The Sakura tree's pink petals fluttered to the ground, bringing a sense of tranquillity to all who sought it. Thoughts of the passing day would halt, and the silence of the surrounding area would clear minds. The Greninja, Azul, took this opportunity to reflect on the current plan that Suzuki had organised. He was confident, but also...a little worried.

"I sure hope this plan works," the Pokémon said to himself.

The ninja-frog closed his eyes. The ever-present train-of-thought embarked on its journey through Azul's subconscious.

'I know Louis said that he'd let me battle with him and the others, but...' he paused, internally. '...I hope the Battle Royale just now didn't make him change his mind.'

Unbeknownst to the Pokémon, the blue pendant that was hung from the creature's neck began to gradually glow.

Then...a voice spoke.

"Do you really think he would do something like that?" it said.

Azul's eyes flicked open, startled by the voice. He turned his gaze upward and to the right, but there was no one there.

"Who said that?" he questioned.

"Over here," the voice answered.

The ninja-frog switched his perspective to the left. What he saw shook him to his core - It was a Venusaur, except it appeared transparently before him.

"What the-?" he gasped.

Azul thought his eyes were deceiving him. He rubbed them twice, but what he was currently witnessing was in fact real. The apparition appeared to grin, soothingly. Just like she used to.

"Surprised, I take it?" she said.

"V-...very," replied Azul.

The ghostly image took small steps toward the Greninja, who was about to back away, panicked.

"There's no need for alarm, Azul," said Venusaur.

Azul's eyelids shot up.

"How-...how do you know my name?" he inquired.

"I'll allow you to work that out," answered Venusaur, grinning.

Seconds passed as Azul began working out who this ghostly Venusaur was, and how she knew about himself. Eventually, his distant memories made their presence known to the Pokémon. There was one that stood out the most.

"...there was a Venusaur I met back in Johto," a younger Louis said.

"She...she passed away."

That was the answer.

"It's you..." said Azul.

A small glare emitted below him. He gazed down to see the pendant, glowing as it did a month prior. He held the neckwear in his hands, without actually taking it off, and finally worked it out.

"They are linked."

"That's right," said Venusaur.

A petal-filled breeze briefly separated them.

"Azul, your friends believe and trust in you... yet you keep running away from them. Ask yourself why."

The Greninja shifted uncomfortably, peering into the depths of self-analysis.

Eventually, something cold stared back at him from that place, an answer he'd hidden from himself.

"...because...I...I'm afraid," he stammered.

She spoke again, softly.

"You have no need to be... all you are struggling with is leaving your past behind, everyone else has."

The Greninja took a deep breath, wanting to come to terms with his past.

"I would also recommend that you don't place your pride before your friends again," continued Venusaur. "You remember what happened, don't you?"

"...I do," replied Azul.

One of Venusaur's ghostly vines reached over to the ninja-frog. Much like Louis' experience, Azul could almost feel them.

"I'll offer you these words of wisdom," Venusaur began. "No matter where you go, or who you are, your friends will always be there."

"Always."

Once again, Azul closed his eyes, regretful of his past actions.

"...I'm sorry, guys," he said, silently.

However, after he opened his eyes, the apparition of Venusaur had vanished, and the glow from his pendant had subsided.

And again, he was alone.

Azul sighed.

"Azul!" a voice in the distance. "Hey! Azul!"

Azul turned to the source of the voices. He saw Louis and the rest of Team Venus dashing toward the sakura tree. The Greninja saw Louis' worried expression. Once they were close enough, Louis huffed and puffed in exhaustion.

"Good, he is here," said Lucario.

The group of worried friends locked eyes with the Greninja.

"Do you...feel alright, Azul?" asked Staraptor.

Azul hesitated to answer.

"...no," he said. "But it has nothing to do with the battle."

"What do you mean?" asked Marowak.

The water Pokémon took a deep breath, calming his nerves.

"Guys...I'm...I'm sorry," he said. "...for everything."

There was no sense of faking the words. Everything Azul had spoken was genuine and valid. The group of Pokémon smiled, finally forgiving Azul for the events of the past.

"Azul..." Louis spoke.

"Yeah?" replied Azul.

"I just had a bit of a...talk with Suzuki. He said that he already knew who you were while you were with Zack. Is it true?"

"...for the most part, yes," answered Azul. "He only knew it was me when I was talking to my sister a few days ago."

Louis blinked twice.

"Oh, I see," he said.

"I think Miguel may have had a hand in Suzuki's plan," Azul revealed.

This earned Azul wide-eyed stares.

"Plan?" questioned Incineroar.

"My Dad?" blurted Louis.

Azul responded, "Yeah. You see, when Miguel had a chat with me yesterday, he wanted to know what happened in Kanto and why I reacted the way I did after the sparring match years ago."

The Greninja went on to explain everything that happened in Kanto to the rest of the party.

He then revealed how Suzuki had come up with a plan to help Azul rejoin the team, due to Louis and co. being unaware of the staff member knowing who the Greninja was.

Eventually, Louis asked, "Why didn't you tell me about this at the beach?"

"Because I wasn't sure if you really meant that you forgave me, after everything I did," answered Azul.

This response jolted the young adult.

"Of course I meant it," he responded. "I even made something to show it."

Azul became confused.

"You did?"

The young adult reached into the pocket of his purple jacket and pulled a small spherical device. He pushed a button, and the object expanded to show that it was a Pokéball. However, the top of the sphere had been carefully painted to resemble the appearance of Azul. This gesture shocked the Pokémon in question.

"...is that...?" stuttered Azul.

"Yeah, it is," answered Louis.

Suddenly, the train of anxious thought that ran Azul's mind...stopped.

Then, a single tear slid from his eye. This kind gesture was all the confirmation he needed in knowing that Louis had truly forgiven him.

Then, Louis had a light bulb moment.

"Wait, I wanna surprise the others about this," he said.

Louis brought the remaining five Pokéballs that had been painted to resemble the others. He sent the other five Pokémon back into their Pokéballs. When Louis attempted to beam Azul into his painted spherical device, however, nothing happened.

Louis realised that he would have to actually 'catch' him first. The young adult reached over to the Greninja and gently tapped him on the head with the device. Azul was turned into red energy and sucked into the Pokéball. It rocked sideways three times before a sound of confirmation signalled the successful capture.

"I guess you're now officially the first Pokémon I've ever caught," joked Louis.

The Pokéball rocked forward and back, almost as if it was...nodding

At that moment, realisation came to the young adult.

"Oh! Roy and Taki's match!" he yelled. "If I'm quick, I can catch the end of their battle."

Almost immediately, Louis sprinted back to the newly built Pokémon gym.

Woo-hoo! Team Venus is really back together again, even if it's just for one battle.

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