Chapter 10: Ken vs Ash

A few days after the little rescue escapade in the factory dome, Davis was gearing up for his soccer playoff match on Sunday against the champion team of last year's playoffs, led by the genius kid, Ken Ichijouji. Though before they could leave Davis, Kari and the rest saw Ash in the middle of the soccer field.
"Man, this takes me back to my time back in Alola." Ash said as he then picked up a nearby soccer ball, threw it into the air and flip kicked it into the net. Not only was Davis surprised by that, but the rest of the soccer team and the coach. Kari and Tai knew of his skills in soccer because they were interested in his journey. Davis soon walked up to him.
"Hey Ash. I have to say, that goal was awesome!" He said as Ash smiled.
"Thanks Davis." Ash said as Davis's expression became more serious.
"Ash, I know this may seem sudden. But, would you do me the honours of joining the soccer team. We could really use your help." He requested as Ash was a little surprised by that, but then smiled.
"Are you sure Davis? I mean, it seems a little late for a new player to join a team right before the playoffs." Ash said as Davis nodded and then the coach walked up to them.
"Ash, right? Honestly, Davis is right. We could really use the help. And you know the old saying; 'the more, the merrier.'" The Coach said as Ash's smile grew.
"Alright then, if it's no inconvenience." Ash said as the team nodded. The coach then gave Ash a soccer jersey with the number 07 on the back.
Location Change: Kamiya's Apartment
After Ash was recruited to Davis's soccer team, the team then separated and all left for their separate homes. Kari was with Ash in his room.
"You think you and Davis can beat the champions?" She asked as Ash shrugged.
"I don't know, but we can sure try. But I can't wait to see cousin Ken again." Ash said as Kari smiled, walked up to him and pressed her lips against Ash's. He then returned her kiss with one of his own. She then pushed him to the bed, pulled the blankets over them and after a few minutes of kissing, they fell asleep in each other's arms.
'When the game rolls around, I'll show you a surprise that I've had for a while Ash.' Kari thought before sleep finally took hold of her. Though Gatomon and Pikachu were still awake.
"Yep, those two are meant for each other." Gatomon said as Pikachu nodded.
"Pika. (Yeah, I know.)" Pikachu squeaked as Gatomon then thought for a second.
"Maybe it was destiny that they were meant to be a couple." She said as Pikachu shrugged.
"Pika pi. (Maybe, maybe not.)" He squeaked as they soon curled up together and slept.
Timeskip: Sunday Afternoon/Location Change: Soccer Field
The time for the big soccer game was now. Ash, now in his new jersey, was stretching beside Davis.
"You ready Ash?" Davis asked as Ash smiled.
"You know it Davis." Ash said as Davis nodded. They then turned to see Tai, Yolei, Cody and the rest of the team all present, cheering them on. Though they noticed two were missing, Kari and Lillie. But soon, they heard their voices.
"Hi Ashy poo." Kari said.
"Oh Davis~" Lillie said, almost singing his name. The boys then turned and blushed as they saw their girlfriends both dressed in cheerleader outfits.
"Wow Kari, you look beautiful." Ash said as Kari smiled.
"I wore this just for you Ash so that way I could cheer for you with all I've got." Kari said as Ash's blush became more prominent.
"And I had the same reason for you Davis. So go and give it everything you've got!" Lillie said as she shook her pom poms around as Davis's blush became more prominent, but they both soon smiled.
"Thanks girls. Do either of you mind watching DemiVeemon and Pikachu for us?" Ash asked as the girls nodded and Pikachu and DemiVeemon jumped onto their partners girlfriend's shoulders.
"Oh, one more thing Ash." Kari said as Ash turned back to her. She walked up to him and kissed his lips, then moved her head to his ear. "Good luck." That alone made Ash explode with blush as she then turned back to the stands and walked. Soon a bus rolled up with groupies waiting in front of it.
