Episode 129: Out of Sight, Out of Fight

Ash and Ninjitsu are in the middle of a training session, while Brenda and Brock watch. Ninjitsu is engaged in a training battle against Pikachu. Ninjitsu uses Smokescreen to mask its movement, then suddenly reappears behind Pikachu to attack. This catches Pikachu off-guard, and the Night Slash attack lands.

Ash says, "Ninjitsu, I've seen your sneak attacks, but I want to see how you are with frontal attacks. You know, how do you do when you don't have the element of surprise."

Ninjitsu crosses its arms. It doesn't seem excited about this suggestion. But before Ash can make any further suggestions or encouragements, Ninjitsu seems to sense something. An intense expression suddenly covers its face. "Nin." It dashes off.

Ash shouts, "Wait! Ninjitsu, where are you going!?" He runs off after it.

Brock and Brenda trade glances and run after them as well.

It seems like our heroes have had their training session interrupted. What could it be that has Ninjitsu acting like this?

Ninjitsu runs through the woods and into the next clearing. Standing in the center of the clearing is a Slashogun. Ninjitsu wastes no time attacking it from behind. Slashogun quickly pivots around and intercepts the attack with its own blades.

Ash shouts, "Ninjitsu! Stop! We don't know who that Slashogun is!"

Ninjitsu doesn't seem to hear Ash, all of its focus is on Slashogun. It lunges forward to attack again, but Slashogun ducks beneath the attack, then uses its claws to attack from beneath. Ninjitsu is tossed aside.

Just as Ninjitsu is getting back up for another attack, a voice demands, "Alright, who's attacking my Slashogun!?" Braydon steps into sight and recalls Slashogun to its Pokéball.

Ash says with surprise, "Hey, it's Braydon!"

Braydon looks to Ash with surprise. "Oh, Ash!" He looks to Ninjitsu. "Is this your Pokémon?"

Ash chuckles as he scratches the back of his head. "Yeah. He's a new member of the team. Just met the other day."

Braydon nods. "I can tell." He looks to Ninjitsu, who has all of its attention focused solely on the Pokéball in Braydon's hand.

Ash takes some offense. "What's that supposed to mean?"

Braydon shrugs nonchalantly. "It just doesn't seem that well-trained yet."

Ash crosses his arms. "I'll have you know, we've been hard at work training today."

"Hey, I never said you guys wouldn't get there. Just that you're not there yet."

Getting riled up, Ash suggests, "Okay then, how about you and Slashogun have a battle with Ninjitsu and me? We'll show you our training!"

Braydon chuckles this time. "Normally, I'd say I'd love to, but Slashogun and I are actually on our way to a tournament right now. We've got to save our strength."

Ash questions, "A tournament? What kind of tournament?"

Braydon explains, "A Pokémon martial arts tournament. It will be a clash of Pokémon with all sorts of different fighting skills. Winner gets the title of Pokémon Fighting King and takes home the gold trophy. Naturally it will be Slashogun and I that claim the prize."

Ash smiles, getting an idea. "Oh no you won't."

Braydon looks at Ash questioningly. "And why's that?"

"Because Ninjitsu and I are going to beat you and Slashogun and take that prize for ourselves. Isn't that right, Ninjitsu?"

Ninjitsu is paying more attention to Braydon's Pokéball than to Ash's proclamation.

Braydon grins. "We'll just have to see about that. I guess we'll get that battle after all." He chuckles. "Assuming you can make it far enough in the bracket to be matched with us."

Ash grins back. "It's going to happen. You can count on it."

Braydon turns to leave as he beckons for everyone to follow. "Come on, I'll show you where to sign up."

Brock says to Ash, "Are you sure Ninjitsu is ready to be entered in a contest like this? Maybe Eagladiator or Arborrior would be better choices."

Ash shakes his head. "No way, it's got to be Ninjitsu. We'll prove Braydon wrong. Ninjitsu is well-trained."

