Shadows from the branches and tree leaves blocked out a majority of light around them, with only small trickles of the sun shining through the gaps. Both Miguel and Azul gazed at one another as bushes rustled around them.

"So. What do you want, exactly?" asked Azul.

"I have a few questions for you. I just need some answers," replied Miguel.

– "...well, then out with it."

The man folded his arms and took a deep breath.

"Alright. I'll get the ball rolling," he said.

A few moments passed before Miguel spoke his first question.

"I want to know what happened in Kanto?" he said.

Azul shifted at the abrupt, and precise question.

"...where's this coming from?" he questioned.

"If you must know, Louis told the rest of the party what happened between the two of you years ago," explained Miguel

– "What did he say?"

"He said that after losing a sparring match, you got really upset and ran away, swearing never to battle again," the man answered.

"So you can see my confusion. What exactly happened in Kanto that caused you to react the way you did?" he continued.

The sound of Suzuki's team training echoed faintly.

"You really want to know?" said Azul.

The man nodded in reply.

Azul sighed and said, "Fine, I'll tell you."

The Greninja took a brief moment to collect his bearings before answering.

"I will admit, I was pretty shocked when we lost the sparring match," he began. "But...that was only the tip of the iceberg."

Miguel raised an eyebrow.

"Once I started training in Kanto, I participated in every sparring match that was available to me and trained as hard as I could," the ninja-frog explained.

"But, I would come up short in each battle. My confidence grew smaller each day I lost. I honestly thought the Pokémon Leagues were beyond my reach," he continued.

Internally, Miguel began to piece together the shattered fragments of the story so that Louis and Azul's stories could combine and paint a clear picture for the man.

"At first, I thought it was because I was never that good, or that I only battled as part of a team, but I was wrong. Very wrong," revealed Azul.

The man stared in stunned silence, shocked at the struggles the Greninja faced while training abroad.

"If that's the case, I have one more thing to ask," said Miguel.

"What?" replied Azul.

"Did you ever think that your actions years ago would have an impact on Louis?"

Azul blinked twice.

"What do you mean?" he asked.

Miguel took a brief moment to think of a perfect explanation.

"When you left and said you were done with battling, Louis took it hard," he answered. "He thought he failed you as a trainer, and his confidence plummeted."

A tidal wave of information began to build up in the ninja-frog's mind. Azul's eyelids raised slightly.

"He couldn't take it anymore, so...he quit," Miguel revealed.

Then, the wave came crashing down upon his thoughts with such force, it visibly jolted the Pokémon. Now it was Azul's turn to stare in shock.

"W-...what?!" he blurted.

"But, he said he was going to sign up for another year at the time," Azul continued.

"After what happened, he didn't," said Miguel.

The revelation froze Azul to the core. Not a single word was said as he processed everything the man had just revealed to him. Cold tendrils flowed through his body.

"I...I had no idea," said the ninja-frog.

Noticing how deeply this affected the Greninja, Miguel sighed.

"Maybe we should take a walk," he suggested.

Minutes passed as the two individuals took a small walk through the forest. The chill factor brought about from the lack of sunlight created goosebumps on Miguel's body. Azul, however, wasn't fazed by this at all. Once he had processed the previous details, the Greninja turned its head to the man.

"Miguel...right?" he said.

"Hm?" replied Miguel.

"I need to ask you something. ...what's with all these questions?"

Miguel took his time to respond, accurately weighing the weight of his words.

"I just didn't want history to repeat itself," he answered. "After Louis quit years ago, I had trouble thinking of how to help him. And well...since I'm here...I thought I'd make it up to him."

Taking this answer to heart, Azul sighed.

"Honestly, I wish I could make it up to him," he said. "I REALLY want to be on his team again."

"If that's how you feel, why don't you try?" the man suggested.

The Pokémon froze on the spot. It was clear to Miguel that he had never even considered doing that.

"It...it's not that simple," said Azul. "I'm on Zack's team right now. Plus, it's not like I can just say that I want to leave, all they'd hear is 'Gre-nin' or 'Gre-ninja'."

With that answer, Miguel placed an index finger and thumb on his chin, pondering how to help the Greninja in his predicament. Soon, an idea clicked into his mind.

"Maybe, this could work," the man said, quietly.

He pulled his cataloguing book out of his bag, retrieved his feather-pen and began writing on a blank sheet of paper.

"What are you doing?" asked Azul.

"Just listing a few things," hinted Miguel.

Then, with grace and elegance, the man scribbled down the message to be given to Suzuki. Once he finished, the note read;

Dear Suzuki.

Mig here... wait not 'here', but I'm writing this note.

I had a chance to discuss the recent issues surrounding my son's team, and a certain Greninja.

