Part CLVI: The Champion's Challenge

"Are you sure that it is what you say it is?" The short haired brunette in a lot of white with a little gold trim said as she looked up at the older, tanned, woman floating in the air above with a pair of Meowstics, one of each gender, floating on either side of her. "It's been over a century since it has been recorded in Kalos. None of the few potential Froakies since then ever reached that point, at least none that I know of."

"It is what I saw." The older woman said looking down upon the strongest trainer in all of Kalos who she'd called here for this meeting. "I spoke with Pierre; he has confirmed that the change occurred during his party, and I've read the reports of it on the blog sites that the performers use that all say the same thing from those in attendance. The Battle Bond ability has awoken once again and from all accounts almost as soon as the Frogadier in question evolved into Greninja. I am not sure what that means but I have a feeling that this phenomenon will be a strong one once they master it together."

Diantha, the Champion of Kalos, kept her surprise in check as she met the gaze of the Anistar Gym leader floating before her. When Olympia had summoned her here with news of a power unique to a specific Kalos Pokémon species, one that had the potential to manifest once in every generation in one Pokémon of that species, and one that could be the purest, truest, form of Mega Evolution known to the world had manifested once more Diantha had been skeptical.

Sure, she knew of Olympia's foresight power. After all, it had been the very thing that had tipped Diantha off about the potential catastrophe the year before and what had allowed the Champion to rally her Hoenn colleague as well as all but one of the gym leaders to prepare for it. They were joined by one of the Elite Four along with Alain, May and the one gym leader she hadn't been able to reach in Clemont, as well as Professor Sycamore, Serena, and Clemont's father, in ending it before it destroyed the region.

Despite this, foresight was still a power Diantha didn't understand. Now she was being informed that the rare Battle Bond phenomenon had once again been achieved just as Olympia foresaw it might.

It was a phenomenon that few were truly aware of and one which had taken Diantha some research to discover anything about when first alerted to it, but it was a powerful one nonetheless. Almost 2 years ago give or take, Diantha had been so busy for so long that she couldn't quite pin down when it had happened, Olympia had foreseen the hatching of the generational Froakie, the third of Olympia's life, and informed Diantha of it as Diantha was the Champion so needed to know of its potential.

Usually that was all Olympia did, inform the current Champion of the hatching and leave it at that but she'd foreseen more that time than she had the first two times a Froakie with the potential had hatched. She'd foreseen that a person, one either blessed or cursed by Arceus himself it seemed, and one who would through his actions fundamentally change the world's understanding of Pokémon would come to Kalos if a battle of fire and grass fell to grass.

That was strange enough but what was more was that this trainer would be the person who, provided that he cross paths with the Froakie, would have the potential to reach the Battle Bond phenomenon. This was new to Olympia as she'd never seen that it might happen which was why she'd told Diantha everything though she didn't know who the trainer was or what he would do that would cause a fundamental change of that magnitude.

That person was none other than Ash Ketchum who had changed the way the world understood Pokémon when he played a significant role in the discovery of the shift that was the emergence of fairy types when that happened though why or how the 18th type had manifested was still unknown. The battle that Olympia had foreseen had indeed fallen to grass in the end and as such Ash was headed to Kalos where he ran into the Froakie in question on the very first day in the region.

Since then, Olympia had had a few more visions of Ash, of their battle though no details regarding it other than that it would be intense, of his arrival in Anistar, and of the final steps needed for the phenomenon to emerge. All this from that vision a few years back that had led Diantha to seek out information on the phenomenon.

As the Kalos Champion, Diantha had done her duty and sought it out and after some searching all over her homeland, thankfully her film career helped a lot in that regard, she found a record of the last time it had happened. It had occurred in a secret village of ninjas located in Kalos, one that even Diantha had not known about until finding one of their members by accident one day, which held the Pokémon Greninja, Froakie's final form, in high regard due to how one with a special ability had once existed in the village.

Armed with the knowledge of the phenomenon potentially returning in their day Diantha had been able to get access to the village where the elder had explained how they had once been saved by a Greninja who could change its form. From their accounts it appeared to be a temporary evolution and one that even led the Greninja to taking on the appearance of his trainer in some regard if the legend was to be believed. Together they saved the village and since then they'd known that one day a Greninja that could do this would walk Kalos again.

This partnership had been forged from absolute and utter trust between trainer and Pokémon. it was triggered by a moment in battle where their hearts became one so completely that they shared each other's emotions, pain, and exhaustion when in that state and that the human could allegedly see through his Pokémon's eyes if the village records were to be believed.

It was like Mega Evolution only predated its discovery and did not need either a Key or Mega Stone, something that as far as any who studied Mega Evolution believed were requirements for it. That and in his research Professor Sycamore had never once found proof that any Pokémon native to Kalos had a Mega Evolution.

All this had both confused and fascinated Diantha, but it was also discovered because of her duty as Champion and once she learned it she had to put it aside as shortly afterwards had been Olympia's vision on the threat that Kalos was about to face. Now, though, it had come back and apparently the phenomenon had already occurred once at least though only in its first stage and not its completed stage which apparently was still something that needed more trust to achieve.

As such, the moment that Diantha could make the short trip to Anistar from where she was filming nearby she did, coming straight to the gym to hear the update from Olympia. That was when she had learned that the man who revealed fairy types to the world and who she had once met briefly by the Kalos Canyon many months ago was the one who'd achieved it with his newly evolved Greninja.

Well, Diantha had said that she felt she would meet Ash again and when they did she'd battle him as he had challenged her when they met but she'd been too busy then. It looked like fate had already decided that would be mandatory now given what his Greninja might be able to do.

