The Kalos League was reaching it's climax as Ash's battle with Alain reached it's climax with Alain's Charizard in it's mega evolved state battling Ash's Greninja whom was in it's synchro state. Both pokemon had fought before with Mega Charizard X getting the wins, this time it had to be different. Both trainers were focused just as their pokemon were. "Charizard! Blast Burn!" Alain ordered as Mega Charizard X roared and charged it's attack as it launches as a huge wall of flames.
"Greninja! Water Shuriken!" Ash shouted as Greninja charged toward the Blast Burn as it launches a huge water shuriken just as it did before. The two attacks seem to collide with each other causing an explosion covering the field with a cloud of dirt. Ash and Alain waited to see which pokemon survived the collision of the attacks. The crowd watched on as the dust began to settle, two shillouettes could be seen in the cloud, Charizard's and Greninja's. The crowd was silent as both pokemon stood facing each other. The cloud finally vanished leaving the two pokemon still locked in a gaze.
"Charizard?" Alain called to his partner.
"Greninja? Are you alright?" Ash called to his own partner wincing from the synchro connection he and Greninja shared. Greninja and Charizard both continued to stare at each other. Everything seems to be frozen in time as the two Pokemon stared at each other before the inevitable happens as Greninja slumps to a knee. Ash could feel the pain Greninja was feeling as Greninja reverted back to it's normal form. "Greninja!" Ash called to his partner.
"Gre..." Greninja only replied as it looked right at Charizard as it struggled to keep consiousness, it was pouring everything it had to not faint. It couldn't lose to Charizard, not again.
"It's refusing to faint..." Alain noticed what Greninja was doing. "Is it's bond to Ash that strong enough to deny it's own condition?" He pondered as he looked at Charizard still in mega form. "Why won't it accept defeat?" Alain pondered.
In the bleachers Serena, Clemont, and Bonnie all watched what was happening on the field. "Greninja won't go down. It's risking serious injury if it refuses to go down." Clemont said as he watched what was happening to Greninja.
"Ash.." Serena watched with worry, she didn't want to see Ash hurt or Greninja. Bonnie just held onto her brother not wanting to see what happened next.
On the battlefield Greninja stood up. "Gre..." it said as it glared at Charizard. Charizard roared almost taunting Greninja to fight. Ash looked at Greninja worried his partner was about to take it's own life in it's hands.
"Greninja, can you battle still?" Ash called to Greninja.
"Gre..ninja!" Greninja took up it's stance. The crowd gasped as Greninja wanted to fight.
"What is the twerp's Greninja doing?" Jessie whom was in disguise was watching the battle along with James and Meowth.
"He's fightin fer his honor Jess." Meowth responded.
"How can you be sure Meowth?" James asked.
"Cause dat Charizard just taunted it. No way Greninja's gonna pass dat challenge up." Meowth answered James's question.
"Makes sense. But it's risking serious injury." James watched on.
"Maybe the twerp, Ash might have a plan up his sleeve." Jessie added on as she watched too.
Back on the field Greninja still struggled to stay concious as Charizard stared at it. Greninja struggled before slumping to a knee again. "Greee.." Greninja struggled to stay up. The referee watched on seeing the struggling pokemon trying hard not to faint.
"Greninja is unable to.." The referee was about to say when Greninja suddenly stood up it was still trying hard not to faint. The crowd gasped seeing Greninja still fighting, quite possibly to the end.
"It's still up. Even though by this point it should have fainted. What is keeping Greninja going? Could it be...?" Alain looked at Ash. "Could it be Ash's will power willing Greninja on?" Alain on the battlefield Greninja struggled still to even stand. It slumped again to a knee as it was breathing heavily. The referee again looked to Greninja.
"Gre...Gre..."Greninja struggled to stand up. It couldn't let Ash down, it couldn't. Greninja struggled till it was upright. "Nin...ja..." it said before suddenly collapsing to the ground unconsious.
"It's over." Alain muttered as Charizard roared as it returned to it's baseform.
