The Story of Ash, Chapter 2 - Let's Play Monster Rancher Advance 2!

[Penguinator]

I just read through this. Are you finishing it soon?

[The Dark Fiddler]

I just read through this. Are you finishing it soon?

Speaking of...

Alright folks, I'm leaving for Japan on Friday night. I'll be gone for 2 weeks.

And damnit, I'm going to finish before then! Come hell or high water, it WILL be finished this week!

I'm gonna do my damndest to update tomorrow. Sorry for the wait, folks.

[Uncle Festy]

Speaking of...

Alright folks, I'm leaving for Japan on Friday night. I'll be gone for 2 weeks.

And damnit, I'm going to finish before then! Come hell or high water, it WILL be finished this week!

I'm gonna do my damndest to update tomorrow. Sorry for the wait, folks.

Hooray! =D

[The Dark Fiddler]

So, here it is folks. I wasn't planning on this being the FINAL update, but it's gonna be anyway. That's the way things go. Again, sorry for the huge delay, everyone. Also, I found like 8 new moves in this update that froze the game, and that took forever to get around. Seriously, if I had a dollar for everytime the game froze, I'd be... well, not rich, but I'd have enough for a good video game, at least.

----

Well, if sparring is the only way to get new moves, then that's what we're gonna do!
: Huh...
What?
: N-nothing... it just felt like we suddenly came back from not existing.
That's kind of weird, Holly.
: Eh, what can I say? Life is weird.

This sounds very good.
: Indeed it does! Here's hoping Doughnut does well!

Not bad. What move did you learn?
Do...
: He uh.... didn't learn a new move.
Oh. Oh well, we can just try again.

Great! What move did you learn this time?
...
: Yeah, uh...
Oh well, we can always try again.
: Actually, Ash, I was thinking...

: The next official tournament is really close. Maybe we should try to win?
I don't know, Holly... Doughnut's good, but is he that good?
: I know he can do it, Ash! Just believe in him, and believe me!
....alright. Let's do it!

Looking back, do I regret entering that tournament? Not really. It was a good indicator of where we were. I'll admit we weren't as far along as I hoped we were, and I wasn't really as confident as I seemed to be, but I don't regret entering.

Even though there were all those tough enemies.

C'mon Doughnut, you can do it!

: Oh, that was a close battle...
Y-yeah, but I'm sure he's just warming up. He'll do better in the next battles, I'm sure.

Another Knight? I think Doughnut's got this one in the bag.
: I hope so.

....just a one time thing, is all. I'm sure he'll win all his other battles.

I was right, of course. Doughnut won all the rest of his battles. Most of them by a wider margin than his first battle.

It wasn't enough to win the tournament though.

Do....
Don't be sad, Doughnut! You won second place! That's still a great accomplishment at this level!
: Not to mention that you only lost once the entire tournament! You did great, Doughnut!
We tried, but we really couldn't cheer up Doughnut that much. I think it was his first time losing a tournament, so it must have really affected him.
You okay Doughnut?
Do...
You wanna train some more?
Do! Do!
:C'mon then, Doughnut. If you want to train, I think we should do it at the center, sparring. Some new moves should help you gain an edge next tournament!
Do!
Of course, Doughnut being Doughnut, it didn't really last that long. Bless his spirit, ever inextinguishable.
-----

Alright, Doughnut. All that training kinda ate through our budget...

: And you didn't manage to learn any new moves...
Do...
: But don't worry! The training you did really shows! I think ever without the new moves, you might be ready for...

: the tournament!
D-do?
Really, Doughnut. You've grown a lot since we've been together. Holly and I both believe in you. We know you can do it.

D...do!
: That's the spirit!
We're going to own everybody! C'mon Doughnut!

And there we were again. I'll spare you the boring details, but this time?

We.

Kicked.