"Then I will go and check it out for myself." Diantha said seriously. "If this has returned to Kalos then we must know more about it and how it occurs, what triggers it, and all that a Greninja who changes like this can do."

"It is an ability only triggered in battle." Olympia said. "But how is still unknown to me. Right now, the Lumiose City Gym Leader is traveling with Ash and his scientific brain is no doubt already trying to deduce it himself. He will be of assistance in this, I am sure of that."

"I know Clemont somewhat from last year and what his abilities are so that is good to know." Diantha said. "And I will go and face Ash myself with Gardevoir. Together we can trigger this if we battle him I feel. Do you know where he is?"

"He is currently somewhere between Couriway and Snowbelle as he is travelling to the latter at the moment and should be to the west of Pierre's mansion as that was where he was last seen." Olympia said. "But his exact location is unknown. I do believe that he is still to the east of Joule Town however as he likely hasn't had enough time to reach it. That isn't a small area to search though, and you are a busy woman."

"I can take a few days off while they film the scenes I'm not in." Diantha said thinking on her schedule. "This is a matter that is in line with my duties as the Kalos Champion so I can swing it with Kathi to go and see Ash. I have access to a helicopter; we can use that and even get some good aerial shots for the film to ensure that Kathi is assuaged and might even be able to film a commercial for some brand that claims to be in touch with nature out there if there is time. I must do this and soon however."

"That I feel is true." Olympia said. "The Wallace Cup is in Snowbelle, and Ash is traveling there for that. I have a feeling the events of that Cup, choices he may be forced to make during it, and what happens with Wulfric in the Snowbelle Gym could be of importance. It would be best for all involved that Ash and Greninja are fully aware of what they can do before then. That is why the Champion must be the one to test this. If anyone in Kalos has the power to ensure this you do Diantha."

"It will be done." Diantha said seriously. "Thank you Olympia for this heads up."

"Of course, but I should add one more thing." Olympia said as Diantha made her way to turn pausing her as she took he first step. "When I met Ash I had a vision in the aftermath of our battle, one that foresaw the chance of this evolution if certain other things fell into place. That has come to pass which means that the rest of my vision almost certainly will. After you confirmed you were coming I saw a new vision, one past the clash at the end of Ash's where his fate hinges on one moment. There are two paths from that diverge from that moment and one of those paths leads to you though how or what I cannot say."

"Thank you but I will deal with that should the time comes." Diantha said as she turned and headed out of the battlefield she knew well. "First I must test Ash and his Greninja."

Diantha knew to listen to Olympia, the woman was wise beyond her many years, so she heeded it, but she also had to deal with the immediate future. That was her focus and she quickly left to reconvene with Kathi and sort out the chopper. She had a strange man from Pallet Town to find after all and see what all this fuss was about surrounding Ash Ketchum and his Greninja.


"Alright Greninja, let's go." Ash said as he finished stretching with Greninja who was doing the same.

"Greninja." Greninja said with a nod.

"We need to be full in sync to master this and the stronger we are together the longer we can hold your transformation, I'm sure of that." Ash said as he took a starting position on the outskirts of the copse of trees they were near. "Which means it's time for a different kind of train. Ready?"

"Greninja." Greninja said nodding again.

"Right together then." Ash said and they set off running through the trees as they began an endurance and synchronicity workout together to increase both Ash's stamina and how well they worked together as trainer and Pokémon.

Ever since Frogadier had evolved into Greninja and then whatever happened afterwards, the Battle Bond phenomenon apparently, during Pierre's party they'd been training trying to find answers to it. In this vein Clemont had decided to travel with them as far as Snowbelle to get some readings on what was going on and try to help figure it out while Bonnie joined him to even out the numbers and spend some time with her brother. Max and Owen had an errand to run so they would meet up along with everyone else in Snowbelle.

As such it was just Ash, Misty, May, Serena, Clemont, and Bonnie on this leg of the journey. The others had gone their own ways be it to train, head to some event that was happening soon nearby that some of them may also go to as a side adventure, or in Brock and Lucy's case check out honeymoon locations in this corner of Kalos before they all met up again at Snowbelle.

They'd also be meeting Dawn there as she was already in Kalos and would be waiting for them in the Snowbelle as she was approaching the city from the west not the east. She'd come with another Kanto Gym Leader, Sabrina, but Sabrina was doing her own thing and would be staying in Kalos longer than Dawn. Those who knew Sabrina knew that she couldn't see them in Snowbelle, but May at least was making arrangements to see her while she was here.

They still had about a week before the Wallace Cup and were at least 3 days walk straight to Snowbelle, 5 for the side adventure planned by all but May and Serena, so they had the time to train and get ready for all that Snowbelle had to offer them. Part of that training was Ash and Greninja trying to understand and then master this new change which had been the overall focus for most of them on this trip.

While both Misty and Serena had their own training to do, Misty for the Wallace Showcase that she was going to enter and Serena for the Wallace Cup, both also helped out with Ash because they wanted to, and it helped them in the process. However, they were the least involved because of their own thing, Misty did have a routine to perfect after all, and as Clemont was the inventor the bulk of the assistance fell on his shoulders.

He'd taken to that task with relish as he was fascinated by the change and wanted to learn as much about it as possible. It was thanks to Clemont that they were able to make any progress at all with understanding it.

The first thing that he'd deduced was the stamina aspect, though why Ash felt Greninja's pain when Mega Blaziken had punched him was still unanswered, and as such when not training with Greninja and his other Pokémon, or sick as Ash had gotten a few days into this part of the journey, Ash and Greninja were working out like this to improve their stamina. This should allow them to hold the transformation longer Clemont theorized, and it would increase their trust something that seemed important and was the second thing confirmed.

