We walked the trail leading back to the Ninja Village. I was planning on leaving Greninja in the village he and his group were the most known in. The children would all be so happy to learn that I wouldn't be bringing him with me to Alola. He was strong enough without me.

"Greninja," I stopped. For days I hadn't been able to stop thinking about the dream just before Arceus saved us. "Greninja, whatever your answer is I'll believe you this time." I took a deep breath. "Are you Oaky?"

We stopped walking altogether. He was looking at the ground in silence, as if trying to decide whether or not to tell me. His eyes searched the ground for answers. It seemed like forever until he finally shook his head.

"Then how do you know that song?" I challenged.

Greninja looked sad but he tried to hide it behind a smile as he diverted off the trail and motioned for me to follow. The path became narrow and the trees thickened around us and partially covered the trail. I walked close to Greninja, too afraid to get lost in the dense trail.

Finally, the trees broke and what I saw next will forever stick with me. It was a huge river that served as the playground of Froakie, Frogidier and Greninja. The atmosphere reminded me of Ninja Village, and similar to Ninja Village the Froakie loved Greninja. They surrounded him and tackled him in fun. The Frogidier looked at him in admiration. Many of them wanted to be like him from the looks in their eyes.

When all of them realized my presence they stopped and stared. Even the other greninja stopped to stare. Greninja stood and shooed away the Froakie and Frogidier and led me through the paradise, not even giving the other pokemon a glance as if the stares were normal.

The river broke into two to outline the base of a hill and then it came back together on the other side. It wasn't too wide. I could've jumped across by myself without getting totally wet. Greninja helped me across still and we climbed the steep hill. Here, I could see all the Froakie paradise. The sun danced off the river in brilliant yellows and lit the river green. Now I could see in the trees were pink and blue and white flowers. Soon they'd be berries.

Greninja put a hand on my shoulder, pulling me out of my trance and I turned around. On the hill was a sprouting tree, still very young but old enough to start producing pecha flowers. Underneath a tree laid a boulder and a small mound that grew sprouts of all sorts of flowers.

I gave Greninja a questioning look. He explained, with tears in his eyes, that in front of me was Oaky. She died two years ago, while I was still in Alola. Oaky had died but never evolved. She always claimed she didn't want to until I came back but I never did. Still, she always claimed I would come back.

Apparently, after falling from the cliff, Oaky was found by a passing Greninja and Frogidier. They both helped her out by bringing her here but she could never find her way home afterwards so she stayed and helped take care of the young pokemon. Eventually, she had a small family herself and Greninja was her son. He said she died happy and that she didn't regret trying to save me.

It was a shock to me. I was so sure that I would find her here. I was so sure Greninja was Oaky…. I felt the tears that spilled down over my cheeks and down my chin. I had been a few years too late. So, the dream I had wasn't really a dream, it was as real as what I was seeing now.

I knelt by the grave and put my hand on the rock, as if I were petting Oaky. "Your eye is black like Oaky's. Why?"

Greninja chatted in a quiet voice that his egg had been dropped when a young Frogidier tried to play a prank by taking it up a tree. After hatching and while as a Froakie he wandered outside of the trail, as the froakie often did here, he had been caught by a trainer, and was abandoned several months later near Ninja Village. He didn't think it was abandonment but, looking back on it, Greninja supposed that maybe the trainer did abandon him. It didn't take Greninja long to find his home again either, and he found Oaky here, still waiting. By then, though, he had a bond with Weavile and couldn't leave him alone with the big dreams they had about rescuing others from evil people.

I couldn't help but smile through the tears.

If I could go back in time, knowing what I know now, would I change the past? Would I have jumped off the cliff to save Oaky? Would I have fallen and been lost with her? Would they have rescued me too?

We decided to stay and camp out on top of the hill. That night, we lay under the stars and watched them pass by. The moon was full and lit the tree and the grave in a blue light. We told each other stories of our past. This was one of the best times we had together.

"I don't think any of this is coincidental." I finally told Greninja as a comet passed by.

He looked at me quizzically.