"Greninja is unable to battle, Charizard wins! The victory goes to Alain!" The referee made his call as the crowd stood in shock and awe. Ash fell to his knees devastated from the loss as he recalled Greninja. He stared at the pokeball that held his pokemon whom gave it his all yet somehow it was for nothing.
"Greninja, I know you wanted to win as much as I... I did." Ash clutched the pokeball tightly. "Thanks, you did all you could." he said as a tear drop hit the pokeball. His sixth league challenge ended just as the rest did. In failure.
In the stands Clemont was busy hugging his sister Bonnie who was crying her eyes out, Serena was devistated seeing Ash lose. She wanted to go down to the field to comfort Ash just as he comforted her when she lost the chance to be Kalos Queen. Without a word Serena rushed off to get to Ash. "Ash... Why did this have to happen to Ash?" Serena had to wipe a tear from her eyes as she ran to meet with Ash.
In the back Ash was seated staring at the pokeball containing Greninja. He was silent as Serena ran in just to see him. "Ash!" Serena cried out as she ran to Ash and hugged him. Ash trembled in Serena's arms.
"Serena... He gave it his all..." Ash said to Serena. Pikachu watched the scene looking sad.
"I know, after all Pikachu and Greninja did to Charizard it still won. How was it possible?" Serena asked Ash, her voice was just as devastated as Ash was.
"I... I don't know... Maybe I was too weak. Or I'm not champion material." Ash muttered still in his damaged state.
"Don't say that Ash, you were there for me when I lost my chance at being Kalos Queen. I want to be here for you." Serena told Ash.
"I know..." Ash clutched Greninja's pokeball. "I still can't figure out how Charizard took everything Pikachu and Greninja threw at it..." Ash's devastation was growing into sorrow.
Meanwhile the Kalos Champion Diantha was preparing to go out to present Alain with the Kalos League Championship Trophy. "Still hard to believe Ash lost, and he had so much potential." the champion said with a sigh before she heard a knock on the door. "Who is it?" Diantha asked.
"A fellow Grand Champion." came a male voice from behind the door. Diantha raised an eyebrow before she opened the door, she was surprised to see Steven Stone the Hoenn Grand Champion standing at the door and he wasn't alone. Lance the Grand Champion of Johto was with him.
"Steven Stone? Lance? Last I checked this was Kalos and not either Hoenn, or Johto." Diantha said to the two champions.
"This is official buisness." Lance told Diantha.
"Official?" Diantha asked surprised as the two champions nodded.
"Lance told me of the situation, he believes one of the trainers in the Kalos League is in league with a group know as Team Flare." Steven told Diantha.
"What?!" Diantha almost dropped the trophy as the words she heard stunned her. "Who is it?" She asked
"We don't know yet, we want to see the footage of every battle in the league till this point. We ask you delay the trophy ceremony." Lance told Diantha.
"I'll see what I can do. I hope your wrong though." Diantha said as she left with the trophy in hand. Lance and Steven soon were granted permission to see the footage from each camera of each battle, even from the camera used by Team Rocket whom were disguised as technicians as an oddjob they took to watch the league. After watching hours of battles Lance and Steven got to the finals.
"So you knew Ash Ketchum huh?" Steven asked Lance whom nodded.
"Yeah, helped me bust a group of Team Rocket agents in Johto. He even bested Claire the Blackthorn Gym Leader and one of my students." Lance told Steven whom nodded.
"He was helpful in Hoenn when it came to Team Aqua and Team Magma. I hardly doubt he'd be involved with Team Flare." Steven said to Lance as they watched Ash's fight with Alain."That trainer Ash is facing. I know him." Steven said looking at Alain.
"You do?" Lance asked Steven.
"Yes. He was in Hoenn. He was there looking to face other mega evolved pokemon. We battled but it was interrupted when his director Lysandre showed up. He told me his labs were researching mega evolution energy for peaceful purposes." Steven told Lance as they watched Ash and Alain's battle. As the battle went down to the final moves between Mega Charizard X and Ash-Ninja. "I had no idea Ash could mega evolve his Greninja. Amazing." Steven said to Lance as they saw the explosion and the dust covering the field. They waited as the cloud cleared up. Lance's eyes widened as he noticed something off as the dust cleared.
