Part CLXVI: Boiling Point

"I'm here for a gym battle." Ash said confidently as he stood before the door that led to the battlefield of the Snowbelle Gym with Misty, Dawn, May, and Serena behind him.

It was the day after Ash and Greninja had reached maximum trust thus maximizing Greninja's potential when the Battle Bond phenomenon triggered during a blizzard while saving a Spewpa. They were in the blizzard because Ash had gone outside to think the night of his loss to Wulfric two days ago and stayed out there all night and into the morning trying to process his loss.

Then, after Misty confronted him, with a few snowballs for emphasis, Ash had gotten his act together and began bouncing back. Meanwhile Greninja too had gone outside to think that same morning after his own recovery when the snows hit.

Naturally, the girls had been worried for him and tried to find him but thanks to Ash falling down a hill and the blizzard rolling in they couldn't, so they holed up just as Ash had done to wait it out. Ash himself had been joined by some wild Pokémon looking for shelter and that act had really helped remind him of his dream. The Spewpa that needed rescuing from a tree only reinforced it and Ash did just that.

Of course, things didn't go well at the end and Ash almost fell to his death, which was to the girls annoyingly normal for him, but Greninja had saved him and when the last Spewpa had been blown out of Ash's arms and over the cliff they'd reached that maximum trust. It had taken the loss, finding themselves, and a situation that could only be solved with complete trust between them to reach it but now they had it and were back with a fresh slate as they headed into Ash's second attempt at his 8th gym badge in Kalos.

It wasn't just Ash and Greninja who were fired up for this however, his whole team was after what Ash and Greninja had gone through. They were all ready and rearing to go for it.

After Ash had finished being lectured by 4 pissed off girls who all loved him, though he only knew that three did seeing as Serena had yet to confess to him and of course he was only dating Misty, they had all returned to the Pokémon Center and Ash and his Pokémon had prepared for their rematch with Wulfric. They had a new strategy and were going to mix things up a bit compared to rematches in the past, but they were ready and fired up for the battle to come.

The girls were all also ready for this though Serena was still worried for Ash and had voiced that worry on the way to the gym. Ash had reassured her that it was fine and that he was going to win this time while the other three backed him up. All of them had seen Ash lose and bounce back, multiple times in fact, so they trusted him to do so again. Serena just had to trust the others that Ash could do this, which she did even if she still had a little worry in her as this was something she had yet to experience about Ash.

"Ah you're back for your rematch, excellent." The voice said from the speaker. "We've been waiting for you, come on in."

The doors opened with the same puff of cold air to show off the cavernous and ice-covered battlefield of the Snowbelle Gym. Ash stepped in purposefully, his confidence and passion back as the girls followed him before branching off to the observation platform. They knew that this was going to start soon so best to get in position right away though Misty stayed behind to collect Ash's coat as he'd yet to take it off.

That was confirmed by the sight of Wulfric at the other end of the battlefield. Unlike the last time when Wulfric had been meditating or sleeping on his throne of ice in the far wall, this time he was standing with his arms crossed over his large chest at the top of the stairs down to the battlefield a grin on his face. He was already ready for the match it seemed, and Ash matched it as he took his coat off and handed it to Misty who took it and went to join the other girls on the observation deck for the battle.

"Well, well, back for another match I see." Wulfric said as Misty walked off. "How are you Ash, ready to reignite that passion I saw last time?"

"You bet." Ash said as he walked forward. "And this time I won't lose."

"I shouldn't have worried; I can see you're already fired up." Wulfric said with a deep belly laugh as he too walked forward and down the steps to his own battlefield box while the ref took his place at the midway point. "Forget that question, shall we begin then?"

With that Wulfric pulled out a Poke Ball clearly rearing to go as Ash did the same, Pikachu next to him for support. The only person a little taken aback was the ref who'd not expected Wulfric to be this impatient, he expected a little impatience from his boss as Wulfric wasn't known for his patience, but this was a new level even for him.

"That fire is starting to burn in you, let's see if it turns into an inferno hot enough to melt my icy resolve this time around." Wulfric said as he began to wind up his Poke Ball toss. "Go…"

"Sir, please wait." The ref shouted turning to his boss and teacher. "I haven't stated the rules yet, you know that I have to in order to make this official."

