"ROAR!!!"
A thunderous roar echoed behind the battlefield.
The flames unleashed by Charizard merged with those of the Salamence in midair, intertwining into a blazing inferno. Their colors were distinct—Charizard's flames burned a deep crimson, while Salamence's blazed a more ordinary red.
"ROAR!!"
"BOOM!"
When the two flames fused, Salamence went berserk, thrashing wildly across the field. Its Trainer, Makoto Ito, watched in shock. The creature was using Assimilation in combination with Instant Flame. The latter's temperature was average compared to normal fire, but it possessed a unique property—it could not be extinguished, like an eternal flame from the heavens.
The ability Assimilation allowed a Pokémon to absorb and synchronize the surrounding flames, raising their temperature to match its own. Thus, when Salamence's fire merged with Charizard's, the heat multiplied severalfold—hotter than molten magma itself.
However, as always, the difference in skill and strength mattered more than mere type advantage. Even though both were fire-type dragons, the gap in mastery was vast. Charizard's flames reached a level Salamence could not withstand.
"ROAR! ROAR! ROAR!"
Salamence howled in agony as its own flames were slowly assimilated by Charizard's. Its flesh blackened, scales cracking under the scorching heat. The smell of burning filled the air.
"Salamence, get away from Charizard!" Ito Makoto shouted in panic. The sight before him made his heart pound. Watching his partner writhe under the unbearable pain was more than he could take.
But it was too late. After over a minute of relentless burning, Salamence's form disintegrated into blackened ash, scattered away by the wind.
"The Salamence has lost its ability to battle! Charizard wins! Player Ito, please send out your final Pokémon!" the referee announced, swallowing hard.
The crowd was silent. They had witnessed countless fierce battles, but this… this was different. Normally, Ash's Charizard dispatched opponents with a single decisive strike or hid the aftermath behind trees or smoke. But this time, the brutal, step-by-step immolation unfolded in plain sight—a sight so horrific that even seasoned Trainers felt their blood run cold.
Being burned alive, reduced to charcoal, was a fate far worse than instant defeat.
In the stands, Makoto's father, Sawakoshi Ito, watched the monitor in horror. "Makoto! For the love of Arceus, forfeit! You still have our Garchomp! We can still end this with dignity!"
Of their six Pokémon, only his starter—Garchomp—remained. It was the one he had trained with since childhood, their bond deeper than any caught later. But facing that monster Charizard… even he hesitated.
"I…" Ito Makoto raised his right hand slowly, ready to surrender. But before the words could leave his lips, his pupils dilated, his body freezing in place.
"Abstain? You think you can just walk away?" Ash's voice rang out coldly. His eyes shimmered crimson—the Kaleidoscope Sharingan had awakened.
Makoto's mind was instantly dragged into a crimson void.
Penalty Space
"W-Where am I!? What is this place!?" Makoto's voice trembled as he looked around the endless scarlet world.
Ash stepped forward, his figure appearing amidst the swirling red mist. "This is the space I created. With your strength? You won't escape. You should be grateful if you manage to survive."
"Let me out! NOW!" Makoto roared, charging at Ash, his right fist swinging in desperation.
Ash's lips curled into a cruel smile.
Golden chains erupted from the ground—the Chains of Judgment—binding Makoto's arms and legs in an instant.
"What is this!? Let me go! I abstain—do you hear me!? I abstain!"
Ito Makoto's terrified voice echoed through the crimson void. His hands and feet were bound by golden chains, and the oppressive scarlet hue of the space made it hard to breathe. Seeing Ash—his rival—standing calmly before him only deepened his panic.
"Release you?" Ash's voice was cold, filled with contempt. "Don't be ridiculous. This is the Penalty Space—you're the first person to ever enter it. You dared to steal from me… to covet what's mine. Did you ever stop to consider your own worth before doing that?"
Tears streaked down Ito's face as he struggled in vain, trembling under Ash's gaze.
"Ahhh!!! What—what's happening!? Get away from me!"
The ground beneath him began to crack. From within the fissures, dozens of ghastly hands emerged—grotesque, twisted spirits that clawed at his arms and legs. They pulled him down, their faces contorted in eternal agony.
"The Eighteen Layers of Punishment…" Ash spoke as he reclined onto a crimson sofa that materialized out of thin air, crossing one leg over the other. "Let's see which layer finally breaks you."
He watched with cold fascination, eyes gleaming with the power of the Kaleidoscope Sharingan. In this space—his creation—Ash was god.
First Layer: The Tongue-Tearing Hell.
Those who spread lies, slander, or twist the truth to harm others will have their tongues ripped out with iron tongs… again and again, for eternity.
The air filled with the sound of tearing flesh. Ito screamed as unseen chains pulled his jaw open, a spectral figure forcing a molten hook into his mouth.
"AAAHHHHH!!!"
Second Layer: The Scissor Hell.
Those who manipulate others, who deceive and drive the good to ruin, will have their fingers severed by cursed scissors—endlessly, without mercy.
"Ah! Ah! Ahhh! Stop! STOP!!!" Ito's shrieks echoed through the void as ghostly blades snipped his fingers off one by one, only for them to regrow and be severed again.
Ash leaned back, watching in silence. His expression was calm, but in his eyes burned an unsettling light—a mixture of wrath and satisfaction.
To him, this was justice.
To Ito, it was a descent into madness.
...
TN:
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