"Freeze it right there!" Lance said. Steven froze the footage as Lance ordered.
"Lance what... Wait what's that glow on Charizard?" Steven asked.
"I'm not sure but, does Alain's Charizard know any defense moves?" Lance asked Steven.
"No, his Charizard's moveset is mostly attacks and no defense. Why do...?" Steven caught himself suddenly realizing what Lance was getting at. "You don't think somebody assisted Alain in beating Ash do you?" Steven asked, he couldn't believe that such a powerful pokemon trainer wouldn't need help to win against Ash.
"I'm beginning to think we got our Team Flare agent. After all, Charizard was hit by several attacks that should have for all purposes defeated it." Lance got up as he ejected the tape. "Steven we need to stop that ceremony before a grave injustice is done!" Lance rushed out of the room with Steven following.
Meanwhile Diantha stepped out to the podium to present the trophy to Alain. In the stands Clemont, Bonnie, Sawyer, Tierno, Trevor, and Shauna all watched on. "Where's Serena?" Clemont asked noticing the blonde trainer was nowhere to be found.
"She might be with Ash, they need each other right now." Tierno told Clemont whom nodded.
"I still can't believe Alain won!" Came the cheerful voice of Mairin. She had been with Alain since the beginning of her journal. "I hope after this will help my Chesspie after Alain won the league." Mairin said as she sat and watched the ceremony.
Down below Diantha was prepared to present the trophy to Alain. Ash suddenly appeared in the tunnel with Serena beside him. He was watching Alain being awarded. "As Kalos League Champion, I Diantha hereby award the Kalos League Championship Trophy to it's new..." Diantha began.
"Stop the ceremony!" Came Lance's voice as he and Steven rushed onto the field. The crowd gasped seeing the two champions of Johto and Hoenn appear.
"Hey who are those two?" Tierno asked
"Steven Stone? What's he doing here?" Mairin wondered as she recognized Steven but not the caped man that was with him.
"What's the meaning of this?" Alain asked as he saw the two champions. "Steven Stone? What are you doing here?" Alain asked surprised to see the Hoenn champion.
"Huh? Lance? Steven?" Ash looked at the two champions surprised to see them together. "They here to give praise to Alain too?" He darkly muttered to himself.
"Ash what's going on?" Serena asked Ash confused.
"I don't know." Ash answered.
"Diantha we know who the Team Flare agent is who entered this tournament." Lance announced, the crowd gasped loudly hearing this.
"Team Flare?!" Bonnie and Clemont said at the same time.
"Wha?" Mairin gasped in shock as well.
Meanwhile Malva whom was watching what was happening rushes off to contact Lysandre. "Lysandre we have a problem." Malva began her communication to Lysandre via the Holo Caster.
"What is it?" Lysandre responded into the holo caster.
"Steven Stone from the Hoenn region and Lance from the Johto region are at the Kalos League." Malva told Lysandre. The Team Flare leader's eyebrow arched as he heard this.
"What is Steven Stone doing here?" Lysandre asked.
"Not sure but it seems they have stopped the championship ceremony. Alain defeated Ash." Malva told Lysandre. A grin formed on Lysandre's face.
"Excellent. Team Flare now controls the Kalos League and soon we will have the world once we have Ketchum and his secret of his evolution with Greninja." Lysandre beamed.
"Sir.." Malva began before she heard a commotion and rushed to see what was going on.
While Malva was in conversation with Lysandre things heated up in the arena as Lance and Steven made their case. "We have evidence on who the Team Flare agent was who entered the tournament." Lance announced as shock flowed through the arena.
"Whoa. A Team Flare agent was in the tournament?" Tierno asked shocked.
"But who? Who could it have been?" Bonnie asked clemont.
Meanwhile on the floor Ash and Serena both looked shocked to hear Lance's revelation. "Lance, who was it?" Ash asked Lance as he wanted to know.
"It's simple Ash. It's Alain." Lance answered, the crowd gasped in horror.
