Ash walked down the morning trail, his eyes cast down at the seemingly moving earth beneath his feet. His mind thinking back to the trainer that he had fought as well as professor sycamore words about a power that his greninja had called break through.
From his understanding, it was another type of evolution but in this case the pokemon may not change as much as they would when mega evolving, and it requires a special type of bond that is just as strong as mega evolution but without the key stone and mega stone.
However, that wasn't the only thing on Ash's mind; 'Greninja' his mind whispered as it echoed the name over and over again. He and Greninja where almost as similar as him and Pikachu, but at some point during its evolution their bond had shattered and fell broken. Ash was no longer able to sense his Greninja's feelings or bond, and like it was when he was just a froakie, Greninja had stopped listening to him even though it still acted like it did before it evolved. It pained Ash more than anything to know that Greninja, who was so similar to himself, no longer listened to him, that there understanding was no longer on the same level.
"Ash?" called a far off distant voice, the sound of her voice snapping him back into reality and turn his head slightly to the right to see Serena looking at him with worry.
"Huh yea?" asked Ash, looking back at her with a confused expression as they continued walking, holding on to the straps of his backpack with Pikachu riding on his left shoulder like always. Pikachu also giving his trainer a worried expression, though it went unnoticed not being in Ash's line of sight.
"I…uh…was just saying that there should be a small town just ahead of us, we could go there to resupply and maybe take a short break" said Serena, her cheerful as it always is when they get to a town, Serena not being much for outdoors.
"That sounds like a good idea, I need to grab some supplies and some more equipment for my inventions" spoke clemont as he looked towards his friends, his little sister cheering that they would be able to stop and rest soon as dedeene cheered along with her.
Suddenly a stranger steps out in front of the group, Ash being the first one to see him as he's shocked to see Alain and his charizard, as well as the rest of the group. "what are you doing here?" asked Alain, his voice matching his eyes, both cold as ice.
"Alain!" yelled Ash, stepping away from the group, Pikachu jumping off from Ash's shoulder and growled as sparks flew from his cheeks.
"If you're trying to head for Snowbelle city, I suggest you take a different path" Alain advised, his arms cross over his chest.
"Is team flare here" growled Ash angrily, holding his fist up. However, his only response was silence and that was all that Ash needed to know that the evil team was here up to no good.
"Alain, what your doing is wrong. Team Flare doesn't care about pokemon there only out for themselves" clemont spoke loudly across the field.
"Can't you see that he's just using you? Just look at what he did to professor sycamore" called out Serena.
Alain however seemed to be unfazed by what the group was saying, Lysandre's voice drowning out their voices, promises of eternal beauty for both humans and pokemon the only think his mind and heart caring about.
"Charizard" said Alain, as his pokemon stepped up to face the group.
"Greninja I choose you" shouted Ash as he through his pokeball out, Greninja appearing with his arms crossed and legs together, his tongue like scarf waving in the wind like that of a ninja.
"we better inform officer jenny about this" says clemont to his sister, who only nodded in turn, agreeing with her big brother.
"I'm staying here" Declared Serena, surprising both siblings who turned to her questionably, as Serena just stood watching Ash and Alain begin their battle.
"Clemont, lets hurry" yelled Bonnie, as clemont turned back to her and nodded his head. However, when they turned around a group of team flare thugs blocked their path as well as one of their leaders.
"you kids aren't going anywhere; our leader wants to observe that power that you used before with that Greninja of yours" Spoke one of the bosses, suddenly a blast caught everyone by surprised as mega charizard X unleashed his flamethrower, throwing everyone one off guard and fall to the floor.
In almost a blink of an eye Serena, Clemont and Bonnie where all grabbed and restrained by the thugs, as the smoke still blinded everyone from seeing. When the smoke cleared Ash opened his eyes to see that everyone was gone, not a single person to be seen anywhere around him, as they only ones there were Pikachu and Greninja.