That was because they had been able to trigger the change twice more since the first time. First had been the day after Ash got sick when he managed it against Clemont and his Luxray in a battle right after a hit and they seemed to be in sync on trying to win, which they did in the end, but only after the change. That had led Clemont to deduce that some form of trust or shared bond similar to Mega Evolution might cause it which given that the ability Greninja had was apparently called Battle Bond made sense.

Armed with this information Clemont had developed special monitoring devices that Ash and Greninja wore on their wrists that monitored their battle pulses for synchronicity while in battle. This information was then converted into a wavelength that was projected on a screen from Clemont's Clembot mini so that he could look at it in real time. This would test to see if it was some form of battle trust that caused it.

Of course, they had also deduced that the change could only occur during battle, again the name seemed to imply that, and the only instances had been during it, so they kept trying to trigger it. All of the others except Bonnie who lacked the experience tried to help, all using their strongest Pokémon for it but since Luxray it had only occurred one other time when May had Mega Evolved her Blaziken the day before in a battle and landed another Sky Uppercut on Greninja.

That had been what was needed for Ash and Greninja to affect the change again. This time though they had data and Clemont observed the whole thing through the wavelengths of both Ash and Greninja. As they battled together their wavelengths became more and more in similar until finally, right after the hit, they overlapped in identical patterns. The moment that happened was also the moment that the change was triggered and the powered up Greninja in a water veil was present again.

Clemont kept monitoring it through the end of the battle, another victory for Ash, and noted that once it ended the wavelengths returned to their normal resting rate, which was not in sync, and the transformation fell. This was the first solid piece of data and confirmed that they needed to be one in some sense to cause the change.

That was all they knew at this point however and it clearly didn't happen in every battle so there was still a lot to figure out with this, especially why Ash was feeling Greninja's pain when hit in the change and why he was so exhausted afterwards, which meant more testing. As the data came from battles Ash was eager for more as he was always up for a good battle.

Right now, that was going to happen in the afternoon with May's Tyrantrum this time so the morning was working out while Clemont tinkered with his device, Bonnie groomed Dedenne, Misty and Serena did their own training, and May looked over the schedule to confirm things were on track with at least enough leeway for some strange adventure that might hit them before they reached Snowbelle. All was going well right now and things were going as planned for them.

May and Serena had already decided after the party that they'd need to take a break like they'd done during the time to Dendemille as the party had been hard on their unrequited crushes. Thankfully, there was some side festival adventure thing Ash and Clemont wanted to do that Bonnie and Misty could join in on but neither May nor Serena had the requirements for it.

As such they were going to head directly to Snowbelle tomorrow when the paths diverged while the others made their way to this adventure before meeting up in Snowbelle the day before as Misty of all people had to be there by then. That was because there was an event that was being hosted by the Kalos Contest Committee to welcome Wallace and his Cup to the region and given Misty's history with the Cup she was kinda required to be in attendance.

The break would give May and Serena the time to reset away from Ash and Misty while also allowing the pair to bond more with Bonnie and Clemont and be more affectionate without having to worry about rubbing it in to May and Serena, not that Misty would do that to her friends. It was a win/win, and they all knew it. It would also allow for May to properly contact Sabrina and set up hers and Serena's meetings with her while the psychic specialist and lost Ash girl whisperer was around.

All that would be in time though. Right now, they were wrapping up and preparing to get lunch ready, which meant calling out to Ash who was closing in on them as he ran out of the forest with Greninja clearly at his physical limits, before a bit of a break and the afternoon's training. At least that was the plan until they heard the noise that cut through the quiet area like a knife just as Ash and Greninja reached the clearing and the former collapsed on the ground exhausted from all the exercise.

They all knew what the sound was and looked up to see a blue helicopter flying through the sky. That was unusual as few were seen flying this far from a city or town but what was even stranger was that it was coming right to them and the clearing that they were in. It was clearly here for them, which knowing their luck meant that it was here for Ash, who had taken a drink from a bottle Misty had given him and was back on his feet, but they didn't know who it was until it turned as it began to descend and the side door slid open while still high in the sky.

Right after the door was opened a metal cable was thrown out and fell to the ground clearly meant for someone to descend on, as well as to make said descent safe by grounding the electricity in the helicopter so that someone could rappel down it. A moment later what could almost be a large, white, winged, Pokémon, leapt out of the helicopter and slid gracefully down the rope, spinning as it did, before landing with bent knees on the ground with its back to them. That was when they all realized that it was a person who'd come to see them.

As the person in white rose the rope was pulled up so that the helicopter could leave to get some shots of the area while the person did what she'd come here to do even if Kathi wasn't too happy with how she'd entered the area. As for Ash and his friends, they stared in surprise as the figure got to her feet and turned to face them revealing that it was Diantha of all people, smiling as she stood before the stunned group.

"Diantha!" All 6 of them said in surprise at the arrival of the Kalos Champion.

"Are you ok?" Clemont asked. "That wasn't an easy descent."

"Perfectly fine, that was nothing compared to some of the stunts I've done in my films." Diantha said with a wide smile. "Long time no see guys."

"We'll be back soon, try and stay in one piece." They heard Kathi yell from the helicopter before it banked away. "You do have a schedule to maintain after all."

"What are you doing here?" Ash asked as the chopper left with Diantha just waving goodbye to it. "Not that I'm complaining, I still want to battle you, but I'm just surprised that you're here all the way out in the middle of nowhere."

"Yeah is everything ok?" Clemont asked sounding a little worried and this time asking about the general state of Kalos and not Diantha's personal health.