Ass.
Great job Doughnut! You won! You beat the S rank!
: You've got to be the best monster here on AGIMA now!
Do! Do do!
...
: What is it Ash?
We... we beat the S Rank?
: Yeah, we did.
Huh... I always thought that... beating the S rank would be the thing that would bring me home, to my world again. It always works that way in the stories...
: Oh, you still want to leave?
...I don't know. I mean, it's been how long now? Nine years?
: Roughly.
(Weird, I don't feel any older). And I've made a name for myself here, right?
: Certainly! You're the talk of the town; the breeder who came from nowhere and in less that 10 years became the best!
And I've made lots of new friends here... it's like a new home at this point, I don't know what I'd do if I had the chance to go home.
: Well, what does your heart say?
...it's not like it matters, anyway. I can't go home. But... what do we do now? Keep entering tournaments?
: I don't think we can, Ash. Doughnut... he's gotten a bit too old for fighting. I think it's about time we retired him, and started training a new monster.
Do?
: Don't worry Doughnut, we'd keep you on board as a trainer!
Do...
...we still have time to think about it, right?
: S-sure... Doughnut's just a bit too old to risk fighting. He's still got plenty of life ahead of him.
...Let's go exploring. For old time's sake.

That sounds good to you, Doughnut?
Do.
: Sounds like fun. I'm in.
----

: Well, we're here. Anybody know which way they wanna go?
Let's go left. I have a good feeling about it, for some reason.

Do!
Yeah, Doughnut, it is pretty cold here...
: And just as confusing and maze-like as I remember. Maybe we shouldn't have come without Karnab?
Nah, we'll find our way just fine.


-Warning: Finale Wall of Text-

Spoiler

Show

"Hey look! It looks like there's an entrance to some sort of building over there!" I'll admit, at that point my interest was piqued. I don't remember that entrance being there last time we came, and this was the same path, I'm sure of it.
"D-do you think we should examine it?" I asked tentatively. I was wondering... could it be?
"Sure, I don't see why not. How do you feel about it, Doughnut?"
"Do!" Doughnut jumped in place, clapping his hands and nodding quickly. He may have been old in body, but his mind never seemed to grow up with him.
"Well then," Holly said with that special smile of hers, "looks like we're going exploring." We walked into the building, slowly and carefully. A light sheet of ice had formed at the bottom of the stairs, and we almost slid on it. Inside, it was dark and gloomy, and though there were some plants growing on the walls and floors, the place was otherwise in pristine condition.
"Wow..." I was awestruck. "This place is... amazing!"
"It's beautiful... and..." Holly stopped. "Is it just me or does this place feel... weird? Foreign?"
"It's a deserted temple, Holly. Of course it feels foreign."
"No, not like that... it just... it feels like a place of great power, and that it really doesn't belong here... you know what I mean?" I thought on it. Now that she brought it up, the place was pretty unsettling, maybe even a bit creepy.
"Yeah... I guess it is kinda weird." We kept walking, despite the strangeness in the air. Eventually, we came to hallway with a bright light at the end.
"Ash, do you see that?"
"I do... what could it be?"
"I dunno! Let's go find out!" We bolted down the corridor towards the light, Doughnut stumbling behind us. It took a lot longer than it should have, but we reached the room. It had a large hole in the ceiling, through which light was filtering in. The light was dim, so we must have been wandering around for a long time. It was either early evening or late morning, judging from the light. In the center of the room was a large pedestal, with a big sphere on it, shaped like a world. From this central sphere numerous rays extended to the walls, each one holding up more spheres of various sizes, all shaped like their own, separate worlds. Everything was made from a dull crystal, worn down with time unlike everything else so far in the building.
"C-could... could it be?" As I looked at the intricate decorations, it dawned on me what this was...
"I think it is..." Holly, beside me, was as awestruck as I was, her mouth agape. I'm sure mine was too. This was what we had searched for all those years ago. "I guess... I guess it is important, now..." At first I didn't know what she meant, but I realized it quickly enough. This was my chance, possibly my only chance, to go home. To leave everything from this world behind.
"I..."
"Don't worry, Ash. Go home, to your old friends and your family." I looked at Holly. Her expression was sober and distant. "I'm sure they miss you as much as, if not more than you miss them." She tried to smile. She kind of succeeded.
"Are you su-"
"Don't even finish that, Ash. You should be with your family... don't put my happiness ahead of yours. Just... don't."
"Holly, I don't know what to say... other than... I'll miss you." It was a hard decision, but I knew she was right. My family missed me, and my world was where I belonged. I made a lot of new friends, had a lot of new experiences in this world, but I was born in my world for a reason.
"I'll miss you too, Ash..." She looked like she wanted to add something, but she seemed to decide against it. I looked at her, closely. She had been my best friend for the years I was in this world. She had been my mentor, my guardian, and she had been there for me. As I looked at her now, he sober face was having trouble hiding her sorrow at seeing me go. I wrapped my arms around her, in a tight hug. I don't know whether I was trying harder to comfort her or me.
"Just... remember the good times we had. Okay?" I looked away. I couldn't stand seeing her face anymore, with the tears forming in her eyes. And there I saw Doughnut. I was never really sure how much he understood us, but he looked sad too. For the first time ever, I didn't think this was a sadness that would pass quickly. I reached out and patted him lightly on the head. "You too, buddy. Never forget the good times..." I don't know how long I stayed like that, hugging Holly and comforting Doughnut, but eventually we broke. I looked at the central globe, stepping up to it. I noticed a level next to it, and put my hand on it. I looked back at Holly, and she nodded slowly, as if she had to fight for every millimeter her head moved. I pulled hard on the lever, and with a sickening clunk, the globe began to glow, reflecting the dull light filtering in. It spread through all the branches into the other globes, filling the room with a brilliant white glow.
"Hey, Ash?" I stopped looking at the glow, and the globes and turned back to Holly. It was getting hard to see her as the light grew brighter and brighter. "They were all good times..." At this point, Holly couldn't hold back the tears anymore and they flowed freely down her face. I'm not afraid to admit I was crying too. The light grew brighter and brighter, and eventually I felt my whole being lurch.