"Enjoy the attention while it lasts pal." Davis said as Yolei was exploding with excitement as she was compressing Poromon. 'When I woke up this morning, I was just a normal kid. But when I go to bed tonight, I'll be king of the world.' He thought as T.K was getting a little worried about him.
"I hope Davis hasn't gotten in over his head." He said as Iris then sighed.
"What a kid." She said as Fracture nodded. As the opposing team was getting off the bus, they then noticed one thing, Ken was not on it.
'Tai thinks I've gotten in over my head, but I'll show him.' Davis said as the bus door then closed. "Where's Ken?"
"Coach was sure that this was Ken's team right?" Ash asked as Davis nodded. Then they walked over to the opposing team.
"Excuse me. But do you know when that Ken kid is gonna be here?" Davis asked as one of the players elaborated.
"Well he's got a soft drink commercial to shoot and a meeting about having a soccer ball named after him." Random Boy #1 said.
"Ken hardly ever has time to play soccer anymore." Random Kid #2 said as Davis was a little disappointed, but Ash was more disappointed.
'Aww man. I thought I was finally gonna see my cousin again.' Ash thought as they then heard Tai's voice.
"Hey guys, can we talk?" He asked as Davis and Ash ran to him. "Even if Ken doesn't show, his teammates are still champions, if you're not careful, they end up using you as soccer balls." Ash and Davis then nodded and soon got into position, then soon, the whistle blew and the game started.
'Even if Ken isn't here, I gotta prove that I can be a living legend!' Davis thought as he and Ash were running beside each other. When the green team had control of the ball, Ash moved past him and stole the ball and raced for the net, kicked and scored the first point. The play soon resumed, Davis then bashed his head against the ball in midair and it launched past the goalie, scoring the second point. Kari soon took a picture of Ash scoring the third goal with a Tai-Kwon-Do style sidekick.
"The picture's coming out" She said as she then grabbed the photo and saw her boyfriend in action and held it over her heart. "I'm never losing this." She then kissed the picture, soon the game was now at half time with the score being 3-0 for Ash and Davis's team.
"You two were simply amazing out there." Lillie said as Davis smiled.
"Thanks Lillie. We so kicked butt out there." Davis said as DemiVeemon looked up to them.
"Yeah, and you kicked the ball really good, too." He said as Ash smiled.
"Yeah, that too." Ash said.
"You both nailed your shots well boys." Brock said as Tai then threw his opinion into the mix.
"Brock's right, but you guys only lead by three points and Ken could still show up at any moment." Tai said as Ash and Davis nodded.
"We can't let our guard down Davis." Ash said as Davis nodded.
"Hey, if your cousin is nicknamed 'The Rocket,' maybe we should call you 'The Volt' Ash." Mairin said as Ash smiled at that and Kari mentally took that to heart.
"Don't forget about Davis, maybe he should be called 'The Fireball.'" Alain said as Davis smiled.
"Thanks Alain." He said as they soon heard girls shriek to see that Ken had arrived via taxi. Ash was soon happy to see Ken again.
"Ken, down here!" Ash shouted as Ken saw him and smiled and walked down to him.
"Well, well, well. I never thought I would see you again Ash. Good to see you." Ken said as he raised his hand to him and Ash then shook it.
"Likewise cousin." Ash said as Ken's attention then turned to Kari.
"You as well Kari." Ken said as Kari then smiled. His coach then decided to put him in the game. The play resumed as Ken went off like a blur and took the ball and scored his team's first point. That alone shocked everyone, even Tai, Alain, Gladion and Brock. Ash soon bounced back and scored the next goal of the second half. Though Ken helped his team catch up fast and were basically tied with Ash and Davis. There were a few seconds left in the game and Davis was running with the ball with Ken quickly, but Ash was right behind him.
