So here we are, chapter 35, the last chapter of The Betrayed Champion. I'm gonna be honest, wasn't always sure that I'd ever be writing those words, there were times when I didn't think I would finish this fic and other times where I would just keep shelling out chapters for as long as they let me. But all good things must come to an end so here it is folks the last chapter, enjoy.
Important announcement at the end of this chapter regarding my new fic.
Disclaimer: Do people still do this, it's pretty stupid huh?
Oh and feel free to check out my tumblr, I made it on a whim and well I'm a bit lonely on there so check the link on my profile page :D
Ash wanted to keep reading the rest, he knew he had to, but those first two sentences alone had him in shock. "The...true story?" Ash thought to himself as he rook a gulp of air to steady himself. Shaking his head and not letting his mind run too wild he kept on reading.
'Reliving all of those memories and putting it on paper is harder than you can imagine, but you deserve to know the truth Ash, and it's why you'll get it all. I guess I should start from after I became the Champion of Kanto, I was on top of the world and I was untouchable, people even said I was a Pokemon Master. Any normal person would be happy about all of that right? Fulfilling your dream, becoming the best of the best, you saw how badly I wanted all of that. Yet once I had the whole world in my hand, I felt like it wasn't enough. Those titles of Champion and Master were just that to me, a title. What I really wanted, was to get better, even more stronger and powerful than I already was and this was more than just a goal of mine, it was an obsession. It ate at me day in and day out, kept me up at night, but the worst thing it made me do, was make a deal with the devil.'
Ash took a deep breath as he finished reading that paragraph, as a kid Red always seemed so upbeat and happy about it all, yet he realizes now that he couldn't see past the mask Red wore. That those dark circles under his eyes and sometimes irritable behavior was because of the fact that he wasn't satisfied with what he had, Ash had to keep reading.
'I was out training one morning, in a place where I only knew of, where I could have some time alone, I nearly jumped out of my skin when I heard her voice. It was cold and and hard, her silver hair matching her icy demeanor, I didn't know why she was there, but I would soon find out. She never gave me her real name, rather she went by the name, Hunter J. Nothing about her seemed right and I was just about ready to kick her out when she offered me a proposition. She said that she had been watching me for the past few weeks and saw fire and passion in me to become better and stronger, that it was admirable and that she could help me. I brushed her off at first, not taking her seriously, but the more I thought about it, the more it crept into my head and corrupted it. Power the likes of which no one had ever seen, all I had to do, was trust her. I couldn't pass that up, I'd never get any sleep if I did, so I took her up on that offer, but she wanted me to do something for her first. By this time she had me hook line and sinker and she knew that she could get me to do almost anything in exchange for the promise of more power, so when she told me that all I had to do was catch a Pokemon called Celebi that I had never heard of, I took it in a heartbeat.'
"Hunter J..." Ash knew personally how she was never up to any good and with her involved he knew she had something to do with all of this. He had never come against anyone as ruthless and vile as her, he continued reading.
'She sent me to the Ilex Forest and gave me a picture of the little green thing and a unique pokeball called the GS Ball to capture it, I wasted no time as I raced over there, neglecting my duties as champion. But that didn't matter to me as I searched up and down, day and night for that thing. Just the snap of a branch would get my heart racing and my blood flowing. But after two weeks of searching 24/7 for Celebi I started to think that maybe I had just been played, that there was no such Pokemon. I started to give up and decided to just keep training, that's how I would get better, that was until I saw something out of the corner of my eye. There on a branch eating a berry was the Pokemon that had tortured my mind, Celebi, I had to capture it. Not being noticed by it I silently but quickly called out my Venusaur and Pikachu having already told them my exact instructions they knew what they had to do. Pikachu went and stood on the opposite side of me so that we had Celebi covered from it's front and back, that's when the plan started. With a combination of Pikachu's attacks and moves I was able to distract Celebi enough where by the time that it realized that I had told Venusaur to use Sleep Powder, it was too late. With its eyes droopy and senses dulled Pikachu was able to hit it with a volt tackle, knocking it out just long enough for me to catch it with the GS Ball.'
All of this information that Ash was receiving was messing with his head, Hunter J, the GS Ball, he was connected to almost every part of Red's story in one way or another. He remembered being so frustrated with that thing, nothing they could do could ever get it open and since he had dropped it off with Kurt he had received he had heard no word of it which didn't seem like a good sign. Bracing himself for what was written next he calmed himself down and continued reading.
