbiDex! It showed a perfect map of the city, and lots of blue dots everywhere. The blue dots were apparently the people, and the group were four green dots.

 

“You can scroll in all four directions or zoom in and out with those arrows there. Now exit by pressing END, then try MENU and the second option, DETECT!” said Ebi. When they did this, a compass rose appeared on the screen, “Okay, that’s the compass rose for detecting Kaisers. It will automatically start searching and beep whenever a Kaiser is detected. Those arrows will point you in the Kaiser’s direction, and blipping faster the closer you get. Do you understand?”

 

“Yes!” Everyone replied

 

“Now back to the main menu, and the third option, MARK.” This time the image of a crosshair aimer came onto the screen. “This one’s also important, and explain this more when we get outside, because our mission is a search and destroy… and violence might not be an option”

 

“Violence? But I’m not a fighter” said Amaebi

 

“That’s why I made yours extra special” Ebi smiled “You see that button that looks like a skull? Point it at Brock and press it”

 

“Okay…” she said doing what she was told…

 

FWOOSH!

 

“AAAAH!” Brock screamed, diving out of the way when a massive, fiery beam shot from the cell phone and hit the wall! There was a huge gaping hole there

 

“Not bad. You only missed him by an inch” Ebi smiled

 

“YOU BASTARD!” Brock roared, as Tracey held him back, “You just tried to kill me!”

 

“And almost succeeded too.” Ebi sighed, “You should practice some more sis, shoot at him a couple more times until you get the hang of it…”

 

“I get it Ebi!” Amaebi closed the phone… not wanting to get involved in her brother’s feud with Brock, “But thanks for giving me a weapon. It feels great to finally not to be defenceless anymore! But what about them?” she pointed at Tracey and Brock

 

“We’re fine with our weapons” said Brock flexed his muscles, “Along with my pokémon, I can protect myself and those around me with my matchless strength!” he reached over and grabbed a phonebook “GRRAAAH!”

 

RRRIIIP!

 

“AH!” Everyone gasped when Brock tore the phonebook in half!

 

“And with this frying pan of justice that I have concealed within my pants, I shall smite evil, bludgeon the bad, bash the Kaisers and be back in time to cook supper!” he pulled out his frying pan and struck a goofy pose. “OH YEAH!”

 

“…” Everyone sweatdropped and stared at Brock who still held his idiotic pose. But despite being silly, he was strong, REALLY strong.

 

“As for me…” Tracey turned around. A poster of a pokéball hung on that wall. “HA!” he threw a pen like a throwing knife and struck the poster right in the centre. Some small flies were buzzing around, and Tracey pulled out more pens threw them, nailing each one. He took a stance and held eight pens, one between each finger. “A quick eye and deadly precision. I can take care of myself, AND those Kaisers”

 

“Whoa…” Ebi and Amaebi stared at Brock and Tracey. They were amazing! “Well, I got my EbiDex, which has got weapons, transceiver phone and a Kaiser Detector, and I’ve got this” he held up his laser sniper rifle. “But for now, let’s go outside, I’ve got something to show you”

 

 “What is it?” asked Brock as they followed Ebi outside. “AH!” he yelped when someone walked into him, and Brock fell over. “OW!” his head hit the ground

 

Brock groaned and got up, the guy who bumped into him growled, “Watch where you’re going you blind idiot!” he slapped Brock as he walked off

 

“What did he call me?!” Brock growled. “Who does he think he is?! Bumping into me, insulting me and then hitting me! I am so gonna kick his…”

 

Ebi spoke up, “Now activate the detectors!” Everyone watched their screens. The arrow on the compass rose was flashing like crazy. “It’s picking up on something!”

 

Everyone turned around, and Brock growled. The arrow was pointing at someone all right, the guy who bumped into Brock!  “He’s a Kaiser!” Brock growled and rolled up his sleeves, “I’ll show him!” he was ready to pound his lights out…

 

“Hey, wait!” Ebi stopped him as the guy walked off

 

Brock growled, “Why did you stop me?! I was gonna teach him a lesson!”

 

“Don’t start picking fights before I finish the tutorial!” said Ebi

 

“Then what do we do?” asked Tracey

 

“Take out the cell phones, MENU and MARK” he said. “Aim it at the guy!”

 

“Okay” Said Tracey. The crosshairs picture came up, and he aimed his phone at the Kaiser Cultist. There was one beep, but nothing else. “It didn’t do anything!”

 

“Oh really?” asked Ebi, “Now look at the map!” When everyone did that, along with the four green dots, the hundreds of moving blue ones, there was a moving bright red one that stood out from them. “We’ve tagged this one, and no matter how much he runs he can’t hide. Look! He’s heading into an alley!”