"Serena, Clemont, Bonnie" shouted Ash in both fear and panic.
"Ash!" called out a voice that seemed to come from nowhere, Ash knowing it to be Alain's voice. "If you want your friends back then continue straight ahead, if you can beat with that power that you and Greninja have I promise you that Team Flare will return your friends unarmed"
Ash stood there for a minute, still as a statue as his hat covered his face, Pikachu and Greninja calling out to him to response. It barely a moment later when Ash raised his head up and had the purest look of determination on his face that even Pikachu had ever seen on his friend's face. "You got it!" yelled Ash, running forward with his Pokémon at his side.
In another area of the forest close to a small town, Team Flare waited with Serena tied to a tree and both clemont and bonnie hanging from one of the strong branches. The boss of the group then took out her communicator as it showed a blank screen with a volume symbol, while the rest of the grunts worked on computers and other different types of machines.
"Commander?" said the mysterious woman, her voice having a clam and elegant sound to it.
"Is everything ready?" asked the man, his voice hard and rough.
"Yes, permission to proceed as planned?"
"Granted" came his answer before the device shut itself off.
"What are you planning to do?" shouted clemont, however, his question only met silence as a large screen appeared to show Alain in an empty field next to the small down, Ash soon appearing on the screen.
"Ash" cried Serena, as above her on the right side Bonnie yelled for help, hopping that somehow that he would be able to hear here through the screen.
In the Field, Alain waited with his eyes closed and his arms crossed together, waiting for Ash to arrive.
He did not have to wait long, before he knew it Ash was already standing infront of him, looking slightly out of breath from obviously running as hard and fast as he did to get here.
"Are you ready?" asked Alain, getting a glare as his answer for just how ready Ash was. "then let's begin, key stone, respond to my heart. Mega evolve Charizard" called out Alain, as his Charizard Mega evolved into Charizard X.
Ash's body tightened when the evolution was complete, still having no idea how to make Greninja change back into the form it had before when it evolved into what looked like a super powered Greninja. Alvin could see Ash's hesitation and knew right away that Ash had no idea how to make Greninja do what it was able to, thus he makes the first move to remind him.
"Mega Charizard, use steel wing!" ordered Alain, as mega Charizard's wings glowed as he flew over to Greninja.
"Dodge and use aerial ace" yelled Ash, as Greninja dodged the attack but instead of using aerial ace used water shuriken. "Greninja" called Ash, trying to make his voice sound strong, though it came out weak.
"Use dragon claw to counter" commanded Alain, as his Charizard X turned while activating its dragon claw to slice through each shuriken.
Greninja then used haze when it landed on the ground, disappearing from everyone's sight, being as silent as the still wind as it when after its opponent, readying its night slash. Greninja was caught by surprised however when Mega Charizard was able to turn and catch its attack, its trainer then having it used flamethrower for a direct hit as it fell in front of Ash as the haze then started to disappear until it was clear.
"Greninja!" yelled Ash, as Pikachu also cried out for him as well.
"It seems that your Greninja doesn't trust you anymore, its heart and yours are no longer one, you don't have the strong heart that Greninja has resolved himself to" accused Alain as he pointed his finger towards Ash accusingly, hitting Ash's heart and confidents hard. "this battle is over, now mega Charizard end it with blast burn" called out Alain, as his Charizard unleaded its attack, creating a huge explosion that knocked Ash back flying towards the ground badly hurt as Pikachu was behind him at his left and Greninja was directly in front of him laying on its stomach like Ash.
Back with Team Flare, Serena was on the verge of tears at witnessing the attack, yelling Ash's name. Clemont begging for them to stop as Bonnie turned away unable to watch anymore.
Serena who was desperately trying to reach her pokeball to try and get one of her Pokémon to free her was now trying even more so, finally reaching the one that her Braixen was in and getting her to use scratch on the ropes. Before she could make another move, the team flare grunts quickly moved into action, surrounding her as they took out there pokeballs.