'Finally having Celebi captured in that gold colored ball was a relief like no other, I could go back to J and claim that power that was rightfully mine. Everything seemed right for once, at least that's what I thought until I heard a voice in my head. I couldn't believe it when I heard Celebi talking to me while in the GS Ball, I thought that maybe the lack of sleep was getting to me, but no, it was really Celebi and boy was I in for a treat. It talked about how it had encountered J before and that giving it to her would lead to nothing good as she would use its powers for evil. I was blinded by my thirst for more power that I thought that it was just saying that to get me to release it, I wasn't buying it so I kept on my way until finally I reached J's hideout. She seemed surprised but pleased with my accomplishment, I was all but ready to hand her the keys that she needed to take over the world, but Celebi's words stuck with me so I had to at least ask what she was gonna do with it. She started rambling on and on about nonsense and things to try and convince me but I realized in that moment that Celebi was right, the good of humanity outweighed my selfish needs of power. I tried releasing Celebi from the GS Ball but it was hopeless, only J could get it open. Slowly but surely I realized that J had brought some grunts of hers as company and I was completely surrounded. I would have been all but dead had the wall beside me not exploded to reveal Team Rocket and with it Giovanni in the flesh.'
'There was some obvious bad blood between Giovanni and Hunter J and I didn't want any part of it. Giovanni said that he knew what J was up to and that if anyone was gonna take over the world it was gonna be him. He told me to run and get as far away as possible as he took care of things. I took that offer in a heartbeat as I ran through the hole that had been created and fled the scene. Still though in the distance I could hear J's evil maniacal laugh as she said that no matter how far I ran, Celebi would be hers. I didn't even take a second to look back as I ran and ran until my legs were numb with pain, the lack of sleep and the exhaustion that my body had taken physically and mentally overwhelmed me. Without even a seconds warning I passed out in the middle of the forest, far away from all the trouble behind me.'
Reading all of that sent shivers down Ash's spine, even till this day he could still hear J's voice ring through his head even though she was long gone by now. But what piqued his interest the most was hearing about Giovanni, "So that's how they met," Ash said to himself as he pictured Giovanni in his head and wondering how he was holding up in that jail cell. Taking a deep breath he delved right back into the letter.
'Waking up after my body forcefully shut itself down wasn't any fun, everything was hurting and I could barely move a muscle. I tapped my pocket just to make sure the GS Ball was still there and safe and I was relieved when I could still feel it. Forcing myself up to my feet I realized at that moment, more than anything even the power I so desperately desired, I just wanted a nice home cooked meal and a bed to sleep on. Calling out my Charizard I flew directly back home to see you and our mom. It didn't take long to get back and just the thought of a nice home cooked meal made my stomach grumble, I was just about ready to go to sleep too but that all changed when I opened the door and saw what was inside waiting for me.'
'The first thing that caught my eye was the light of blade gleaming right at me. I just wish that was the only thing worthy of catching my eye at that moment, but I saw just as I opened the door our mother sitting down in a chair with a knife to her throat with J holding the damn thing. My heart skipped a beat at that moment, my selfish actions had caught up to not only me but my family as well. J looked at me right in the eye as she pressed that knife to our mom's skin and demanded the GS Ball. I'll never forget how our mom cried out, begging me not to do it, that J had told her what she was gonna do and that to not comply with her even if it meant her death. Those few seconds of uncertainty were toughest of my life, clutching onto that ball so tightly I had her life literally in my hands. Even though I knew what the repercussions would be, I couldn't just let J kill her while I kept the GS Ball to myself. Agreeing to J's demands I tossed the ball to her lobbing it so that it was almost like a sky hook it went so high, that's when I started my plan.'
Ash's eyes started to feel the affect of all of this as they slowly started to water up as he had kept reading. At this point it was almost as if Ash's whole life had been turned upside down, all he ever knew was that Red killed his mother, but reading what he wrote, maybe he had been misled this entire time. With his hands that held the papers in front of him beginning to shake he shook his head and cleared his mind as he set his eyes back on what was written.
'As J had her eyes set on the ball I called out Pikachu, my quickest pokemon and told him to Volt Tackle without any hesitation. Well...it didn't work. I'm so sorry Ash. J was too quick and I thought Pikachu could get to her in time, but he didn't and she slit our mom's throat.'
Ash sat there, still, not moving a single muscle. He wanted to read more but his eyes wouldn't let him at that moment, all this information was something he could barely handle, the hatred and grudges that he had lived for, how could they have been wrong all this time? Or maybe this was just Red's one last time at messing with him, nothing seemed right in his head as he didn't even try to make sense of all of this until after he finished reading, so that's what he continued doing.