Brock raises a brow skeptically as he looks to Ninjitsu, who is still fixated on Braydon's Pokéball. "If you say so…"

Not far away, Team Rocket snoops. Jessie says, "Do my ears deceive me, or did the rival twerp say golden trophy? Keyword: gold."

James nods. "Indeed, he did. I say we enter this tournament and get that trophy for ourselves."

Meowth points out, "Call me a glass-half-empty Pokémon, but did you even stop to consider the fact that none of your Pokémon know any form of martial arts?"

James chuckles as he looks to Meowth. "Not to worry, for today our glass is half full. I have a plan."

A man behind a desk says to Ash, "Alright, you and Ninjitsu are all signed-up. Please take a chance to review the rules before the tournament begins. They will be strictly enforced. Good luck."

Ash grins. "We won't be needing luck."

As they walk away from the counter, Brock is thumbing through a booklet, looking weary. "Ash, I'm not sure this is the best idea. These rules are pretty strict. For instance, these battles have to be fought using no special Pokémon techniques at all. Only pure fighting skill." He turns another page. "And here it says that battles have to be fought in an 'honorable fashion,' meaning no tactics that the judges would find underhanded. I'm not sure Ninjitsu is cut out for this kind of tournament."

Ash scoffs at the notion. "Ninjitsu wants to fight Slashogun as much as I want to battle Braydon. We'll make it through."

Brock looks at Ash skeptically. "I'm not sure that's enough."

As they walk out, another group walks in. They all look like characters out of a martial arts video game. The man wears white robes and a wide conical hat. He also sports a white beard and mustache and thick eyebrows. The woman wears an oriental silk gown designed for movement. With them is a Meowth dressed in a white karate gi with a black belt. Clearly, it's Team Rocket.

Meowth whispers to James, "Are you sure about this? I don't know any martial arts at all."

James grins and says in his best wise sensei imitation, "Knowledge you may lack. Clever plans will fill the void. You need not worry."

Meowth counts something on his paws, then groans. "Are we really doing this? Are you only going to speak in haiku?"

James grins. "Prose displays wisdom. I must commit to my part. You're stuck with haiku." He chuckles silently.

Jessie groans. "Can we just get a move on?"

James nods and they proceed to the registration desk.

Ash, Braydon, Team Rocket, and others have gathered atop a round platform in the middle of a small stadium decorated with an oriental motif. On one side of the stadium sits large statues of a Raikou in a crouching position with a Rayquaza hidden above it. Between the statues is a podium, atop which sits a grand golden trophy, designed so that the top of it resembles a crown, and with a smaller version of the Raikou and Rayquaza statues at its base.

An announcer standing beneath the statues declares into a microphone, "Welcome to this year's King of Martial Arts Tournament! It's time to find out which Pokémon has been best trained in the way of martial arts in this Pokémon tournament like no other!" The medium-sized audience applaud. "Our first match will be Sensei Kojiro and Madam Musashi's Meowth up against Bruce and his Hitmonlee!"

Everyone clears out, except for Team Rocket and their opponent. Each takes one side of the ring. Meowth reluctantly steps onto the platform. He looks back to James and emphasizes, "I don't know a lick of karate. What am I supposed to do?"

James grins. "Just let it all go. Let your movements take control. You need do nothing."

Meowth rolls his eyes in annoyance at the cryptic response.

Jessie elaborates, "Let's just say those clothes you're working will do the work."

Meowth down to his gi, then nods in understanding. He steps the rest of the way forward. He looks to the Hitmonlee, which towers over him, with some trepidation, but then shrugs it off.

An overly dramatic voice announces, "Three… two… one… Fight!"

The Hitmonlee immediately lunges forward to deliver a powerful kick. Its trainer shouts, "Show him our power! The ultimate kick!"

Meowth stands dumbfoundedly, not sure how to respond. He shoots a glance back to James.

James grins. He puts one hand up the sleeve of the opposite arm and activates a remote hidden in the sleeve.