"Of course, there's no great threat to deal with like last year." Diantha said. "I actually just came from Anistar where Olympia told me of the Battle Bond phenomenon manifesting at last. She told me ages ago about its potential and how it might happen this time around, especially once other factors began to fall into place, and now that it has I decided to pop into see you all. I did say that our paths would cross again Ash and it looks like you will get that battle you want after all because that is why I am here. I officially challenge you and your Greninja to a one-on-one Pokémon battle against me and Gardevoir."

"Wow really." Ash said with a wide grin, his excitement overshadowing any shock that it was the Champion of Kalos coming to challenge him and not the other way around though everyone else was stunned by that. "That's amazing. Of course we accept."

"Greninja." Greninja said with a nod.

The others just stood there in slack jawed silence at what had just happened. Of all things that they could have predicted the Kalos Champion dropping in from a helicopter in this quiet part of Kalos with the sole purpose of challenging Ash to a battle personally was not high on the list. True it was on the list because it was Ash and after what Greninja had done at the party there was no way that Diantha wouldn't have found out about it, but this was a lot sooner and much more out of the way than any of them had expected.

"Excellent then let's get started." Diantha said pulling out her Poke Ball and opening it in her hand so that Gardevoir appeared, a necklace similar to Diantha's but with a slightly different holder for the Mega Stone in it around her neck. "I hope to see this change for myself, and I am on a tight schedule so the sooner we get started the better."

"One sec." Clemont said as Ash and Greninja backed up so that there was space, and the girls and Clemont went to the side so that he could set up his Clembot mini in what they hoped was a place far enough away from the impending battle to be safe. "I need to get the hologram ready. If there is ever going to be a battle to trigger the change then this will be it."

"What is that?" Diantha asked looking over to the set up as a holographic TV of sorts appeared out of Clembot's eyes showing a set of wavelengths next to pictures of Ash and Greninja and in different colors to differentiate them further. "Olympia mentioned that you would be of assistance with this Clemont, I take it that this is how you are doing that."

"Correct." Clemont said with a nod as he made sure everything was ready. "By monitoring Ash and Greninja in battle and converting their battle pulses into wavelengths we can see how close Ash and Greninja are to one another in battle. Basically, I have theorized that this is their battle trust or as the ability says their Battle Bond and when they overlap and become one the change happens. At least that was proven the one time we got it to work yesterday so I am hoping for even more data today. Given that it is you and Gardevoir facing Ash I am confident that it will happen again."

"Ah I see that is clever and will help us understand this a lot more as the only evidence I have found of a Greninja with this ability was a bit dated, but I did send it onto Sycamore so you and him should work together on this when you get back to Lumiose." Diantha said. "This way we can truly figure out what all this means and why Ash's Greninja has the chance to reach heights never before seen by a Greninja, at least in our lifetime that is."

"Cool I'll do that." Clemont said as he made sure everything was in order. "Alright it's all set up."

"Good then Ash, as the challenged you have the honor of going first." Diantha said looking across their makeshift battlefield to him.

"Right." Ash said getting into the battle. "Ok Greninja let's do this. I've never seen a Gardevoir Mega Evolve so let's see if we can force Diantha to show us while showing her what we are made of in the process."

"Greninja." Greninja said with a nod.

"I can't wait." Diantha said smiling back at them.

"Alright start us off with Night Slash." Ash said kicking off the battle in earnest. "That new fairy type Gardevoirs have added may have stopped it from being super effective on them, but it will still do plenty of damage."

All Diantha did was smile as Greninja charged forward, blades of darkness forming in his hands. Then, at the last moment she gave a small nod and Gardevoir dodged the first blade with a sidestep and the second with a simple leap back. Diantha hadn't said a word, but her Pokémon had known what to do instantly.

"Woah they can communicate without words." Clemont said amazed. "How?"

"Gardevoir, it's a psychic type." Misty said her eyes wide. "And has a deep bond with Diantha which likely plays a large role in how they battle. While it's not exactly what we've seen before it's similar because of the type. Thing is, Ash has faced this before."

"He has?" Serena asked looking to see Ash grinning.

"Ah I see, empathetic communication." Ash said causing Diantha's eyes to briefly flicker in surprised before she recovered. "Or at least close enough due to the type and familiarity with Gardevoir. I've faced Anabel before, twice actually, I've seen this style and ability. Alright Greninja, Water Shuriken."

All Diantha did was nod again as Greninja pulled the throwing stars of water off his thighs and tossed them at Gardevoir, only two this time. Again, she avoided the attacks this time with a perfect twisting flip that put her body between the two stars, her head facing downwards at a diagonal angle as one star flew over it while the other, lower one, missed her body on the other side. It was certainly impressive to say the least, but Ash wasn't done yet.

"Night Slash." Ash ordered. "Again."

Again, Greninja charged, blades of darkness forming in his hands just as his Cut had done when he'd known that move, and he closed in on Gardevoir. Once more all it took was a nod from Diantha for Gardevoir to easily avoid the attack twisting elegantly away and back from the slashes not once giving Greninja the opening he needed to land the move. It was clear Gardevoir was well trained but there was one more attack Ash had and if it avoided this then he knew he had to rethink his strategy.

"Aerial Ace." Ash said.

This time Greninja tore at Gardevoir faster, the flying type move infused into his right forepaw, as he reached her and leapt for an overhead strike that would take her behind the head just as Diantha nodded again. It was close, closer than before and Gardevoir could feel the wind as the punch infused with Aerial Ace shot past her head as she leapt back from it and Greninja retreated panting a bit after all his attacks missed.

"Woah she avoided all of them." Misty said her eyes wide. "And so gracefully as well. That looked a lot like what you'd see in a Contest battle only even smoother than I've ever seen."