'Everything at that moment moved in slow motion for me, seeing Pikachu running at J, our mom falling to the ground with blood pouring out of her neck, and J's evil grin as she looked so satisfied of herself. I didn't care about the GS Ball anymore as I ran to our mom's side as Pikachu was able to get a direct hit on J, flinging her back onto the wall. I held her in my arms, not able to do a single thing, I felt so hopeless. Tears were streaming down my face as I screamed and cried about how sorry I was. With whatever energy that was left in her she put her finger on my lips to quiet me down and she smiled one last time as the life in her left her body. She was gone. Holding our dead mothers body and covered in her blood, that moment broke me. I screamed into the heavens releasing every feeling inside of me and everything I had, at that moment though, something unleashed inside of me that had laid there, waiting for its opportunity to take control and it did. For the first time my aura had been activated as I was surrounded in it's blue glow, almost robotically I got up from that position and picked up the blade that J had used to strike down our mother. I remember seeing the fear in J's face as I walked towards her, deep down I loved seeing that and wanted to see her suffer. She cried and pleaded with me but I didn't pay attention to a single word she said. With all the rage and hatred inside of me I slammed my fist into her face, her blood gushing everywhere as she was sent into the wall, that wasn't even close to being enough. I grabbed her by her throat and held her up against the wall, gripping that knife so tightly I went to end her life but that's when you and Oak showed up.'
'You screamed my name, breaking me from the rage filled trance I was in, giving J just enough time to escape past me. She started running towards you two and I was afraid she would do the same to you guys that she did to our mom, but she didn't. She played the victim card and cried that I was the one responsible for everything. Suddenly I was aware of how bad everything looked, my blood stained clothes, holding J by her throat, the knife in my hand, everything pointed to me. I turned and saw Oak already calling the police, and then I saw you. Kneeling beside our mother, crying your eyes out, I went to comfort you, I wanted to tell you the truth, but you looked at me dead in the eyes with hatred spewing out of them, calling me a monster and all sorts of bad things. I was crushed, destroyed, in less than a few moments I had lost my entire family, everything that was important to me was gone. I had to get out of there, I was on the verge of a mental breakdown. Calling out Charizard with Pikachu by my side he busted a hole in the roof and flew out of there, I remember seeing you there, one last time before I turned my head and looked away, knowing I had failed you as an older brother. I wasn't thinking straight at all at the moment so when I noticed Pikachu holding the GS Ball in his hands I grabbed it and chucked it into the ocean as far as I could, just looking at it made me sick.'
Splash
That's the sounds that were made when the tears running down Ash's face hit the paper. He remembered everything Red had said so vividly, how he walked in and saw him holding up that silver haired girl by the throat, the knife in his hand, the blood, so much blood. He hadn't realized that Hunter J was the same person he saw all those years ago, he thought about how much he hated him, how he kept that with him all the way to his death, he had been wrong the entire time. But he still had one more question in his head that he needed answered, why did he work for Drew three years ago and why did he fight him to the death? Wiping away the tears he knew the answer was in here somewhere so he just had to keep reading until he found it.
'That's the true story of what happened to our mom, I just wish it hadn't taken me so long to tell you the truth. Now you might be wondering, why didn't I say any of this earlier? Why did I screw you over three years ago? And why did I agree to a fight where I planned on dying? Because I needed your help, because I knew you were the only one that could stop the other side of me that needed to be stopped. I told you earlier that seeing our mom died broke me, it made me snap and it unleashed a part of me that even I can't control. A sick, dark twisted part that takes control and does evil things like frame you and even work for Team Rocket for a time. That sick part of me has wanted to take you out for a long time but I wouldn't let it do it, that's the only thing I could stop it from doing. But I knew you were gonna come looking for me, so I took it as an opportunity for you to get all your hatred out and for me to get rid of this evil part of me, and myself. This might not make much sense to you, but trust me when I say this was the only way for me to finally be happy, and you did that for me Ash, thank you. There's so much more I wish I could have done for you, but I guess the best I could do was give you closure to thing I caused. I'm proud of you Ash or Alpha or however you want to call yourself, for doing what I never did and surrounding yourself with people who love and care for you, power doesn't matter hen you don't have anyone to share it with. Goodbye Ash, and thank you.'