The moment the button is pressed, Meowth suddenly lunges forward. He's surprised at first, but then realizes that the robes he's wearing are influencing his movement via a robotic frame hidden inside. Like a master of karate, Meowth uses an arm to swipe the kick aside, then performs a roundhouse kick of his own. This takes Hitmonlee by surprise and knocks it aside.

Meowth lands gracefully on the ground and looks to his paws. "Did I just do that?"

Jessie asks with shock, "Did Meowth just do that?"

James responds stoically, "A special technique. With a little bit of faith. A master is born."

Looking confident now, Meowth adopts a ready stance, and makes a motion with his paw, goading Hitmonlee to attack. This upsets Hitmonlee, who leaps in for an even more powerful kick than before.

Meowth, or rather his gi, waits until the last moment, then dodges the kick by jumping up. He then delivers a punch packed with power, which hurls Hitmonlee backwards, causing it to exit the ring.

A referee raises a flag and announces, "Ring-out! Meowth wins!"

James nods. "Like seasons changing. Winter, spring, summer, and fall. We will not be stopped."

Who's that Pokémon!?

This Pokémon expels massive energy from its tail, causing severe storms. Its power is great enough to blow houses away.

The emcee announces, "Our next round features the pairs of Ash and Ninjitsu against Li and Mienshao."

Ash asks, "You ready, Ninjitsu?"

Ninjitsu's focus is locked on the tournament bracket screen, where it sees the portraits of Braydon and Slashogun. After a moment of focusing there, it turns its attention to its opponent and affirms, "Nin."

The countdown begins, "Three… two… one… Fight!"

Both Ninjitsu and Mienshao take a cautious approach and begin to circle around each other, waiting for the other to take the first move.

After several tense moments of this, Mienshao decides that Ninjitsu would never strike first, and decides to go in for a sudden blow. Mienshao bounds forward, preparing to attack Ninjitsu with a quick strike.

Ninjitsu does what it instinctively does, disappearing in a cloud of smoke, to quickly reappear from behind Mienshao to attack with chop from its arm.

The audience gasps in surprise. Brock shakes his head in disapproval. The referee holds up a flag and shouts, "That's a foul play strike from Ninjitsu! Illegal Smokescreen technique, and a blow from behind! This a warning, do not do it again!"

Ninjitsu looks to the ref with annoyance.

Ash scolds, "Ninjitsu, you have to do better than that! Remember, this isn't a battle like you're used to. Your ninja techniques are great, but this isn't the place!"

Braydon crosses his arms. He comments to himself, "Ninjitsu are notoriously stubborn Pokémon. Trying to get a Ninjitsu to fight fair is like asking a Meowth to swim. This isn't going to end well for Ash." He sighs, "Oh well. Guess we won't be getting that battle then. Shame."

The referee shouts, "Resume match! Go!"

Ash advises, "Just show Mienshao how strong you are in standard combat! You don't need any of that sneaky stuff. Frontal attacks are better anyways. They show your true power."

Ninjitsu suddenly looks back to Ash with wide eyes, as if offended by Ash's remark. It growls, "Nin…"

Ash continues, "Now let's prove it to them!"

In that moment, Ninjitsu makes up its mind. Mienshao is running towards it to attack. Ninjitsu performs a leg sweep, tripping Mienshao to the ground. It then summersaults over Mienshao, and as the Pokémon gets back up, Ninjitsu strikes it from behind, knocking it out.

The referee shouts, "Illegal tripping! Illegal blow from behind! Underhanded tactics! Ninjitsu is disqualified!"

Ash shouts in anger, "Ninjitsu! What are you doing!? We could have won that match! Now we won't get the chance to battle Braydon!"

Ninjitsu ignores him completely and runs right out of the arena.

Ash's eyes widen. With both concern and anger, he shouts, "Ninjitsu, wait!" He runs off to find the Pokémon.

Brock shakes his head in disapproval. Brenda asks with concern, "What just happened?"