"She is the Champion." Clemont said. "You can see why just from that early exchange."

"It's like with Aria and being Kalos Queen." Serena said. "It's clear quickly that Diantha is on a whole other level."

Diantha for her part wasn't listening to the chatter on the sidelines as she was focused on the battle that she'd come her to engage in. So far she'd not noticed or felt anything different about Greninja in comparison to the others of its species that she'd faced over the years. It was well trained sure and knew its stuff but there was nothing so far to indicate that this one was special. Perhaps attacking would help reveal it more.

"My turn." Diantha said with a smile. "Gardevoir, Shadow Ball."

"Make it hard to hit you." Ash said as the ball of ghost type power formed in Gardevoir's hands while the others gasped at Diantha actually attacking. "Double Team and get in close."

Just as the ball was released Greninja suddenly shimmered and multiple shadow clones of him were now in front of Diantha. The Shadow Ball struck one and went through blowing up on the ground and not harming Greninja at all, a rare miss for the Kalos Champion while the rest began to run at Gardevoir.

"Not bad." Diantha said getting a shade more serious about the battle after her miss. "Use Shadow Ball again and keep using it until they are all gone."

Usually this was a tactic that wouldn't work but Gardevoir was so fast with the attack that she was able to blast several Shadow Balls at the Greninja clones in quick succession as he closed in on her. They took them out one by one as she swept the field with her attacks before the final one struck the real Greninja in the face, blowing up and halting his advance in a cloud of smoke but doing little damage thanks to Greninja's dark type.

Greninja himself just rolled with it and back flipped out of the smoke giving Ash a thumbs up, well his equivalent of it at least, as he rose from his squat. Ash knew he was ok and grinned as an idea suddenly came to him, one born from his victory over Anabel many years before and a way to counter Diantha's ability to silently communicate with her Gardevoir.

"Leap into the air and use Water Shuriken over and over again." Ash said. "And await my next order."

"Greninja." Greninja said as he leapt into the air and pulled off the water throwing stars for Water Shuriken trusting completely in his trainer's strategy.

Again, all Diantha did was nod and Gardevoir easily avoided the attacks with a series of side steps from them but that was just what Ash had been expecting and why he'd had Greninja aim from above rather than on the same plain as Gardevoir. That was because the water type attack slammed into the ground around Gardevoir and exploded sending up a Dawn, slightly dirty, fog, that obscured Gardevoir from Diantha for a moment so they couldn't see each other. That was just what Ash needed.

"One more Water Shuriken and…" Ash began, and another star of water shot out at Gardevoir who avoided it but had to put more effort into it as she only saw it because of the path it cut through the smoke and briefly exposing her location to Greninja and Ash as she spun away just as Ash had expected. "Night Slash!"

This time all Gardevoir managed to do was finish her turn in the smoke before Greninja, using the location he'd seen of her, tore through the smoke and slashed her across the chest with Night Slash the second the opening he needed presented itself. All he needed was a split second and he took it landing the dark type attack and sending Gardevoir flying back and out of the smoke to hit the ground hard as everyone gasped at the hit landing.

It was nowhere near enough to take down Gardevoir, but it was a hit, the first she'd taken in a long time, and she rose clearly feeling it as Ash and Greninja grinned. This was what they trained for, this was why they trusted each other so much because they knew how to turn the tables on their opponent, to get that hit they needed after seeing Gardevoir's ability to evade.

"That was a good attack." Diantha said recovering from her surprise.

"Gardevoir." Gardevoir said with a nod while Clemont just gasped as the wavelengths picked up and began to get closer and closer together by the second.

"We're just getting started." Ash said ash he and Greninja began to mirror each other and Greninja's eyes began to glow red. "We're going to get stronger and stronger until…"

With a roar their wavelengths suddenly overlapped and the sensation that Ash had felt a few times now overtook him as his and Greninja's hearts became one. The moment that happened a plume of water shot up in a vortex around Greninja as he suddenly and very quickly changed into his battle bond form, his strength, speed, and power increased by the change and the spirit of his bonded human now that his ability was active once again.

Diantha gasped at the sight before her as the changed ended with Greninja leaping high into the air so that the water spout around him suddenly became a full cocoon of water before he came down to the ground again looking right at Gardevoir from behind the veil of water swirling around his body at high speed. He stood there, arms crossed, the water whipping around him clearly ready for more battle.

So, this was it, this was the phenomenon that Olympia had spoken about. It was unlike anything that Diantha had ever seen before. It was so sudden, so synchronized, and in a lot of ways it was like Mega Evolution only this came off as natural and not forced the way Mega Evolution did. This was indeed the Battle Bond phenomenon just as the record Diantha had found indicated but to see it in person was something else.

"It's starting to happen." Ash said with a grin as the thrill of the battle began to build in him. "This is only the 4th time we've done it, but this is what we believe the Battle Bond phenomenon to be."

"I've never seen a Greninja like that before." Diantha said recovering from what she'd just witnessed. "It's incredible."

"Just you wait." Ash said with a grin. "Greninja, Night Slash!"

Before Diantha could even begin to give a command Greninja tore across the grass at Gardevoir, his speed significantly faster then before as blades of darkness formed in his hands. He was rocketing at Gardevoir, and Diantha knew that her Pokémon couldn't dodge this attack. It was clear as day now, this Greninja was definitely different from all the others that Diantha had faced in her lifetime, and she'd only seen one attack from it.

"Block it with Shadow Ball." Diantha ordered as Greninja neared using the fasted move she could, her others were either too slow or wouldn't work on a dark type like Greninja making this a much more even matchup then Diantha was willing to admit at the moment.