"Davis, kick it backwards! Trust me!" Ash yelled as Davis then kicked it backwards over Ken and to Ash. He then launched the ball into the air with his leg and soon the same red aura from two chapters ago reappeared. "Now, IT'S TIME TO RISE!" Ash shouted as he then back flipped and kicked it into the goal. Ken's team still had ten seconds to score a goal to put it into overtime. Ken was holding the ball and closed in on the net, but then Ash slid in and not only kicked the ball away, but also scratched Ken's leg.
"Not bad of a move Ash! Have a nice trip Ken, see ya next fall!" Tai said as the ball rolled out of bounds and the ref called the game was over and Ash and Davis's team won by one point with a score of 5-4. Ash and Davis then chest bumped at that.
"We did it Ash, we beat him!" Davis said as Ash smiled.
"Yeah we did!" Ash said as he then saw Ken smiling at them. "Davis come on, this way." He and Davis then walked up to Ken. "Sorry about your leg Ken."
"Don't worry, I barely felt it. I was too busy trying to score goals." Ken said as Ash nodded.
"Nice to meet ya Ken. I'm Davis." Davis said as Ken smiled.
"Nice to meet you Davis. I was obviously too focused on goals that I didn't keep a watch on my surroundings. But I have to say, you and Ash seem like worthy rivals. Until we meet again, both of you." He said as he raised his hand to Davis and Davis quickly shook Ken's hand.
'Worthy rival.' Davis thought as Ash then hugged Ken and Ken hugged him back. They soon separated after a second.
"Say hi to auntie and uncle for me, okay Ken?" Ash said as Ken nodded.
"Sure thing Ash, see you later." Ken said as he walked back to his team.
Timeskip: The Next Day/Location Change: Computer Room
After school, the team gathered together to see that there was a new control spire in an area surrounded by white squares.
"Cody, are you alright?" Alain asked as Cody was looking at the screen.
"It's a control spire, but the confusing thing is why is it there of all places?" Cody said.
"It's probably controlling, spireing, same as usual." Gatomon joked as T.K looked to the screen.
"Just where is it located?" T.K asked as Cody investigated.
"I'm not sure, this map doesn't show any points of interest." Cody said as Upamon knew where it was.
"It's the 'Forbidden Valley of No Return.'" Upamon said.
"Why do bad guys always name places like that?" Kari asked.
"It's in the job description, right under 'really stinky breath.'" Lillie said as Ash then piled on.
"Along with being over 'having spiky hair.'" Ash said as Kari giggled at that.
"Good one." She said as Ash smiled.
"Thanks." He said as they turned their attention back to the screen.
"Even if this place was called 'The Valley of Ducklings and Bunearys,' with a control spire there, it's trouble." Mairin said.
"We better get moving before it's used to control all the Digimon in the area." Brock said as they readied their digivices. "Digi-Port open!" They soon entered the Digital World.
Location Change: Digital World
They soon arrived at their destination. A baron valley.
"Wow, now I see why this place is so forbidden." Iris said sarcastically as they soon got moving.
"Maybe a few Duckling and Buneary or even a Swana could liven up the place." Gladion said.
"Quiet, the Digimon Emperor could hear us." Kari said as Yolei and Hawkmon yelped as they were pulled into the ground.
"I'll bet he heard that." Brock said as he was next to go down under.
"GUYS RUN!" Ash shouted as they ran for it, but the ground swallowed, T.K, Patamon, Cody, Armadillomon, Mairin, Gladion, Iris and Alain. Leaving Ash, Pikachu, Davis, Veemon, Lillie, Kari and Gatomon. But soon it would be down to the boys, as the boys were safe, but then…
"Ash help!" Kari said as she was slowly sinking, as were Lillie and Gatomon.
"Hold on!" He said as he, Davis and Pikachu were trying to pull their respective partners out of the quicksand, but were unsuccessful. The sand then swallowed their girlfriend's whole. "KARI!" Ash screamed as he was now mad.
"NO LILLIE!" Davis screamed.