Brock states, "Ash has never worked with a Pokémon like Ninjitsu before. This battle has made his lack of experience abundantly clear. Underhanded fighting and surprise tactics aren't just something that Ninjitsu can stop doing. It's the definition of how it fights. Ash said the wrong things to it just now."

Brenda shakes her head in disbelief. "Ash is no stranger to using unorthodox battle tactics, but that's not how he'll battle by default. Ninjitsu is a whole new game for him."

On the other side of the arena, Braydon also looks off in the direction Ash ran with disapproval. He says to Slashogun, "Hope you weren't looking forward too much to that battle."

Slashogun crosses its arms in indifference.

It's Tornadus!

Ash runs down the street, shouting, "Ninjitsu!" He looks in every direction for the ninja Pokémon. He stops as he realizes, "This is worthless. If Ninjitsu doesn't want to be found, I'll never find it." He sighs. "Great going, Ash. Some trainer you are." He shakes his head in frustration. "I thought I was encouraging Ninjitsu, but I was only putting it down." He sighs again.

Pikachu tries to cheer him up, saying, "Pika pi."

Ash shakes his head. "No, it is my fault. As Ninjitsu's trainer, I should have been more receptive to its feelings and needs. In the moment, all I cared about was getting to battle against Braydon. I knew that Ninjitsu really wanted to battle Slashogun too, so I figured we'd be on the same page." He plops down on a sidewalk bench. "But we're not on the same page. Ninjitsu and I are just so different from each other. Now that I think about it, how am I even supposed to train a Pokémon like that? I have no clue how to work with a Pokémon who deals exclusively in sneak attacks, and Ninjitsu has no clue how to engage in standard combat. We're not compatible."

Pikachu tries to say something but isn't sure what it needs to say. "Pi…"

Ash shakes his head. "Still, I need to find Ninjitsu. I can't just leave it on its own. Not after what I said to it before." He surveys the area. "Okay, let's go about this the smart way. If I were Ninjitsu, where would I run?" He contemplates the question as he looks around. He spots an alley filled with shadows. Ash suddenly grins as inspiration hits him. "I would go straight to the shadows. Come on Pikachu, let's go!" He rushes off and Pikachu follows.

Back at the tournament, in quick succession, Braydon and Slashogun make it past the first round by defeating a Sawk. During the second round, Meowth is able to defeat a Shiftry. Braydon and Slashogun move on to beat a Medicham. The third round is the semi-finals, where Meowth takes down a Blaziken.

That leaves Braydon and Slashogun battling a Lucario. The Lucario leaps in to attack with a heel-palm strike, but Slashogun is quick to jab its knee into the incoming opponent's chest. This looks somewhat painful for Lucario, as it has to take a moment to catch its breath.

But true to its nature, Slashogun takes advantage of this moment of weakness and swipes its claws at the stunned Lucario, knocking it out.

The announcer shouts with excitement, "That's a knock-out! Braydon and Slashogun will go to the finals, against Sensei Kojiro and Meowth!"

Braydon celebrates, while Slashogun simply grins.

Having watched this, Jessie whispers to James, "James, that guy is pretty strong. Are you so sure it's the best idea to leave our battle with him to fate?"

James responds, "Nothing's left to fate. Victory can be stolen. The trophy is ours."

Jessie stares at him blankly. "Huh?"

Meowth chimes in, "He's saying let's just cut straight to the point and steal that trophy already!"

They run into the alley closest to the arena. Ash calls, "Ninjitsu! I know you're here! Can we talk? Please!" There's no response. Ash sighs.

Pikachu tries to comfort him, to little avail. "Chu…"

Ash sits down on top of a discarded crate. "Look, Ninjitsu, you don't have to come out, just listen to me. You and I, we're very different. That much was clear from the start. I've never worked with a Pokémon quite like you, and you're not used to working with anyone, let alone me. I let that difference get between us before, and I'm sorry for that. You're the one who made the decision the to travel with me. If you want to change your mind, I understand. I wouldn't blame you."