 

“An alley eh?” Brock smirked, “There’s no witnesses there… I’ll be right back!”

 

“Uh… what exactly is he going to do?” asked Amaebi as Brock ran into the dark alley

 

“SO WHO’S THE BLIND IDIOT NOW?!” Brock’s voice was shouting

 

SMACK! BAM! POW! SMASH!!!!

 

Everyone sweatdropped as Brock stepped out of the alley, clapping his hands and looking quite pleased with himself, “Much better. You’d be surprised how slamming a guy with a dumpster is good for what ails you. Now Ebi, you were saying?”

 

“Uh…” Ebi sweatdropped, “Okay… remind me NEVER to make Brock mad again” Ebi rubbed his head, “Well, basically we’re going on a Kaiser hunt, and we need to remember the three T’s. Track, tag, and terminate. Always tag before attacking, so even if he runs off, we won’t lose him because he appears on our maps. I’ll be sitting on top of the roof with THIS ready, to pinch off any of them that is causing trouble or running away” he pointed at the roof of a building, “Track, tag, and terminate”

 

“All right…” Everyone sighed. This was going to be a big task, and a dangerous one as well. They would be facing many Kaiser Cultists, and this was something new to them, seeking their enemies among crowds of people.

 

“First Ash, then Gary, and now Misty. Our team is small and broken” said Tracey, “Barely a shadow of the once proud team we used to be”

 

“We’re not very strong, and we’re far from being the best, but we will never give up.” said Brock. At the same time, they all stood in a circle and held their hands out.

 

“We’re fighting a force beyond anything this world has ever seen.”  Said Amaebi, “We are hopelessly outnumbered and insignificant, but we’ll fight to the bitter end”

 

“The Kaisers are strong, far stronger than we’ll ever be, but we will continue to defend the innocent. We will never give up, because we’re a team. Not just a team… but like a family” said Ebi, “When we work together, nothing can stop us! We’ll find this evil wherever it’s hiding, and stop it! We are… the DIRE HUNTERS!”

 

***

(Location- Rainbow Reef)

 

Ash struggled and made it out of the whirlpool. He had to get out of this place! Just ahead was a rock sticking out of the water! Ash swam as hard as he could, and grabbed onto the rock, sighing in relief, he could rest for now…

 

Sky Render sat down on a rock while Aquamarine stood at the ledge, watching the battle. Sky Render saw Aquamarine smirk, “What’s so funny?”

 

“You see, I know all the safe spots and places you should and shouldn’t be, and that rock isn’t one of them.” Aquamarine looked at his watch “The annual Tentacool migration takes place in three… two… one…”

 

“OW-OW-OW-OW-OW-OUUUUCH!!!!!” Ash was screaming. Hundreds of Tentacools swam by him, brushing against him and stinging him intentionally or unintentionally, it made no difference it was painful, and Ash had no choice but to let go

 

Sky Render and Aquamarine burst out laughing. Sure, this was cruel, but they couldn’t help it! Aquamarine calmed down and spoke up again “He shouldn’t let go of that rock. It’s the only thing that’s keeping him from being pulled back into the…”

 

“WAAAA!!!!” Ash was pulled to the whirlpool again

 

Sky Render fought not to laugh long enough to ask Aquamarine “So can you tell me what the purpose of this training is?”

 

“Well I’m trying to get him to get rid of his anger and hate, starting with the anger part. Rainbow Reef may be a nice place, but you’d have a better chance surviving the inside of a volcano.” said Aquamarine “I’m just getting Ash to blow off steam, showing him that things can be way worse. Eventually he’ll stop getting mad. Eventually…” Aquamarine then pointed, “Watch closely, this is the best part”

 

“AAAAARGH!!! OW! OW! OW!!!” Ash was screaming. Now that he’s escaped the whirlpool, a large school of the piranha fish pokémon Carvanha were biting him all over. “GET AWAY! AGH! AAAAAAAAGHHHHH!!!!!”

 

“That looks painful!” Sky Render laughed, feeling slightly sorry for Ash, but amused

 

“Yeah, I know.” Said Aquamarine, “Still, I’d be more worried about the…”

 

“GYAAA!!!” Ash screamed when a bunch of hungry Sharpedoes chased him.