I continued, "There's this old myth that one thing has already been decided for us. There are certain people that we're destined to meet and no matter the distance or the time the two people or pokemon will always be drawn back together because they're connected by a red string that the Fates tie on us when we're born. It's said that it can span across space and time. It's metaphorical, really, but still. I think that you and I were meant to meet and that we'll meet again and again, and we won't ever really be apart."

Greninja chuckled.

"It isn't silly!" I rolled on my stomach to look at him, propping myself up with my elbows.

Greninja waved his hand as if to shoo me, saying he never said anything like that.

I puffed out my cheeks. "You were thinking it," I mumbled, which made him laugh even more. I rolled back onto my back to stare at the stars. Oddly, I didn't feel as sad now. I felt like a door had been closed and it was nice to finally say goodbye and close the door myself. When I closed my eyes, I saw Oaky behind my eyelids, waving goodbye as she hopped away. All I could do was smile.

If I went back in time, knowing what I know now, would I change her fate and mine? The question is easy to answer now. I would never change my fate. I would tell my past self never to be sad and to enjoy the time spent with Decidueye and Gengar and Scizor and my other pokemon that Professor Kukui took care of.

We left early the next morning before the others could wake up and possibly change their minds on allowing me to stay. Apparently, here, nobody was a fan of human trainers and they liked their pokemon even less but Greninja may be an exception since I never actually caught him. Maybe I was an exception because of Oaky but then again maybe not.

Greninja had to explain to me over and over again that they didn't necessarily dislike all humans, only the ones that caught pokemon without asking. People like me.

I was half asleep but Greninja seemed fully rested. How could he stay up so late, wake up so early, and be fine? My eyes wanted to flutter shut. It felt like someone attached weights to them. I yawned and bumped into Greninja when he stopped. "What's wrong?" I asked groggily.

Greninja didn't answer and his arms were folded, and in his eyes held the look of anticipation for a battle. I looked around the thick trees but saw nothing. When I turned around Greninja grabbed me by the waist and pulled me up so suddenly that I nearly missed the water pulse directed at us. He set me down on the branch of a tree and shot water shuriken at something I couldn't see clearly. I held onto Greninja's arm tightly, not feeling at all stable.

Greninja hit it and it fell from one of the trees to the ground. It was a young Froakie but it looked different from the others. It was a lighter blue than a normal froakie and its eyes were even lighter.

Greninja jumped to the ground, out of my grasp to scold the Froakie. I felt unstable on the branch but I held onto the trunk tightly. I hated heights. The lighter Froakie wasn't listening. Instead it used bubble. Greninja, without thinking, dodged it but because of Froakie's angle it hit the branch I was standing on and broke it.

Of course, I couldn't hand on to the trunk very well and I fell. Greninja caught me at the bottom with an apologetic look on his face. The Froakie looked a little horrified at its own action.

"I'm fine," but in truth I was still having a panic attack. I didn't think Greninja would catch me.

This sent Greninja into another fit of lectures, none of which Froakie was listening to. I couldn't follow it very well. "What's this all about?" I finally had to ask.

Greninja explained that it apparently had some form of one sided rivalry. "I'll train Froakie and then, when we come back, you two should battle again."

Greninja tilted his head. Froakie copied his movements.

"Well, Froakie? You can get stronger with me!"

Froakie turned away from me with its arms folded.

"I have plenty of pokemon, Froakie, and they all can teach you a lot of cool stuff." But it wasn't buying it. "Then we'll have a battle! I'll show you how strong I am!"

Froakie's body language changed from a defiant kid to an excited pokemon, one that was ready for battle. This wouldn't take long. "Greninja, use your water Shuriken."

Greninja threw the water stars, knocking Froakie down easily. This way, it was a little easier to catch.

When we were back on our way to Ninja Village Greninja asked what I meant when I said I'd come back.

I sighed, "I'm not taking you with me to Alola because you're strong enough without me. Plus, your friends and family are all here. My friends and family are all in Alola. So, I'm leaving you in Ninja Village." I pat Greninja's head when he looked sad. "Don't look at me like that. I told you, we're connected so we'll always come back to each other." I pulled down his head and pushed my forehead against his in a loving way. I didn't want to leave Greninja but I knew this was for the best.