Hidden from sight, behind a dumpster near Ash, Ninjitsu's eyes widen slightly at Ash's statement.

Ash takes a deep breath and continues, "But, if you want to stay with me, I'll make a promise to you. I'm going to do whatever I can work with you, and learn exactly how it is you like to operate. But it's also a two-way street. If you can put in an effort to learn how I work, then I know you and I can become a powerful team." He grins as he says, "So, what do you say?" He waits with bated breath to see if Ninjitsu appears.

From its hiding spot, Ninjitsu looks deep in thought.

Ash starts to get up. "So, if you want to keep on working together, how about you come on out. If you don't, I'll leave you alone and stop bothering you."

But before Ninjitsu can chose, the sound of people screaming echoes through the alley. Ash's eyes widen. "That came from the stadium! People are in trouble!"

Ninjitsu suddenly appears in front of Ash and urges, "Nin!"

Ash grins, "If there's one thing we can agree on, it's that we need to do whatever we can to help people in trouble. Let's go."

Ninjitsu nods in wordless agreement. The two run off together.

Jessie and James stand atop the stadium's walls across from the statues and trophy. With agility granted to him by his robes, Meowth performs a flying somersault across the stadium, landing next the trophy and snatching it.

People shout in fear at the sudden incursion.

Braydon demands, "Why would you do this!?"

Jessie cackles. "Because, my twerpish friend, that's just what we do."

Braydon demands, "Who are you?"

Jessie begins, "Prepare for trouble."

James shoves her aside and instead recites, "Blast off at light-speed. Surrender now or we'll fight. We are Team Rocket."

Brenda and Brock gasp. "Team Rocket!"

Jessie shouts at James, "You ruined the motto with your dumb 'like you!'"

Then Wobbuffet appears wearing traditional Japanese regalia and recites, "Wobbuffet, wobba. Wobba wobba wobbuffet. Wobba wobbuffet."

Jessie groans, "Not you too."

James shouts defensively, "That's haiku!" He quickly realizes that what he just said wasn't a haiku, then shrugs and casts aside his costume. Jessie does the same.

Meowth returns to them with the trophy. He takes a moment to observe the trophy but realizes something that outrages him. "What's this!? This trophy isn't gold! The weight's all wrong!" He looks to the terrified tournament host. "What gives!? Your advertisements claim this is a golden trophy!"

Jessie shouts in rage, "Don't you know that false advertising is a crime!?"

The host nervously pulls out a flyer from his pocket. "You see, next to the words 'gold trophy' on this advertisement, there's a little asterisk. And if you look to the fine text at the bottom of the flyer, it clarifies that when it says gold, it actually means gold-painted. We were very clear in our language."

James yanks the flyer out of his hands and reads. "Shoot, his legal defense is rock-solid. We'd never be able to sue him for false advertising."

Jessie shakes her head in disapproval. "And they call us the evil ones. You set out to actively trick people! Why we ought to-!"

She is interrupted by Ninjitsu suddenly appearing in front of her and low sweeping the three of them, tripping them, and causing Meowth to lose hold of the trophy.

Ash stands at the entrance to the arena and announces, "I was getting really tired of hearing them babble."

Brenda says with excitement, "It's Ash and Ninjitsu!"

Braydon smiles slightly.

Ninjitsu lunges to grab the trophy but is beat to the punch by Meowth. Ninjitsu is shocked by this display of speed and agility.

James shouts, "That trophy may be fake, but we've put too much effort into this to just give it back!"

Jessie adds, "And since it's fake, we'll take Pikachu as a consolation prize!"

Ash shouts, "Oh no you won't! Ninjitsu and I will stop you!"

Braydon and Slashogun step forward. "Not just them. We will too!"

Ash grins at Braydon. "Glad to have your help."

Braydon grins back. "Since I never got to see Ninjitsu in action before, I'm looking forward to it now. I assume you two worked out your differences."