(He's probably right in front of you)

Azul wants to rejoin Louis' team, but to do so would mean leaving Zack's.

Don't let his cold-hearted demeanour fool you into thinking he has a heart of stone, he's troubled.

Let me know what you think, and if you are agreeable to this resolution.

Bye,

From Miguel

(Wait, I already said it was me)

The man folded up the sheet of paper four times and presented it to the Greninja.

"Here," he said. "When we get back to the field, I want you to give this to Suzuki."

Azul gently took the paper from the man.

"What is it?" he asked.

"Just a message I need to pass on," answered Miguel.

Azul's curiosity seemed to be rising. He was about to unfold the paper, but Miguel stopped him while saying;

"Ah ah. No peeking."

Soon, the two individuals returned to the chain-link fence leading to Suzuki's training field. As Azul walked toward the entrance and Miguel turned to leave, the Greninja spun his head to the man.

"Miguel..." he said.

The man stopped and shifted his gaze to the Pokémon.

"...thanks," said Azul.

Miguel smiled and nodded, and continued on his way.

Zack caught a glimpse of Azul walking back to the rest of the group.

"Hey, welcome back," he said.

"Gre," replied Azul.

The Greninja stepped toward Suzuki, who was busy wiping dust off of his glasses. Once he had placed them back on, the staff member spotted the Pokémon standing nearby, startling him. However, he soon grinned.

"So, how'd it go?" asked Suzuki.

Shifting on the spot, Azul presented the folded sheet of paper to the staff member.

"Nin-ja," he said.

Suzuki became a bit confused, unsure as to why he was being given some paper. Retrieving it from the Pokémon, the staff member unfolded the paper and carefully read the written message.

He mumbled the message and said, "He's probably standing in front of you."

Suzuki looked up and saw Azul standing idly. He chuckled. Then, the Greninja made his way over to Zack and the rest of his team. Suzuki continued reading the message. He became a little surprised at the details listed about Azul's feelings. He cursed himself, silently, not realising what was going on sooner.

As the Greninja sat alongside Zack, the student noticed something that seemed...unusual to him.

"Hmm, you seem quite relaxed," he said. "What's up?"

"Gre-nin, Gre-ninja," replied Azul.

Even though he wasn't used to this kind of behaviour Zack was happy to see his Pokémon in a calm and meditative state. Their silence was soon disrupted by an approaching voice.

"Hey, Zack," called Suzuki.

Startled, Zack and Azul turned to the staff member.

"What is it?" the student replied.

"I need to speak with you and Greninja. It's about the qualifiers tomorrow," answered Suzuki.

Both human and Pokémon stood up and walked over to the staff member.

"What's up?" asked Zack.

Suzuki took a deep breath, thinking of how to approach this.

"Before I get started, I just want to say..." he paused.

Then, he turned to the Greninja, who was standing beside Zack.

"...Azul, I know it's you," he said.

The Pokémon was taken aback by the staff member's sudden revelation.

"Azul?" questioned Zack.

The student turned to the Greninja in question and noticed the shocked expression displayed.

"Gre...Gren-ja?" blurted Azul.

Even though he couldn't understand Pokémon, Suzuki could tell what he was saying.

"Yeah, I worked it out when I saw you with your sister a few days ago," revealed Suzuki.

Soon, the pieces of the puzzle came together in Zack's mind. He recalled the memory of a younger Louis and his team during the tournament in the past. Soon, a vague memory played back, with two Froakies hugging one another after Louis had won the tournament. Bringing himself back to the real world, Zack spoke.

"Wait...you mean...he's the Froakie that was on Louis' team years ago?" he said.

"Yeah," replied Suzuki. "He went to the Kanto region to train for a number of years. I didn't know he was back until now."

The student was incredibly surprised. He hadn't realised how much of a connection Louis and Suzuki had with the Pokémon. The staff member locked eyes with the Greninja.

"You want to rejoin Louis' team, don't you?" he asked.

For a brief moment, Azul shifted. Then, he nodded in reply. At first, Zack was a little hurt at Azul's response. But then, he saw things from the Greninja's perspective. Being away from his original team for so long, only to go up against them in the Battle Royale, it soon became clear to the student.

"I see now," muttered Zack. "He misses being on Louis' team."

Suzuki pondered how to go about this situation. But then, it appeared. An idea.

"I've got a plan," he said. "It's crazy, but it just might work."

Whoa. So now we know what happened in Kanto. Who knows what Suzuki is planning.

Anyway, thanks for reading. Is there something you enjoyed? Can you guess what happens next? Or...what do you hope to see in future chapters? If so, go ahead and leave a review explaining any of these reasons. (Please don't leave hurtful reviews)

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Thanks again. See you next time