"Gardevoir!" Gardevoir yelled as she raised her arms and formed a massive Shadow Ball just in time to intercept the Night Slash.

They held the moves for a moment, attacks battling it out, before finally the Night Slash cut through the Shadow Ball destroying it in an explosion that ended the Night Slash as well. Out of the smoke Gardevoir was sent skidding back, unharmed but shaken a little as she had to bend forward and put one of her hands on the ground to steady herself from the force of the blast. As the smoke cleared Greninja was revealed to be just as fine standing in the same spot, his posture a mirror of Ash's behind him.

That was a close one and Diantha was unable to hide her shock, her eyes slightly wide and mouth a little agape as she stared at Greninja. If that hit had landed it would have been significantly stronger than a normal Night Slash and if a critical then that might had been it for Gardevoir, or at least she'd be a lot closer to fainting that she had been in a long time. This Greninja was something else, something that Diantha had never faced before, and she was going to have to start really applying herself soon or else she might actually lose.

"Shadow Ball." Diantha said.

"Intercept it with Water Shuriken." Ash countered as the ball of ghost type power was formed between Gardevoir's hands.

Greninja began to charge at Gardevoir as she got off the attack, the Shadow Ball tearing across the battlefield. However, to Greninja it was almost as if the attack was coming at him in slow motion as he tracked it, pulled off two Water Shurikens from his thighs and tossed them at the ball of ghost type power.

They collided with the Shadow Ball and exploded in a mist that obscured the Pokémon from each other. However, it was Greninja who was already moving forward knowing what his trainer would want, and Ash pressed this advantage instantly.

"Night Slash." Ash ordered as Greninja tore through the mist, bearing down on Gardevoir and knowing that Ash would give the right order as he trusted Ash almost implicitly at this point. "Keep it up until you land it."

"Dodge it!" Diantha said unable to do anything else and hope that Gardevoir's skills were enough as there wasn't time for anything else as she revealed how serious she was now taking the battle by actually ordering the dodge verbally.

Gardevoir understood and the fact that her human had ordered the dodge verbally meant that the situation was dire which she knew it was. This Greninja wasn't normal, it was something else entirely and something that Gardevoir had never faced before. She was actually starting to get worried as Greninja reached her and slashed his dark type attack at her, but she dodged it, barely.

This kept up for two more dodges, but Greninja was both faster now and had already gotten a sense for Gardevoir's speed and agility form her earlier dodges so on the third dodge he knew where she'd be and closed as she got there. The opening that presented itself was brief, but it was present, and the Night Slash landed once more causing Gardevoir to wail as she was thrown back once more but the critical hit wasn't triggered so she was still in it even if the attack had hurt. Both Pokémon and trainer knew that this match was now fully serious.

"That's it now let's bring it with Aerial Ace." Ash said and for the first time in a few years Diantha's hand in battle was forced to play her ultimate card.

"Gardevoir, Mega Evolve!" Diantha said flicked her pendant with her Key Stone up and grabbing it in her right hand as Greninja charged at Gardevoir his hand glowing with flying type power. "And block it!"

The evolution was fast, their hearts were one from all their years together, so it wasn't hard to Mega Evolve Gardevoir as she changed just as the other Mega Evolutions they'd seen had been. The change was just in time as the bluish glow had just faded when Greninja reached and punched at Mega Gardevoir with Aerial Ace, the water around his hand as he did for some reason, but Mega Gardevoir was able to get her arms up and block it just in time.

They held the position for a moment before Mega Gardevoir managed to toss Greninja off her though no damage was done as he flipped back and laned in a crouch in front of Ash. That single exchange had taught Mega Gardevoir one important thing however, the change that this Greninja could manage was definitely on the same level as when she changed with Mega Evolution as only that had given her the strength to repel Greninja's attack.

"Alright we got Gardevoir to Mega Evolve." Ash said with a cheer as Greninja rose from his crouch and he studied her for a moment as Max's might one day do the same so he had to learn what it could do. "Now we're really talking."

Mega Gardevoir didn't change too much with her Mega Evolution. She remained the same height but her whole body became pure white, the skirt thing around her waist became large with more cuts in it showing her narrow legs, her arms shortened a little but became more defined in a way and the things on the side of her head near the green hair stuff grew larger and more pronounced. The only color other than her green hair thing was the red chest thing she had that got larger and split down the middle into two that connected at her chest.

Still, it was clear that she was stronger thanks to the power up and Ash was grinning. This was what he'd been hoping for, and it really showed how strong he and Greninja were to force Diantha of all people to respond to his attacks by Mega Evolving her Gardevoir. With that confidence and the trust Ash now had in his Greninja he wasn't just going for a good showing that forced the Mega Evolution, no he was going for the outright win and for the first time ever against an opponent of Diantha's skill level Ash actually felt confident that he could do it.

That reaction was also felt in the observers who watching the battle with amazement. It was clear to all of them now that this battle had shifted from a test by Diantha to see what Greninja could do into something much more serious. Diantha was acknowledging Ash as a legitimate threat to her in the battle by Mega Evolving and that wasn't missed by anyone, even Clemont who was monitoring the wavelengths as they continued to increase in speed.

"The stronger our opponents are the stronger we will become." Ash said as he and Greninja began to mirror each other again only this time it was for a full-on attack something more detailed than any had seen before. "Water Shuriken."

"Shadow Ball." Diantha said as Ash and Greninja made the moves of Water Shuriken together.

Mega Gardevoir formed the Shadow Ball and launched it as Greninja tossed a pair of Water Shurikens at her. The moves once again collided in midair and the force and power behind them held them there for a moment as both tried to out dominate the other before exploding showing that neither had managed it. Again, a giant cloud of Dawn smoke was formed, and Ash just pressed that advantage.