Ash chuckles. "Let's just say we're in the process." He looks Ninjitsu and says, "Alright, let's get back that trophy!"

Ninjitsu rushes at Meowth. Meowth tosses James the trophy and says, "Hold that for me while I mop the floor with this twerp." He rushes forward as well, shouting, "Hi-yah!" He ducks beneath Ninjitsu's punch, and attacks back with a jab.

Ash shakes his head in dismay. "No way, since when did Meowth know karate!?"

Meowth looks emboldened and performs several karate chops though the air.

Brock shouts, "Ash, it must be the gi he's wearing! Those robes must somehow augment his abilities!"

Ash nods in understanding. Ash suggests, "Okay Ninjitsu, Team Rocket's not fighting clean, so we're not going to either. Let's show them your stuff! Use Night Slash!"

But Ninjitsu pauses for a moment, looks to Ash, then shakes his head. Instead of following Ash's advice, it leaps upwards, then comes down on Meowth with a karate chop of its own.

Meowth is quick to block the attack with one arm, then delver a kick to Ninjitsu's side.

Ash gasps. "Ninjitsu! What are you doing?" Ninjitsu retreats back several feet, then looks Ash in the eyes. That look is all Ash needs as an explanation. "You're trying to prove yourself. I get it."

Braydon announces, "It's about time that we joined in on things! Slashogun, get him!"

Slashogun charges at Meowth, preparing to slash its claws down on him. Meowth allows his suit to take control once more, enabling him to perform a backflip, and kick Slashogun away right before it can land a hit.

Ash looks to Braydon and asks, "Shall we try coordinating an attack?"

Braydon nods. "Let's do it."

Ninjitsu and Slashogun look to each other, at first with uncertainty, but then Meowth shouts, "I am a karate master! There's no stopping these fists of fury!"

This goading is all they need. They both nod in a silent agreement of temporary truce. Together, both Pokémon move in to attack Meowth from one side or another. Ninjitsu, the quicker one, makes the first strike, attempting to uppercut Meowth from below. Meowth is able to dodge by tilting his head back. He then counterstrikes with a quick punch. Ninjitsu rolls to the side to avoid the attack.

As Meowth's attack is missing, Slashogun comes with a strike from above. This forces Meowth commit to dodge in the direction of Ninjitsu, who is already coming back in for another punch. Meowth's eyes widen as he realizes that he's overcommitted himself. He attempts a midair twist, but this is unsuccessful. Ninjitsu punches him back towards Slashogun, who uses its claws to cut straight through Meowth's robes.

The robes fall to the ground in tatters, the electronics that were embedded in them sparking. Meowth looks to them in horror. Jessie and James as well.

Together Ash and Braydon both shout, "Now, do it!"

Together, Ninjitsu and Slashogun sprint at Team Rocket to deliver a powerful double punch. The combined strength of their punches sends Team Rocket flying, but not before James drops the trophy.

As they soar into the sky, Meowth laments, "You know, I was really hoping for a second there that this was going to be one of those moments where you guys tell me the whole suit controlling my movements thing was a lie, and that all that karate I did was actually me all along, and I just needed to have faith in myself."

Jessie bluntly responds, "That would require us to first have faith in you."

James recites, "A battle is lost. We're sent flying in the sky."

Together the three of them conclude with a shout, "Blasting off again!"

Back on the ground, everyone cheers. The tournament host recovers the trophy then approaches Ash. "That was some top-notch fighting your Ninjitsu did there. I'm so glad the two of you came back. In light of recent events, I would like to revoke your disqualification and offer you Team Rocket's spot in the tournament."

Ash says excitedly, "That would mean we get to battle Braydon in the finals!" But then he thinks of Ninjitsu and calms down. He looks to Ninjitsu and says, "Well, you never got the chance to make a decision before. Do you want to give this partnership thing another go?"

Ninjitsu nods. "Jitsu."