"GATOMON!" Pikachu screamed as they then started digging in the sand. But then…
If you're looking for trouble, then trouble is what you got!" They heard the emperor's voice echo through the valley.
"Digimon Emperor, what did you do!? Where are our friends!" Davis demanded.
"Your friends as you so call them are here with me! Come and see for yourselves if you dare!" The Emperor said as they soon followed the origin of the voice.
"There he is!" Ash shouted as they saw the Emperor. "You're gonna pay for this!"
"Oh, I'm so scared." He sarcastically said.
"Let our friends go! What did you do to them!?" Davis demanded.
"Take a look for yourselves! Your friends are at my mercy, and soon you four shall join them!" He said as they turned to see them all tied up and hanging.
"GUYS!" Ash shouted.
"Ash save us!" Kari shouted.
"Pikachu!" Gatomon shouted.
"Davis, help!" Lillie shouted.
"Come on you guys!" Gladion shouted.
"Let me go now!" Alain shouted.
"You have to get out of here!" Mairin shouted.
"You have to run!" Brock shouted.
"Go on, you guys can still escape!" T.K shouted.
"Don't take your eyes off the emperor!" Cody shouted.
"What are you waiting for, save me!" Yolei shouted.
"Don't give up!" Iris shouted.
"Don't worry, we'll think of something!" Davis shouted as he tried to run to them while Ash was just standing there, staring.
"Think fast!" The Emperor said. "You time is running out. Oops, times up!"
"Oh no!" Davis said.
"Awaken, Deltamon!" The Emperor shouted as the nearby mountain was shaking.
"Maybe it's a Buneary!" Veemon said as the mountain bursted to show a beast with a tail, purple fur, a skull for one arm and the other was cybernetic.
"That ain't no Buneary! Just what is that thing Veemon?" Davis said as Veemon elaborated.
"Deltamon is a dragon type Digimon with a metal head for one arm and a skull for the other. His attacks are Triplex Force and Serpent Bite!" Veemon said as he described Deltamon and he was looming behind the others.
"If you want your friends to be spared, you must beg for it. Please master, spare my friends." The Emperor said as Davis just stood there.
"Don't Davis." Veemon said as Davis then bowed to the emperor.
"Please master. Spare my friends." Davis said.
"Please master. Spare my worthless friends." The Emperor reiterated.
"Please master. Spare my worthless friends." Davis said as the Emperor laughed.
"That's excellent, now Veemon, restrain him! I command you!" He said as Veemon got even more mad.
"Never!" Veemon shouted as he was shaking.
"It's okay Veemon, do what he says. If it'll spare our friends, obey the emperor." Davis said as Veemon hesitated, but then put his foot on Davis's head. The Emperor then laughed.
"Seeing you squirm is so delicious. You are so wormlike, maybe I should take pity on you." He said as Davis was a little relieved by that, but that quickly turned into anger. "As you can see, Deltamon has three mouths and there are eleven people. You each may only choose one. Sadly I cannot spare all of them, choose now!" That alone made Ash even more angry than he ever was.
"THAT'S IT!" Ash shouted as that got everyone's attention. "Digimon Emperor, I challenge you to a duel! If I win, you let my friends go! If you win, you get me!" That alone piqued the Emperor's interest.
"Hahaha, very well then. If you can defeat Deltamon, then your friends will be spared. But if I win, then you will have no choice but to be my slave. HAHAHAHA!" The Emperor cackled as Davis walked up to him.
"Ash don't do this, what about Kari?" Davis tried to plead with Ash's humanity, but when Ash turned to Davis, Davis saw that Ash was smiling.
"This is all a distraction, while I take on Deltamon, you get behind the Emperor and capture him." Ash said as Davis was surprised by that plan, then smiled.
"Alright, you better not lose!" Davis said as he then backed off as Ash then nodded and took one of his Poke-Balls from his belt.