A sudden electric net suddenly stopped them in their tracks, electrocuting them. "What's going on asked one of the grunts"
"What's going is that you need to prepare for trouble" spoke a female voice from above.
"And make it double, when we are here" said a deep male voice, two figures jumping from a balloon with a meowth.
"to protect the world from devastation"
"to untie all people within our nation"
"to denounce the evils of truth and love"
"to extend our reach to the stars above"
"Jesise" said Jesise
"and James" said James
"And meowth now that's a name"
"team rocket blast off at the speed of light"
"surrender now or prepare to fight, fight fight"
"meowth that's right"
"Wobbuffet"
(Could not stop laughing as I typed out their motto)
"Team rocket?!" shouted Serena, Clemont and Bonnie
"Twirp-et you go help out the other twrip that's battle over in that field, we got your back" called meowth, as Serena just looked dumbfounded, unsure if she could trust them. However, Serena nodded her head and ran towards where Ash was along with her Braixen as Jessie and James released there pokemon to battle and Meowth went over to help Clemont and Bonnie get free.
Ash struggled to get up as his right leg had a burn on it that prevented him from getting up, as both of his pokemon also struggled. Ash looked with clouded eyes at Mega Charizard X and Alain, watching them as if they were there prey. Ash yelling in his mind 'why, why wasn't he able to reach out to Greninja anymore, what was holding back his heart that it could no longer be at the same level as his Greninja?' It was starting to look more and more hopeless to him, that perhaps this was just an opponent that he couldn't beat with Greninja.
"Ash!" called out a voice that sounded so far away. "Ash can you hear me? Please wake up" called out the voice that he knew only as Serena.
"Ser…en…a" Ash breathed out, realizing now that he was on his back, his head resting on her lap as she looked down at him, relief drowning her face as a few tears fell and dropped on his face. Serena helping Ash to sit up as he was now leaning against her for support, with the left side of her body supporting him, her right hand holding his for support.
"It's far too late" said Alain, who Serena had almost forgotten about. Alain having his Mega Charizard use flamethrower, Serena having Braixen counter with her own flamethrower. However, Mega Charizards was much stronger that her's and was able to push it back with ease, before it could hit her however, Greninja stepped in and used his water shuriken, making it appear in his hand and using it as a shield to block the flamethrower.
Ash watched this as Serena called out commands to her Braixen to help out Greninja.
'Greninja…Ever since he was a frookie he always steeped forward and protected his friends…but' thought as he remembered a few moments when his Greninja as Frookie would help Braixen as Fennekin out with cleaning her fur, fennekin praising and thanking frokie who would sometimes blush happy. It wasn't the same but, Ash could remember some similar things that happened with his other pokemon who had fallen in love. Greninja's was more of a mature love however, not crazy.
Ash watched as Greninja continued to hold out and help Braixen battle as words echoed in his mind from what Olympia had said about his Greninja's past, how love from another made his Greninja change and want to get stronger, how it was looking for deep feeling of love when IT picked its trainer. How it choice Ash because he could sense Ash's love. It wasn't just love between a trainer and pokemon that it devoted itself to, it was choosing to be strong so it could protect those it loved and cherished with all its heart.
Ash wondered if he had someone like that before looking up at Serena, she was strong, beautiful, and inspired Ash whenever he was stuck in a gym battle like with Olivia the person who he got his first gym badge from.
Without warning, Serena felt a hand on her right cheek, her face being turned towards Ash as the hat fell from her head, hiding something that only Pikachu saw and had his mouth gasped open to. At the same time Greninja felt a sudden power as it changed its form into break through Greninja.
Greninja then looked back just to see that his trainer and Serena had pulled their faces away from one other, his trainer seeming to have a new found glow to him. Ash also turned to Greninja and gave him a caring and determined smile, "Greninja, lets show them the power that is love within our hearts" said Ash as Greninja smiled back and nodded his head, before turning and facing his opponent with new found power and determination.