"Aerial Ace." Ash roared.

"Greninja." Greninja said as he launched himself at Mega Gardevoir, charging through the mist at high speed.

"Reflect." Diantha said showing even more of her moves and using the defensive one she had to block the attack as Greninja closed in.

Mega Gardevoir raised her hands and created the psychic type barrier just in time to intercept the punch that was held against the barrier for a moment before she managed to push Greninja back across the makeshift battlefield. It hadn't broken through, but it seemed close and that was not a good sign for Diantha as Ash and Greninja were really getting into it now and the readings on Clemont's machine were reaching new levels that the screen could barely contain.

"That's it faster and stronger, we got this." Ash said excitedly. "Double Team and into Night Slash."

"Reflect again." Diantha said again now fully into the battle for all seriousness while Clemont just gasped at how the high the readings were, they were almost off the chart now, so he was going to have to recalibrate it with this new data when the battle was all said and done. "Block that attack."

Greninja burst into many clones of himself as he closed in, all forming blades of darkness before he leapt up and slashed down on another Reflect. Mega Gardevoir had managed to get the move up in time and thankfully the psychic type move could hold against a dark type attack, but it seemed that Greninja was just getting stronger with every move and this time the Reflect exploded in a cloud of smoke sending Greninja back, dispersing his clones and staggering Mega Gardevoir though she didn't seem to be injured from it.

"That's it we are getting stronger and strong." Ash said as Greninja leapt high into the air. "Aerial Ace!"

"Greninja!" Greninja roared as finally the moment come and they reached the last tipping point.

Greninja wasn't sure what caused it. Maybe it was the intensity of the battle, the fact that they had the upper hand in it, the fact that they were facing arguably the strongest Pokémon in all of Kalos who they had forced to Mega Evolve to deal with them or some combination of all of that, but it had been reached. At the height of the battle their level of mutual trust had finally reached the point of full implicit trust, of what some would call maximum friendship and Greninja reached the end stage of the Battle Bond phenomenon.

All watching just gasped in shock as the water around Greninja burst revealing his unobscured body for the first time. The water didn't disappear however, rather it reformed into what looked like wings on Greninja's back, wings that were being pulled into a glowing sphere of water on his back as he fell through the air. This only lasted a second before all the water was in the sphere and it morphed into a giant, 4-pointed, water shuriken on Greninja's back. This was his final form; the true extent of what Battle Bond could do and all everyone do was stare at it.

Despite all this Ash knew what to do. Abandoning the earlier Aerial Ace, Ash reached up to his shoulder, Greninja doing the same, and gave the order he knew he had to give.

"Water Shuriken." Ash said mimicking a throw of it that Greninja did with the actual water shuriken on his back.

"Shadow Ball." Diantha said as Greninja threw the star of water and another one instantly reformed on his back.

"Gardevoir." Mega Gardevoir roared as she created another Shadow Ball and launched it at the Water Shuriken.

Again, they collided only this time everyone knew it was different. The spinning Water Shuriken hit the ball of ghost type power and was held there for a moment before it burst through the ball, dispelling the attack and spinning down and then skimming over the ground and towards Mega Gardevoir. She only had time to get her arms up and in the way of it just as it slammed into her defense, pushing against it for a moment before it broke through as Ash roared fully enthralled in the battled and slammed into Mega Gardevoir's chest.

She let out a wail of pain as she was thrown backwards, her white body clearly marked from the attack showing the damage she'd just taken, as she sailed through the air before landing on her back and skidding to Diantha's side. The Mega Evolution was still active however which meant that she wasn't out of the fight just yet.

"Gardevoir." Diantha said looking in shock at her partner and damage she'd taken but not before noting exactly what Greninja looked like without the veil and how much the changed features resembled Ash's hair or that the new color on his crest thing matched Ash's hat's color.

"That's it, stronger Greninja." Ash roared as he saw his victory in sight while the wavelengths suddenly became unstable and erratic before diverging from each other. "Now use Night…"

Ash didn't get to finish the command before it happened. One moment he was there, at the point of victory he felt, and the next his limit had been shattered and he couldn't go on anymore. Reaching the full form was one thing, maintaining it was another and Ash and Greninja had managed to get there this time, but they couldn't hold it. They'd achieved it in the battle, but they would need to be more outside the battle as well to be able to always reach and hold it.

Right now, they were still a ways away and they'd hit the point where their bodies couldn't hold it any longer. The result, well that was full on unconsciousness. Ash was out cold standing up, his eyes wide and vacant and his mouth agape for a second before he fell to his knees and then faceplanted into the grass. Greninja had mimicked him, and his form fell back to normal as Ash fell down while he himself collapsed backwards out cold as well though his eyes weren't swirls.

"What happened to Ash?" Diantha said suddenly worried.

"Pika pi." Pikachu said as he scampered over to Ash, Misty and the others right behind him.

Diantha too was worried, as was Mega Gardevoir, and they too began to head out to see what was going on. As they did Gardevoir's Mega Evolution fell and she too returned to normal signaling that the battle was over, for now at least. As it did the exhaustion and wounds from the battle overtook Gardevoir and she fell to her hands and knees panting causing Diantha to stop, turn around and kneel next to her friend.

"That battle really took it out of you huh?" Diantha asked with a smile as Gardevoir nodded to drained to do anything but nod. "It's been a long time since we face a challenge that strong, may have even lost if it had gone on much longer."

"Gardevoir." Gardevoir agreed, it had been a long time since she'd faced a Pokémon that could rival her, but it looked like this Greninja had the ability to do so even if it wasn't quite there just yet.