(Now Playing Home by Throw The Fight)
"Alright, Greninja, I choose you!" Ash shouted as the ball released everyone's favorite aquatic ninjutsu master.
"Ready." Greninja said as he crossed his arms and stared down his opponent.
Deltamon, do what you will to that foul!" The Emperor shouted as Delamon charged.
"Serpent Bite!" Deltamon shouted as he extended his left arm at Greninja.
"Greninja, use Double Team!" Ash shouted as Greninja jumped into the air.
"Now you see me…" He didn't finish as he soon split into multiple copies of himself and dodged the attack as the left arm smashed through the wrong Greninja. "Now you don't!"
"Triplex Force!" Deltamon shouted as it fused and fired an energy discharge from its three mouths.
"Greninja, use Cut!" Ash shouted as Greninja created two blades and slashed through the energy beam. While The Emperor's attention was on the battle, Davis made his move and snuck away to behind the Emperor.
"Come on Ash!" Kari shouted as he heard her voice.
"Hold on Kari! I'll beat this guy quickly!" Ash shouted as Kari nodded. Greninja then turned to Ash and Ash then nodded. "Alright, let's power up!" Soon a veil of water swarmed around Greninja and he started to change forms. His head features a large red fin influenced by Ash's hat, and smaller black spikes off the sides of his head that mimic the appearance of Ash's hair. He also has a large X-shaped water shuriken mounted on his back. His abdomen also takes on a different appearance, whereas a normal Greninja's is of an oval shape. This was Ash-Greninja.
"What's this?" The Emperor was shocked as he finally saw the appearance of Ash-Greninja. Kari was surprised, but also very happy.
"Go get em Ash-Greninja!" Kari cheered as Ash struck a pose.
"Use Water Shuriken!" Ash shouted as Greninja then grabbed the shuriken from his back and threw it at Deltamon.
"Serpent Bite!" Deltamon shouted as it extended his left arm out and smashed the shuriken into the ground. "Triplex Force!" Soon it tried the discharge again.
"Use Cut! Slice right through it!" Ash shouted as Greninja created kunai out of water and slashed right through the Triplex Force. "Now Aerial Ace!" Greninja's hands and feet started to glow a white light and soon smashed into Deltamon, pushing him into the ground.
"GRAAAAAAAAAAW!" Deltamon roared as he then jabbed Greninja in the gut. Ash then felt the same pain as Greninja.
'Come on Ashy, don't give up now!' Kari thought as she saw Ash in pain like Greninja. Ash then looked to Kari, who was worried about her love.
'Kari needs help, I can't just give up now.' Ash thought when soon, a pink aura formed around Ash. "GRENINJA, FULL POWER!" Ash shouted as Greninja got back up on his feet and soon more water formed around Greninja, then it started to form another shuriken on Greninja's back, only this time, it was colored pink and the shuriken that was there already, it's color then turned purple. Kari then felt like she could feel what Greninja was doing and just went with the flow.
"This is different from when Greninja was back in the Kalos league." The Emperor said.
"YOU'RE DONE FOR!" Davis shouted as he then bashed into the Emperor and they started to roll down the hill.
"I'll stay here and guard the hill." Wormmon said.
"Alright! Greninja, Water Shuriken!" Both Ash and Kari shouted as Greninja then threw both shurikens at Deltamon.
"Triplex Force!" Deltamon shouted as it fired the discharge at the shurikens, though the shurikens were tearing through the beam. They then landed their mark on the dark ring around Deltamon's stomach, setting it free. Soon Davis and The Emperor then made it to ground level.
"Blast it!" The Emperor said as Davis saw that Deltamon was defeated.
"Way to go Ash!" Davis cheered as he walked up to him and Greninja then jumped to them, still in the Ash-Greninja form.
"Alright, I won the duel. So, release my friends." Ash said as The Emperor then stood up.