"It's fine, I'm the damned gym leader so it's official so long as I say it is." Wulfric shot back, he could tell that there was a fire burning in Ash that he couldn't wait to face and bring out even more, maybe even to the point that he would have to play his ultimate card just to see how powerful Ash really was. "We had a battle 2 days ago, he knows my rules, right Ash?"

"Right!" Ash said also ready and rearing to go, the last battle may have been a loss, but it was an intense one that made him stronger in the end, so he really wanted to avenge that and show Wulfric just how strong he truly was now. "Let's get the battle started already."

"Exactly." Wulfric said.

"Clearly Wulfric is as impatient as Ash can be." Misty whispered to the others.

"Apparently so." May said. "I never actually met him last year so I can't say I knew that this might happen. We didn't come through Snowbelle as the Master Class is to the east of her, so we hit it after Fleurrh then swung around to the south of Snowbelle to hit Serena's home in Vaniville for a bit before going to Lumiose just before the incident occurred. All the gym leaders helped, and I saw Wulfric there with his Abomasnow but that was it, I never spoke with him afterwards like I did with some of the others I hadn't met by that point last year."

"Well, this is different for sure, most leaders don't rush like this." Dawn said. "At least they didn't back in the day that I can remember. Sure, some were ready and excited to face Ash, but this is a whole new level."

"I just hope that this doesn't make Ash too cocky." Serena noted. "Wulfric can hardly wait to get the battle started and so can Ash. That might not be a good thing."

"It won't, I saw him rush against both Brawly and Anabel, this is different." May said. "Ash has this fully under control. He's excited and passionate for it, not blindly running into it without thinking."

"Excuse me, sir, but this is an official battle and you do have certain protocols to follow even if you are the gym leader." The ref said sound exacerbated at Wulfric's actions. "I don't care how other regions may or may not do it, but Kalos has protocols that you need to follow."

"Don't get lost in the minor details, we are in my gym on my battlefield, anything else is just league semantics." Wulfric said causing the ref to sigh in frustration. "It's the same rules as last time Ash, whoever loses three Pokémon loses the match and I can't substitute, right? It's simple so what more is needed to get this thing started."

"Right, fine then." The ref said clearly giving up and just going with it. "As you both know each other and the rules this battle is ready to begin on my mark."

"Good, we can begin." Wulfric said tossing out his Poke Ball without waiting for said mark. "Bergmite, start us off!"

"Changing up the order I see." Ash said recalling the Bergmite from before and already knowing how to handle it. "Well, I've made some changes too. Noivern, I choose you."

With that Ash tossed his Poke Ball out and it burst open to reveal the fully evolved flying and dragon type. Noivern landed on the ground and let out a roar of a challenge at Bergmite his wings held wide. This was his turn to have a gym battle, to show off what he could do, and show that he could overcome a challenge against a foe that had a serious type advantage on him the way others in his team like Goodra had done in the past.

Ash just grinned as Wulfric let out a laugh at the sight of Ash's choice. It may look like a bad choice on paper, Noivern was especially weak to ice type attacks, but Ash had planned for this. He'd strategized with his Pokémon the night before about how to handle Wulfric's potential Pokémon and who was best against who based a lot off the three he'd already seen. Of course, Ash had a back up plan for any other ice types should Wulfric use them instead but so far things were falling into place and Noivern was his choice to face Bergmite.

"That's some real fire you got there Ash to use a Noivern against me." Wulfric said. "But I get it as well, few forget that despite ice types strengths offensively, they are not the best defensively, but you clearly know that."

"That I do." Ash said as Noivern flapped his wings and took to the sky. "So, let's get this started."

"Um, yes, er, battle begin." The ref said officially starting the battle.

"Noivern, start us off with Acrobatics." Ash said.

"Dodge and use Icy Wind." Wulfric said as Noivern flapped his wings and then tore at Bergmite with the flying type attack.

"Get high to avoid the attack and keep an eye on Bergmite as it starts to skate around." Ash said as Bergmite began to slide over the ice to just avoid the nimble strike from Noivern.

Noivern cawed in agreement as he flapped his wings and flew up high, arcing and rolling in the process as Bergmite skated around and opened its mouth to blast the Icy Wind up at Noivern. Noivern knew that he had to avoid the attack, he could take at least one, maybe two hits from an ice type attack like that but if he was hit then a stronger ice type attack would probably end him, and he had to end the Bergmite first. That was his chosen opponent for this match, and he was going to beat it for Ash and the team.