For once while reading this Ash didn't feel sad, angry, confused, not of that, his eyes were dry and his face had a smile across his face. That last line of Red's letter had really resonated to him as he looked outside the window and saw them all on the ranch. A sense of relief and finality washed over him as he jumped out of bed and left the pieces of paper on the stand next to him as he stretched out his aching limbs and walked outside to greet them. The group instantly saw him walk out and ran to him as they had been waiting.
With his hands in his pockets on this nice sunny day he smiled and looked at the group as they waited for him to speak, "Look, a week ago I was a loner who didn't care about anyone except himself and his pokemon, I thought that that was all I needed. But now, I stand before you all and realize that the life I was living before wasn't worth living, this life right here, I wouldn't trade it for anything in the world. You guys have stuck with me through all the crap that I've put you through, you're all either idiots, or the best friends I've ever had."
The group was taken aback by Ash's comments, they were caught a bit off guard but they all couldn't help but smile, "Through thick and thin, we're always here," Brock proclaimed.
Ash chuckled lightly a bit hearing that, "So what's next Ash?" Dawn asked.
"Yeah," May chimed in, "gonna finally have that battle with Cynthia that you're long over due for?"
Ash furrowed his brow for a moment and afterwards shook his head, "Nah, I'll always have that offer on the table for later, besides I don't want to be tied down as the Champion, at least not yet."
"Well what do you want to do then?" Jimmy asked.
Ash smiled as he looked at Pikachu and Lucario, "You guys up to travel a new region, I here Kalos has some tough competition right now?"
His two pokemon happily agreed, salivating at the idea of battling gym leaders. "What about you guys?" Ash said taking his eyes off of his pokemon and to the rest of the group. "I could use some company."
May didn't hesitate for a second as she walked up from the group, "Traveling around with you again? I wouldn't miss that for the world."
"Yeah," Brock exclaimed, "I've been through four regions with you, lets make it five."
Paul thought for a second and shrugged his shoulders in response, "Might as well go with you to show you how things really are done."
Hearing that Paul was going Dawn's head instantly picked up, "We have two trainers, a breeder, and a coordinator in this rag tag group of yours, well make that two coordinators," Dawn happily joined in.
They had all walked over and stood by Ash, everyone except Jimmy who was just looking at the ground, "What's up Jimmy?"
Jimmy quickly pulled his head up as grinned a big goofy smile, "Well I really haven't had the chance to tell you yet but I can't be apart of your little team that you got hear cause I got someone back home waiting for me."
Ash instantly remembered who he was talking about, "Marina, right? Well then what are you doing wasting your time here?" Ash said with no malice in his voice.
"Yeah, I guess I should head out now," Jimmy said calling out his flying pokemon. "See you around Alpha...I mean Ash, still getting used to calling you that."
Ash laughed nervously as he saw his partner in crime depart from them into the sky until he was nothing more than a tiny speck in the distance.
Looking into the distance Ash could see his old house, all broken down now from the battle that had been engaged in it, looking even further back he could see the grave that held his mothers body and unknowing to him right next to it was another freshly dug up grave, one that contained Red. Ash took it all in and went to open his mouth to say one last thing but a newspaper sticking out of Paul's back pocket got his attention.
"Hey Paul," Ash calmly said.
"Yeah Ash?" Paul replied.
Pointing to the newspaper, "What's that headline on the newspaper say?"
Reaching his hand behind him Paul pulled it out and unfolded it, "Oh yeah, the media figured out thanks to Cynthia the truth about what happened three years ago. They're calling you, The Betrayed Champion."
Ash furrowed his brow for a moment, "The Betrayed Champion...well that's the dumbest thing I've ever heard."
So finally after three years, it's over. I'm gonna be honest this is actually hard for me to write, to say goodbye to this fic and all of you guys that have supported it. Seriously, thank you to anyone who has ever reviewed good or bad and that has stuck through my inconsistent updates, you guys are the best. I had more planned to say, but this feels right just leaving it like this, thank you everyone.
So regarding my new fic, I'll be posting the first chapter next Friday on August 29th and I'll be needing plenty of OC's so be on the lookout for that. To give a quick synopsis it'll involve a lot more aura than in this fic and expect a rebellion to uprise led by Ash and another aura user. There will advanceshipping and amourshipping, which one it will end in, who knows.
Oh and one last time, if you haven't reviewed yet, now would be the best time. Tell me how you thought of this fic as a whole and all that jazz good or bad. Was it worth waiting for three years to see the end? Thank you everyone and look for my next fic next friday.