----

----


So that's it folks. I hope the ending wasn't too bad.

What's next for Ash? And what will happen to Holly and Doughnut? Find out in the next chapter of The Story of Ash: Let's Play Final Fantasy III! Coming this July.

[Uncle Festy]

Sad ending is sad…
Well, congrats anyways! I can't wait!
(You mind linking to the new thread in this one? Otherwise I probably won't see it. )

[The Dark Fiddler]

Sad ending is sad…

Sorry, but I warned you last chapter.

It wasn't too strong or anything, was it? Didn't feel forced?

Well, congrats anyways! I can't wait!
(You mind linking to the new thread in this one? Otherwise I probably won't see it. )

Gosh, you people are so demanding. First you want me to update, then you want me to link to the next chapter in the thread.

Yeah, I guess I could do that. I did it last time.

[The Glyphstone]

I am deeply, deeply confused by the very last sentence of the epilogue...is there a typo there somewhere?

[Raistlin1040]

Whole being lurch, not hole being lurch.

[The Dark Fiddler]

I am deeply, deeply confused by the very last sentence of the epilogue...is there a typo there somewhere?

Yes, yes there is.

hole -> whole

Kinda killed the mood, I suppose.

Edit: Dammit, Raistlin, you're not supposed to ninja the author.

[Pie Guy]

I am deeply, deeply confused by the very last sentence of the epilogue...is there a typo there somewhere?

I think he means whole instead of hole.

[The Glyphstone]

Whole being lurch, not hole being lurch.

That's what I suspected.

[The Dark Fiddler]

That's what I suspected.

Thanks for pointing it out, though. Otherwise, I might not have noticed it.

[banthesun]

I've been lurking this whole thread, and I've enjoyed it quite a bit. Personally, I prefered the ending of the first chapter, but this one will probably get better when we see what happens to Ash next.

Nice work, and have fun in Japan!

[XiaoTie]

Wooo! I was hoping that the next one would be a return to the Pokemon games, but Final Fantasy III is as awesome as Pokemon :D

Great LPs so far, mr. Fiddler

[The Dark Fiddler]

Wooo! I was hoping that the next one would be a return to the Pokemon games, but Final Fantasy III is as awesome as Pokemon

I'll admit that I was hoping the same, but people seemed to want FFIII (or FFI, but less so that one) before the final chapter, so what can I do? Should be different, at least. Let's see how long it takes him to get his ass kicked.

[Penguinator]

Holly should be taken, too... Otherwise... it's too depressing.

[Deme]

What a good conclusion to this chapter. I can't wait to see Ash's next adventure... Which is sad, since I'l have to.

[Zeful]

Holly should be taken, too... Otherwise... it's too depressing.

Which was my original suggestion.

[Tome]

Holly should be taken, too... Otherwise... it's too depressing.

Go with this. Do it. You know you want to.

[The Dark Fiddler]

Because I love you guys so much, Let's Play Final Fantasy III.