"Ah, yes. A gentleman would never go back on his word." He said as he then snapped his fingers and two ghosts then appeared, untied Kari and Gatomon and brought them to the ground.
"Ash!" Kari said as she then ran to Ash and pounced him with a hug.
"I was so worried about you Kari." Ash said as Kari backed up a bit with a smile and tears in her eyes.
"I'm so sorry for making you worry Ash. Thank you for saving me." Kari said as they held each other for a bit, but Davis soon realized that the others were still tied up.
"What gives? You agreed that if Ash won, you would release our friends!" Davis said as the Emperor then laughed.
"Yes, I did. But I didn't say that the rest were your real friends!" He said as the others soon turned into the same ghosts that released Kari and Gatomon.
"What are those things!?" Davis exclaimed.
"Despite their dental hygiene problems, Bakemon are able to perfectly impersonate any other living creature. Their attack is the Dark Claw." Veemon said as he described the Bakemon. "He made the Bakemon look like Lillie and the rest of our friends!" That alone boiled Davis's blood.
"Grrrr. I'll make you pay for that! Where are they!?" Davis demanded as the Emperor just kept laughing.
"Like I would tell the dead. Bakemon, attack!" He commanded as they swarmed Ash, Kari and Davis.
"Ready Gatomon?" Kari said as Gatomon nodded.
"Yeah, time for payback!" Gatomon said as Kari readied her D-3.
"Digi Armor Energize!" She shouted as Gatomon glowed pink.
"Gatomon Armor Digivolve to… Nefertimon, The Angel of Light!" Gatomon /Nefertimon said as she took to the sky.
"Digi Armor Energize!" Davis shouted as Veemon glowed orange.
"Veemon Armor Digivolve to… Flamedramon, The Fire of Courage!" Veemon/Flamedramon said as he was ready to fight. They kept attacking the Bakemon, but they kept coming and were starting to overwhelm them. Soon…
"Surprise!" The ground cracked as Digmon emerged from the ground. "Gold Rush!" He shouted as he fired the drills at the Bakemon.
"Equis Beam!" Pegasusmon shouted as he fired a green beam from his forehead at the Bakemon. Soon, Ash and Kari saw T.K, Cody and the others arrive on the scene.
"You guys, you're okay!" Ash said as they reconvined with Ash, Kari and Davis.
"Sorry we took so long Davis." Lillie said as Davis got a little teary, but soon shook it off.
"That's fine. I'm just glad you're okay." He said as Lillie blushed and smiled.
Location Change: With Gladion
What the emperor didn't know was that Gladion and Silvarcher were positioned about two hundred meters away from the spire.
"You think you can hit that from here?" Gladion asked as Silvarcher readied his bow with an arrow that was covered in a dark aura.
"Sure I can. Dark Arrow: Sonic Night Slash!" Silvarcher shouted as he let loose the arrow and it pierced through the spire, shattering it.
Location Change: With The Main Group
When they saw that Gladion wasn't present, they quickly realized that he was the one that destroyed the spire. That alone angered the Emperor even more.
"No, no! What went wrong? My master plan was foolproof! I guess I neglected to factor that you are the all-or-nothing types. I can't believe that the same two people made me look like a fool twice." He said as that alone shook Ash to his core.
"Wait a minute. The cut on your leg, the way you said that…" Ash didn't finish, because he was afraid it was him. "Ken… is that you?" That alone shocked everyone, Kari and Yolei even more so and The Emperor started to laugh.
"I'm surprised it took you this long to figure it out, I am, in fact, Ken Ichijouji!" He took off the glasses to reveal that it was Ash's cousin, Ken Ichijouji. That alone shook Ash and Kari even more. Every memory that they had with Ken was now being questioned.
"Why Ken?" That was all Ash could say as he was in disbelief.
"Someday, you'll know. But to you, my worthy rivals, until we meet again in battle!" He said as Ken jumped onto the head of an Airdramon and flew off.