 

For the next few hours, Sky Render and Aquamarine were laughing their heads off. Sky Render sighed, “Well… that was fun, but Ash’s reached the shore. The fun’s over, and I’d better get going” he turned around and left

 

Down at the beach, Ash was panting as he finally stepped back onto land. He looked at his right arm and saw it was completely engulfed by a Sharpedo “DOWN! LET GO!” he shouted as he punched it again and again, but it didn’t let go. “I SAID GET OFF!” he picked up a rock and bashed it. The Sharpedo finally let go and fell into the water. He tossed the rock aside looked all over him. Many Carvanha hanging off his body by their teeth, “This ain’t no free ride! OFF!” he slapped off the piranha pokémon that were biting him. He looked back and saw there was one more hanging onto his butt by its teeth, “I SAID BEAT IT!” he slapped it off, and sighed. “Whew…” he was a bit relieved that the worst has passed, but he was extremely pissed. “GRR… that Aquamarine! This is his fault! He knocked me down there, laughing at me! He’s not getting away with that! I’m gonna…”

 

SPLASH!!!

 

“WAAAA!!!” he screamed as a huge wave came and pulled him back into the water, back to the waiting whirlpool, Carvanhas and Sharpedoes, “AH! AAAAAAAAAARGH!!!”

 

***

(Location- Greyrock City, Abandoned Warehouse)

 

“Looks like the mission was a success” said Amaebi. They were gathered in an abandoned warehouse so as not to draw any attention, what with the ton of cultists. After beating them, they captured them and tied them up.

 

“How many do we have? Fifteen… twenty…” Tracey was counting them

 

“More coming!” Brock said as he walked in, dragging some more captured cultists.

 

“Forty eight!” Tracey finished counting, “Pretty good if I do say so myself!”

 

“But guys? What do we do with them?” asked Amaebi

 

“Uh…” Tracey wondered. “I haven’t thought of that!”

 

“Loot them?” Brock suggested… helping himself to a number of their wallets…

 

“By the way, where’s Ebi?” asked Tracey

 

“He’s out on the rooftops… though he seemed to have left his sanity behind” Amaebi sighed, “I really worry about him whenever he picks up that gun…”

 

(Meanwhile)

 

ZAP!

 

“O YEA! I ROXOR U! TOTAL PWNAGE N00B! LOL!” Ebi shot the next Kaiser Cultist from the roof of a building. He aimed his EbiDex down at him, “Ebi Snare!” he said. From the EbiDex, some sort of cables shot down and ensnared the downed Cultist, and those cables pulled the cultist all the way up. Ebi smiled and ran to another corner of the building with his rifle when another Kaiser was detected. He shot it with his laser rifle and pulled it up with the Ebi Snare. There were a large number of captured Kaisers bound with cables. The cultists he fired on were either the ones that were in isolated spots, or causing trouble. He knew that people would panic if there was a sniper shooting down at people, so he was careful with his targets. He looked and saw another one, and picked up his rifle. He shot the cultist with stunner shots and then pulled him up with the snare. “15 cultists! WOOT!” he said triumphantly.

 

SCREECH! CRASH!

 

There was the sound of tires screeching, and cars crashing. Ebi looked in the distance and saw a bunch of guys standing there, and his detector was beeping, indicating those were Kaisers. Ebi sighed “Those guys, they never stop causing trouble!” he said as he tagged them and then held up his laser rifle. “Well I’ll put a stop to… HUH?!” Ebi gasped as he looked through the scope. Ebi panicked. He quickly hung up his rifle and ran as fast as he could, leaving his captives behind.

 

“GUYS!” Ebi shouted as he burst into the warehouse

 

“What is it?” asked Brock

 

“Trouble! (Wheeze) BIG! Big Beast… (Pant) Kaiser trouble…!” Ebi was gasping for air

 

“Slow down!” said Amaebi, “Now tell us, what’s wrong?”

 

Ebi sighed, calming down “We’ve got a situation… it appears (pant) cronies and cultists aren’t the only ones out there… two of them, not regular cultists, they’ve got Kaiser Beasts and doing major damage!”

 

“What!?” everyone exclaimed, “Kaiser Beasts?!”

 

“Yes…” said Ebi, “They’re wreaking havoc in the city! We’ve got to stop them!”

 

***

(Location- Greyrock City Streets)

 

The streets were in chaos, and people were panicking. In the middle of the road stood four men that no one had seen before, and they were causing absolute hell.

 

“Titanix… FISSURE!” The Beast Tamer shouted the command to his Kaiser Beast

 

“TITAAAN!!!” The Kaiser Beast Titanix was a gigantic serpent that resembled Steelix, but its bottom jaw was really huge, it’s body was long and its eyes had no colour. It dove into the ground under the mass of panicking people. With its strength, it created a huge split in the ground, tearing the earth apart…!