Thankfully, he managed to just evade the Icy Wing as he got up high, just below the icicles hanging from the ceiling and looked down on the whole battlefield which Bergmite was now skating over, it's yellow eyes on Noivern at all times. Both Pokémon were warry of each other after a pair of opening misses and their trainers were quickly assessing the situation and deciding what to do next.

Ash remembered that Wulfric's Bergmite was a slippery opponent with great mobility and agility while on the ice. The way he'd beat it last time had been to disrupt its moves and launch it up into the air. He was going to go for something like that again only a little grander and blunter than what he'd done with Talonflame.

"Noivern, use Boomburst." Ash ordered. "Blast the whole battlefield and then rake Bergmite with Dragon Claw once it's in the air. Show off all that flying training we've been doing."

"Impressive." Wulfric said seeing Ash's strategy as Noivern dove down a bit to ensure that his attack covered the necessary area and began to produce the powerful soundwaves of Boomburst from his ears. "You're heating up nicely. Bergmite, hold on and try to push through it but if you can't then use Icy Wind when Noivern charges you."

It was a good order to cover Bergmite's bases as the soundwaves from Noivern's ears slammed into the area of the battlefield where Bergmite was at full force. Boomburst was a wide area move and one of the strongest normal type moves out there so despite Bergmite skating around as fast as it could the blast of devastating sound hit it at full force as it slid around.

From the height that Noivern was at he couldn't crack the ice with the move, but he still shook the battlefield as the attack rocked it. Bergmite wailed as it was driven into the ice and then bounced up into the air its little legs kicking under it unable to remain in contact with the ice.

That was exactly what Ash had planned for Bergmite and Noivern saw his opening to end his attack and dove, his claws were imbued with dragon type power and glowing for all to see. He'd trained hard the day before with Talonflame to really up his flying and Talonflame had told him how to handle this little Bergmite, so he didn't bother with anything like finesse or grace, he just dove at the fastest angle to intercept the airborne Bergmite.

Bergmite of course had its own orders and was well trained. The Boomburst had hurt, a lot, and it was nearing its limit already thanks to its evolutionary state and the sheer power Boomburst had to it, but it was still in it. So, as Noivern dove at it, Bergmite turned and opened its mouth to spew forth the icy wind that was Icy Wind right into Noivern's face. Bergmite might be knocked out, but it would land this devastating blow on Noivern in the process that would ensure whoever faced the Sound Wave Pokémon next would have a good shot of beating it.

Noivern saw this and just braced himself as he dove through the ice type attack, gritting his teeth against the pain of a move both his types were weak against, until he reached Bergmite and raked his claws across Bergmite's face as the Icy Wind ended. As strong as Bergmite's type was against Noivern it was only resistant to its own type so a dragon type attack like Dragon Claw right after Boomburst was more than enough to end Bergmite the moment it landed.

The force of the blow sent the small ice type crashing back to the ice with a boom that kicked up plenty of ice as Noivern pulled out of his dive, arched back with a spin, and then landed in front of Ash with a caw of victory. That was confirmed a second later as the icy mist cleared to reveal Bergmite on its side in a small crater in the ice with swirls for eyes.

"Bergmite is unable to battle." The ref announced raising and arm to signal that one of the combatants had been defeated. "Noivern is the winner."

"I see, already you're hotter than before, just as I had hoped." Wulfric said as he recalled Bergmite and decided who to use next, if Ash could best this Pokémon then it would really set up an epic final matchup if things continued the way they were going. "Now it's your turn Avalugg."

With that Wulfric tossed out the Poke Ball and the large ice type burst out and landed in front of Noivern with a roar and thud that shook the ice. Ash grinned; this was the challenge he really needed. Avalugg was the Pokémon that he'd failed to best last time and now it was the second one up, so he'd have to go through it just to have a shot at winning which added even more fuel to his fiery resolve to defeat it. He had his plan for Avalugg, and he was ready.

"Noivern stay in and take to the air." Ash said thrusting his arm out and instantly Noivern flew high into the sky where his mobility was best. "This is going to be tough but let's show Avalugg that we can best it now. Boomburst but only when you have an opening, prioritize evasion first as we can't let an ice type attack hit you."

"Clever but will that really work, let's see." Wulfric said with a bark of a laugh. "Avalugg, Avalanche."

"Dodge with Acrobatics before the Boomburst." Ash said changing things up as he needed to ensure the dodge worked. "Evade and then strike, that's how we beat it."