"Take a good long rest." Diantha said recalling her Pokémon, the Nurse Joy near in Anistar would be in for a shock when Diantha showed up with her Gardevoir needing healing. "Let's see how Ash is doing."

Ash was just coming to it seemed. The others had reached him and Greninja by this point and Misty had knelt down and rolled Ash onto his back to rest his head on her lap, ignoring the jealousy coming off May and Serena in the process, while Diantha was sorting out Gardevoir. Thankfully, whatever had happened to Ash and Greninja at the end didn't last long, and both were coming too though Greninja was faster than Ash.

"What happened?" Ash asked blinking as he opened his eyes.

"We don't know." Misty said. "One moment you were in the height of battle in a zone I've never seen you in before and holding the advantage. The next you were out cold."

"Your readings were off the charts." Clemont said. "Higher than before but at the end they got erratic and the moment they were out of sync you passed out where you were. I'm going to look over them tonight and see what they mean given the second change when the water veil turned into a water shuriken."

"Huh, I wonder why that happened." Ash said.

"Probably has something to do with that final change." Diantha said coming over to them now that Gardevoir was taking her needed rest so she could check up on her opponent and his Pokémon. "Ash, are you ok?"

"Yeah I'll be fine." Ash said as he slowly got to his feet, Clemont helping him as he was clearly unsteady after what had just happened though as Greninja hadn't actually taken a hit he wasn't in any pain just an exhaustion beyond what he'd felt the last few times they'd managed to trigger the change. "Just not sure what happened there. That battle was intense, the best yet, and we were so in sync Greninja."

"Greninja." Greninja said with a nod, they'd reached the point so he knew that they could do it, just a little more work, a few more battles if he had to guess, and they'd be there for good.

"From what I have gathered the Battle Bond phenomenon has two stages." Diantha said. "The first is the ability to activate it in battle, the second is the final true stage that you reached today. However, I don't know more about it than that or what the actual difference is though as we saw the second stage produced a larger and seemingly stronger Water Shuriken than the first stage."

"That's fine, that was an awesome battle so I know that we can reach it again." Ash said with a smile. "Right Greninja."

"Greninja." Greninja said with another nod.

"We need to remember how that felt so that we can replicate it again." Ash said and Greninja just nodded once more at that in complete agreement with his trainer.

Diantha was about to say something when suddenly the sound of the chopper returning was heard. They all looked up and saw the helicopter that Diantha had flown in on descending down towards on a spot nearby to collect her only this time it actually landed and shut down its engines. It looked like it was time for Diantha to go, and they headed over to it as the door opened to reveal Kathi Lee there waiting but Diantha had some parting words as she turned to face them before getting into the chopper.

"That power of yours Ash, Greninja, it is something else and something special that I know you will use for good." Diantha said with a smile. "And it is one that really challenged me. I said it last time we met, and I'll say it again, our paths will cross once more at least Ash and I for one am hoping that it is at the Kalos League arena but to get to me there is still a long road ahead of you."

"I don't care how long it is, I'll win my 8th badge and be at the Kalos League." Ash said with a grin. "So, I will see you there Diantha, that is a promise."

"Well, until then best of luck Ash." Diantha said holding out her hand to Ash which he took, and they shook, something she didn't do with any of the others. "I will be waiting for you."

"I look forward to it Diantha." Ash said as they let go and Diantha boarded the helicopter.

Moments later they stepped back as the blades began to spin before the chopper lifted off and began to fly away while the waved at it. It had certainly been an unexpected but interesting day for sure and now that Ash and Greninja knew what they could accomplish they fully intended to get stronger until they could properly control it. They only one more gym and then it was onto the Kalos League where they knew that Diantha was waiting for them. That meant one thing, it was time to get even stronger.


"Diantha, do you have anything to report?" Olympia asked as Diantha walked onto the empty Anistar battlefield to meet with Olympia, still floating with her Meowstics, now that she'd returned to Anistar after seeing Ash and his friends. "Did you face him?"

"I did and I saw the full phenomenon." Diantha said. "It is a power unlike any I've ever seen, let alone faced, and one I will investigate more when I can. I faced Ash and Greninja in battle and I will admit for the first time in a long time I could have lost. They even managed to get me to Mega Evolve Gardevoir to match them in the battle. They haven't mastered it yet, I can tell that much, but when they do I am not sure who can beat them."

"That strong then." Olympia said a little surprised by it being this powerful already.

"I was only testing at first but by the end I was fully serious." Diantha admitted. "Had I known ahead of time then I may have gone into the battle at full force, something I usually reserve only for the times one of the Elite Four challenge me, and probably won but not without taking damage and in a prolonged battle that would have been enough for Gardevoir to fall to another Pokémon. They are strong and I am looking forward to watching them in the Kalos League."

"As am I but before then Ash has one more great challenge to overcome." Olympia said recalling the vision. "Choices he will make coming up that will determine results and how he handles them will be the making or breaking of this power I believe."

"Then I look forward to the final results." Diantha said. "And to maybe facing Ash and Greninja again one day to see how far they've really come."

"That day may just well come." Olympia said. "But I cannot see if it is set, or if it will even come to the point of possibility. For now, we must return to our duties but keep a close eye on Ash Ketchum, he is one who defies the normal."

Diantha just nodded in agreement at that before turning and leaving to return to her schedule. Today had been part of it, a fun part for sure, and she'd gotten a lot of information but now it was time to return to her duties as Kalos Champion.

Still, she couldn't help but think on the battle and how it had pushed her. She hoped to one day have an end to that battle with Ash and what a day that would be because who knows what could be on the line when Ash Ketchum and Diantha battled again.