 

“Katanar, FURY SWIPES!” The second Beast Tamer shouted to his monster

 

“KATAN!!!” Katanar, which was the Kaiser Beast version of Scizor screeched as it shot forwards. Its claws gleamed in the light of the fire like the rest of its metallic body and slashed through anything that came in its way. Cars, trucks, and even an entire building had been sliced in half. Even if it were people getting cut down it wouldn’t have cared. Just like the other Kaiser Beasts, its eyes had no emotion, and this vicious killing machine had no remorse.

 

“Heathens, you shall pay for your sins!” the first Tamer shouted, “Bow down to your rulers, and DIE!!!!” he shouted as Titanix continued to destroy everything.

 

“Burn in the flames of the Kaiser Cult!” The second Tamer shouted as his Kaiser Beast, Katanar sped forwards and slashed into a fuel truck. There was a gigantic explosion as Katanar tore right through and continued its killing frenzy. “Is there not one of you with enough courage to fight us?!”

 

“There is!” A voice shouted. The two tamers turned and saw a teen standing there with a pokéball, “GO!” he shouted, releasing them

 

“He isn’t alone! I CHOOSE YOU!!” a female trainer also joined in

 

“We’ll fight to defend this city!” A third one joined, releasing all his pokémon

 

“So you all wish to die?” Asked the Katanar-controlling Tamer, “CUT!”

 

“KATAAA!!!!” The bug Kaiser Beast sped forwards with its sword-like talons…

 

-CLASH-

 

“AH!” The three trainers gasped, as in an instant it was over. Their pokémon fell to the ground, defeated by the Kaiser Beast…

 

“Now Katanar! FINISH THEM OFF WITH SLASH!”

 

“DOUBLE EDGE!!!!” a voice shouted. Katanar turned its head just in time to see…

 

CRASH!!!!

 

Katanar screeched as an Onix came and crashed into him, sending him flying.

 

“Huh?” the three trainers who stood up to the Kaisers turned and saw their saviours

 

“Looks like we arrived in a nick of time” said Brock as he held his frying pan, “RUN!” he shouted at them. They did as they were told and retreated.

 

“Those Kaiser Beasts sure did a number on the city!” said Tracey, also ready to fight

 

“That’s why we won’t let them get away with this!” Amaebi held her cell phone

 

“I’ll see to it myself!” Ebi’s laser rifle was slung across his back and his arms crossed

 

“So you wish to challenge us?” asked the first tamer

 

“Yeah, that’s right!” said Brock, “PREPARE YOURSELVES KAISERS!”

 

***

(Location- Shield Island)

 

Shield island was one of the smaller islands in Sapphire Bay, and there wasn’t much there. It was shaped roughly like a knight’s shield, but that was it. Ash was face flat in the sand on some beach. He wasn’t moving, or breathing for that matter. There were several seagull pokémon Wingull gathered around him, pecking at him. One of the seagull pokémon landed on his head and started pulling his hair. Suddenly, his body twitched a little. He woke up and raised his head as the Wingulls flew away, “PWUAGH!” he spat the sand out of his mouth, “Yech…” he sat on his knees, looking around, “Am I… on land?” he asked himself, feeling the ground, and looking around him. He was on a beach… he was back on dry land!

 

“YES!” He cheered as he jumped around. He didn’t feel angry or spiteful towards Aquamarine, the one who did this to him, but rather happy instead. “Whew… that was a good rest. It was cold and damp, but I couldn’t remember a better sleep” he said as he stretched a bit. He felt a bit sore and tired, but otherwise fine.

 

Ash stepped off the beach and further inland. The place was a rainforest type of place, and rather nice. After walking for about an hour, his clothes dried up and he pretty much explored this whole place. It was an island, and deserted by the looks of it. Ash sighed as he picked up some sticks and rubbed some rocks together. It was rather cold, and he decided that he’d crash for the night…

 

WHOOSH!!!!

 

“WA!” Ash exclaimed. What seemed to be a low-flying airplane shot just a few metres over him. The air knocked him over, and blew out his fire. Ash gasped as he looked at it. The aircraft looked extremely advanced. The engines were silent, which is why he hadn’t heard it coming, and it was SO fast! “That thing’s too advanced to be a military weapon…! What is it?”

 

The black aircraft turned so the cockpit faced him. It then climbed up into the air so it was high above him. A door opened up on the side, and a black figure stepped up. Ash could see it was human. The man dressed in black robes jumped out, rolling through the air, and landing neatly on his feet. The man turned to him.