Ash grins profusely. "That's great. Don't worry, Ninjitsu, I won't let you down again."

Braydon says, "Alright, Ash, I guess we get that fight after all. Just watch yourself. We don't plan on losing."

"Neither do we."

Ash, Ninjitsu, Braydon, and Slashogun have taken positions. Brenda asks, "Brock, do you think this time will be any different?"

Brock weighs in, "It's hard to say. Ninjitsu certainly seemed eager to adhere to tournament rules when fighting Team Rocket, but I suspect that it's innate rivalry with Slashogun, not to mention its personal history with other Slashogun, might cause it to lose sight of the fight. This will certainly be interesting."

"Three… two… one… Fight!"

As one might expect of their species, Ninjitsu refrains from leaping into the fight right away, while Slashogun charges forward for a powerful strike of its fist. Ninjitsu is quick to react, rolling to the side, under the assumption that Slashogun would overcommit and lose its balance.

But instead, Slashogun displays a tremendous amount of control over its movements, stopping itself just in time to swivel around and thrust its knee at Ninjitsu.

Ninjitsu was not expecting Slashogun to be able to recover, let alone attack so fast, and is unable to dodge. It's flung back to the edge of the ring, barely avoiding a ring-out. It quickly recovers and takes a long, intimidating look at Slashogun.

Brock states, "There it is. Ninjitsu is now deciding what it wants more. Does it want to prove it can defeat Slashogun by any means necessary, or does it want to prove it can adapt to a different style of fighting?"

Ash can hear Brock saying this behind him, and suddenly gets an idea. "Hey, Ninjitsu! Why chose one over the other? Let's do both! There's nothing in the rules against using your speed to your advantage!"

Ninjitsu seems to understand what Ash means, and even seems to like the idea. With Slashogun moving in for another assault, Ninjitsu prepares itself for action. Just before Slashogun lands its strike, Ninjitsu vanishes in a blur of speed. Slashogun's fist continues forward, only to be knocked aside by Ninjitsu reappearing and pushing it away with an arm. This move uses Slashogun's own weight against it, forcing it to its knees.

Even from this disadvantaged position, Slashogun still attempts to fight back, trying an uppercut. But once more, Ninjitsu disappears, only to move from the right to left side of Slashogun, avoiding the attack, then delivering a powerful kick.

Slashogun is hurled backwards by the kick, sent flying through the air with its back facing the ground and front the sky.

In a somewhat cheeky interpretation of the rules, Ninjitsu then reappears above Slashogun, but still facing its front, and punch straight down, causing Slashogun to crash into the floor.

Slashogun attempts to get back up, but quickly collapses. The referee announces, "Knockout! We have our next King of Martial Arts!"

Braydon cracks a grin as he recalls Slashogun to its Pokéball. As he watches Ash run in to the ring to celebrate the victory with Ninjitsu, he says to himself, "Well Ash, you proved me wrong." He shakes his head with disbelief as he has a flashback to Brandon celebrating a victory with a Ninjitsu of his own. "You remind more of him every time we meet."

Preparing to part ways, Ash asks Braydon, "So where are you heading next?"

Braydon shrugs. "Still trying to figure that out. I still need to earn my eighth gym badge somewhere, but I'm trying to collect a different set of badges from the last time I competed in the Tenno League."

Ash grins. "I'm on my eighth badge too. We're going to Kanaveral for it."

Braydon laughs. "You're going to battle Neil? That should be a great battle. It took me three tries before I beat him last year. But we refused to give up, and eventually managed to make it. Good luck."

Ash laughs. "The way Ninjitsu and I are working together, we won't need luck."

Ninjitsu comments, "Nin…" It doesn't sound entirely convinced.

Everyone laughs.

Today Ash and Ninjitsu hit a rough patch in their development as a team, but with such different outlooks, how could that not happen? The important thing is that they made it past it. This may have been the first, but the safe bet is that it won't be the last, as the journey continues.

To Be Continued…