When a life fades away

38. All together for a bright future

Welcome back to "When a life fades away", as the battle is raging, we are approaching the end of the book. Hope you will like the Climax and let's jump straight into it.

Ash was completely befuddled. A dark portal had emerged out of nowhere, at the exact moment he and his Pokémon thought they had finally won, only to let the cloaked man and his devious Roaring Moon out and shoot at Laventon.

He still had to take down Volo and the cloaked man: "It has to be a nightmare" whispered Ash to Pikachu. The mouse Pokémon was shocked at least as Ash upon the revelation.

"So... you're not... the same person" commented the hurt professor between coughs, "I had the suspect..."

"You're wise, coward" spat the cloaked man through his mask. "The difference between my goals and ideals and this good for nothing's one is tremendous."

Ash could see Volo's face itching at the comment and assuming a more dangerous aspect.

"WHAT DO YOU WANT?" shouted Ash, nodding to Adaman who was tying Laventon to Braviary's back in order to get him to safety.

"Isn't that obvious?" commented Volo cockily before being shut by the cloaked man who stretched his arm as for claiming quietness. The blonde man was boiling by now.

"You, you Ash Ketchum of all man. You should already know... It has been so long. How many days of torture and pain I had to suffer because of you and your friends..."
"What?" Ash asked. So he was supposed to know him.

"You, you that took down my plan, my dream for a new world... Now I'm here, free from the world of darkness you put me in. I was so destroyed to think that was the perfect world... But it was only distortion, pain, and subjugation" the cloaked figure told Ash, his hands and his gaze raising as if he was in the middle of a solemn speech, his left foot trembling. Ash could see now that his body was full of tics.

"I don't know by what mean, but I managed to escape, to gather the strength for an act of revenge, gather a powerful ally, and then I put my plan in motion. So many years alone. I spent so much time planning for my comeback. And now, I'm here again, on this very same mountain again. No one can help you. I'll only need to kill you and then I will create my own reign in this Hisui region. And by changing this era, the whole present world will fall into my possession. I and this idiot will reign forever in past and future!"

Ash had understood the idea but the long proclaim was making him bored and even more angry, an emotion he didn't usually feel.

"YOU WILL PAY FOR WHAT YOU DID ME SO MANY YEARS AGO KETCHUM. BY KILLING YOU I'LL ACHIEVE BOTH MY PLAN FOR RESHAPING THIS ROTTEN WORLD AND COMPLETE MY REVENGE!"

He then grabbed his mask, ripping it from his face, revealing his true features. Cold, blue, piercing eyes, blue hair, defined cheekbones. There was no doubt about this man identity even if half of his face showed a profound scar.

Pikachu gasped as well as Ash: "There's no way..."

In the meantime, Adaman had heard the speech while sending Braviary, with Laventon on his back to safety.

.....

Akari wasn't being able to contain herself even in such a battered state. She was about to jump when Pikachu pulled through Roar of Time and Greninja managed to break the Red Chain.

She was so happy when she saw Ash's serene gaze at the sky and was relieved when the rift that had scarred Hisui's skies for so long had finally disappeared. But, to her horror, another portal had emerged and poor Professor Laventon was shot. She gasped and then cried at yet another front tipping. She saw Ash looking lost, her heart-shattering in the process.