"What?!" Bonnie shouted in shock though had she paid attention to the Zygarde Core in her pouch, she would have noticed "Squishy" glaring at Alain.
"It can't be!" Clemont was caught off his guard hearing this, the feeling resonated from the other trainers in the arena, on the floor Serena and Ash were both shocked to hear of Alain's shocking connection to Team Flare.
"I don't know what your talking about." Alain told Lance as he too was caught off guard with the sudden accusation.
"Explain this to me then." Lance pointed at the screen as the footage of the battle with Ash was shown, it was slowed down at the point of the explosion caused by Greninja's Water Shuriken and Charizard's Blast Burn attacks. As the dust settled in the replay the camera zooms in on Charizard glowing strangely. The crowd gasped as shock settled in again.
"What the?" Alain looked at the footage shocked.
"Somebody healed your Charizard during the battle. I'm sure that's against League rules." Lance told Alain.
"WHAT?!" Ash's voice cut through the air as he charged toward the podium fired up. "Alain! You cheated to beat me?!" Ash shouted enraged.
"Ash I swear I did not even know that was going to happen!" Alain retorted.
"YOU LIAR! HOW COULD YOU DO THIS TO ASH?!" Serena screamed as she joined Ash on the podium as she got right into Alain's face before she slapped him. Alain reeled from the slap as he put a gloved hand on his cheek where Serena hit him at. The crowd now hearing this became hostile as boos rang out.
"YOU LYING CHEATER! ALAIN YOUR SCUM!" Bonnie yelled out at Alain.
"I don't believe it." Sawyer was shocked to hear Alain cheated against Ash. "His Charizard was so strong, yet he had to resort to outside help." he glared at Alain from his seat.
"Bonnie we better get down there with Ash and Serena before things get out of hand." Clemont told Bonnie whom nodded as they rushed down to the floor level.
"I can't believe it, that Alain cheated against the twerp!" Jessie growled with rage.
"Well you cheated against his old traveling partners before Jessie." James told his partner before he was whacked over the head with a paper fan.
"Hey! That's different!" Jessie glared at James whom was nursing a large lump on his head.
"Yeah but dat's pretty low ta sabotage a league match like dat." Meowth said.
"Wobbufett!" Wobbufett whom was outside his pokeball agreed with Meowth.
Meanwhile Malva arrived in the tunnel to hear the boos deafening. "Damn it!" Malva shouted as she rushed back up the tunnel as she made contact with Lysandre again. "We got a major problem. That fool Lance exposed Alain to the crowd." Malva told Lysandre.
"WHAT?!" Lysandre's voice echoed from the holo caster. "We'll have to push up our time table, I'll have the grunts ready to receive Alain. Then we'll move into phase two when we grab Ash Ketchum and Zygarde Core. Till then no communications till we have them both." Lysandre cut the holo caster
"Yes sir." Malva put the holo caster away as she headed off.
Meanwhile back in the arena Diantha tried to restore order, but even she knew a riot was about to happen before her eyes. Lance took charge of the situation. "Everybody! Calm down! We'll determine what to do with the Kalos League Championship later once everything is settled!" lance told the crowd hoping to calm them down.
"Ash. I didn't know somebody would ruin our match." Alain tried to explain to Ash that he had nothing to do with what happened.
"Yeah right, you knew Greninja would defeat Charizard so you had help to beat me!" Ash shot back with a glare.
"Ash's right. By all means Greninja beat your Charizard had it not been healed in the confusion of that dust cloud!" Serena added to the argument.
"Enough!" Lance's voice cut through the argument. "We'll all settle this later. As of right now Alain, I'm taking you in for conspiracy with a dangerous group." Lance told Alain.
"Lance I'm not in league with Team Flare!" Alain tried to defend himself before Lance led him away.
"Steven what's going to happen to Alain?" Ash asked
"Not sure. Although he did no major crime save for being affiliated with Team Flare." Steven told Ash.
"Diantha what about the League?" Ash asked Diantha. But before Diantha can respond an explosion was heard a distance away from the arena.
At the Prism Tower, a red Zygarde was launching an attack on the Prism Tower!
To be continued...