 

“Huh?” Ash looked up and saw this strange man. He seemed pretty old. He had a white beard. There was a crown on his head that covered his eyes. In his hand, he held a beautifully made handcrafted staff. His robes had many symbols, which also looked quite similar to the hieroglyphics in the Kaiser Temple. Ash finally spoke up, “Who are you?” This old man did not answer his question. He simply aimed his staff at Ash. “UGH!” Ash exclaimed as he fell to his knees.

 

“No one may address me without bowing first” the old man spoke

 

“GRR… AGH!” Ash got up, panting, “Who… or WHAT are you?!”

 

“To a little wretch like you, it is master” he spoke coldly, “I am the Master of the Kaiser Cult… the Kaiser Tyrant, and I have come to destroy you!”

 

***

(Location- Greyrock City)

 

“Attack, Katanar!” Shouted the second tamer, and Katanar darted forwards to attack

 

CLASH!

 

“Scyther!” the green bug pokémon growled. Tracey was quick to call Scyther out, and Scyther had deflected Katanar’s slash attack with his own.

 

“Katan?” Katanar stared at the puny pokémon. It was about two feet shorter than him, and its exoskeleton was soft and weak compared to it! Katanar would show this puny pokémon version of itself that IT was the superior one.

 

“So this is gonna be Human and Pokémon vs. Kaiser Cultist and Beast. Biotic vs. Bionic in a full-fledged rupture battle!” said Brock, “In that case, I’ll only use Onix!”

 

“Great idea!” said Tracey, “Then it’ll be just me and Scyther!” he turned to his friends, “Ebi! Amaebi, stand back, this is our fight!”

 

Ebi and Amaebi both knew how these guys felt about wanting to fight, so they respected their wishes. They stood back. This battle was going to be intense…

 

“Do you think they can win this?” asked Amaebi, concerned

 

“I’m not sure” answered Ebi. “I don’t know exactly how strong are Brock and Tracey, and I know even less about those Kaisers they’re fighting.”

 

“But will they stand a chance” she asked, looking at those monstrous Kaiser Beasts

 

“I don’t know…” Ebi sighed sadly, “Just like the battle of Marble City, but even though I am still here, unless I fight, I can do nothing”

 

“Even if a weakling like you fought, you would still do nothing!” a voice spoke up

 

“What?!” Ebi growled and turned around, “You take that ba-AAAAH!!!!” he screamed.

 

“What is it Ebi?” Amaebi turned around and saw him too, “EEEEEEK!!!!”

 

“Ah… the terrified screams of a human, my favourite. What a wonderful greeting. At least you know some manners.” Green Kaiser smiled as he pulled out two swords.

 

“GRR…” Ebi and Amaebi growled. They both stood back and didn’t take their eyes off KN-03 Green Kaiser for a second.

 

Green Kaiser was dressed a bit different than usual. Instead of his usual green tunic, he was wearing a breastplate and gauntlets coloured green. His ‘Robin Hood’ hat was replaced with a golden war crown. From his neck like a pendant was a green and amber pokéball designed with symbols of leaves and forests, and inside that pokéball was his fierce Kaiser Beast. He didn’t have his broadsword today. Instead, in each hand he held a Bastard Sword (VERY big and heavy medieval swords) and Green Kaiser had one in each hand! Was he trying to provoke them with his strength?

 

Green Kaiser smiled. He could see the looks in their faces, and he decided to show off a little. He lifted his swords and twirled them skilfully, showing them many impressive techniques. He then whirled around and swung his swords at a nearby car. Up, down, left, right, and then he pulled them back. The vehicle fell into eight clean-cut pieces. He then turned to them and smiled evilly

 

Ebi and Amaebi jumped back. Amaebi took out her cell phone and aimed it at Green Kaiser.  “Ebi sword…!” Ebi spoke, calling up beam sabre from this EbiDex

 

“Oh, you wish to fight me then? How nice of you to give up your lives so I could have some fun!” said Green Kaiser as he took a fighting stance, “I, Lord KN-03 Green Kaiser, Knight of the Kaiser Cult accept your challenge! And as a gift, I won’t let you die! Once I have defeated you and conquer this wretched city, I will see to it that you enjoy a long and agonizing torture, before I personally offer you all as sacrifices to the Kaiser God!”

 

This is it. This is the ultimate decisive battle that could determine the fate of Greyrock City. Brock, Tracey, Ebi and Amaebi are fighting powerful Kaiser Beasts as well as the mighty Kaiser Knight, Green Kaiser, and Ash is face to face with the Master of the Cult, the Kaiser Tyrant! Will our friends survive this battle? Will Misty find Ash? Can the ‘Dire Hunters’ stand up to the might the Kaisers long enough to be reunited once more? Find out next time on Pokémon: Shadow of the Deceiver!

 

►TO BE CONTINUED