Noivern cawed understanding what he had to do and took off, flying around the large room using his Acrobatics move to speed his flight and increase his mobility. It was similar to how Pikachu would sometimes use Quick Attack as a dodge rather than an attack, a classic Ash reinterpretation of a move and it worked as Noivern easily avoided the cloud that formed above where he'd been, and ice began to rain down from the Avalanche attack. It was a good thing too because a hit from that would knock him out for sure.

Thanks to the Acrobatics, Noivern was able to get clear of the Avalanche and get high above the battlefield as he positioned his ears over Avalugg's broad, wide back. Then, as the cloud that formed Avalanche ended, he unleashed the powerful blast of sound right into Avalugg's head and back. With its size and bulk, there was no way to avoid the normal type move, not that it could given the wide range of Boomburst, as it slammed into Avalugg at full force and drove it to its knees on the ice. Still, Wulfric wasn't one to let such a hit deter him.

"Avalanche again." Wulfric ordered. "Push through it and use the attack to land your own."

"Dodge Noivern." Ash yelled but it was already too late.

Boomburst hadn't ended when Wulfric gave his order and Avalugg glanced up to see where Noivern was and then attacked, the cloud forming right above Noivern's head as Avalugg endured the Boomburst that had driven it to its knees. All Noivern had time for was to look up in surprise to see the cloud before the ice rained down and slammed into his face right after his move ended and drove him into the battlefield with a crash as the rest of the ice from Avalanche rained down upon him and obscured him from view in a cloud of icy debris.

Noivern was strong but two ice type attacks, including a powerful one from a fully evolved ice type like Avalugg, was too much for a Pokémon with his typing to handle. Few flying and dragon types could take that kind of punishment, though the Dragonite that Noivern had heard about on the team might be able to. Noivern couldn't and was out cold before his body crashed into the ice with enough force to crack it. All this was proven a moment later when the Avalanche ended and the debris cleared to reveal Noivern on his back, wings splayed, with swirls for eyes.

"Noivern is unable to battle." The ref said raising his hand again. "Avalugg is the winner."

"Noivern, return." Ash said recalling Noivern and looking at the Poke Ball with a smile. "You were great my friend despite the matchup, even landed a clean hit and that will help us in the long run so I will make sure that your efforts don't go to waste. Take a good, long, rest."

"Keep that passion coming." Wulfric said as Ash closed Noivern's Poke Ball and pulled out his second one. "I can feel you really heating up, you know."

"As can I, it's time to best that Avalugg at last." Ash said as he tossed out the Poke Ball. "Lucario, I choose you."

"Ah a Lucario, a good choice against me in many ways." Wulfric said with a grin as Lucario appeared before Ash and barked his challenge, his stance ready for battle though slightly unsteady with the ice beneath his feet. "Avalugg, Gyro Ball."

"Stop it with Aura Sphere." Ash ordered. "Then get in close so that you can use Metal Claw."

This was the big matchup that Ash wanted should Wulfric use Avalugg again. He'd not used Lucario last time mainly because he felt that Conkeldurr needed the experience more and that Talonflame needed a boost after losing the Wallace Cup, but this Avalugg was just too strong to use any Pokémon but Lucario or Talonflame against. This time around it was Lucario's turn to show Avalugg what he could do.

Even with the new change to Greninja, Ash didn't want to take any chances with Avalugg, so he was giving it the best matchup he had against it. Between Lucario's types and moves he could easily handle Avalugg and continue into the next battle be it Abomasnow or some unknown surprise from Wulfric. Sometimes a foe was just too strong to leave things to chance, especially when Ash's 8th gym badge was on the line.

Lucario barked at Ash's order as he formed the ball of fighting type power between his forepaws while Avalugg leapt up and began to spin really fast. Then, as Avalugg began to move across the ice towards him Lucario released the ball. It was an interesting sight for sure to see the Aura Sphere tear across the battlefield and slam into the spinning Avalugg as it moved forward, and the results weren't as expected. Rather that end the Gyro Ball, or even be deflected by it, it merely slowed Avalugg for a second before it shot forward again.

"It didn't work as expected but we can still use that delay to dodge it." Ash said quickly adapting to the unexpected result. "And then counter with Metal Claw."

Lucario barked in agreement at that. While it was annoying that he hadn't broken the Gyro Ball, it was just what Lucario needed to ensure that he avoid it as he leapt to the side of the incoming Pokémon and rolled over the ice before popping up and turning in the air to land in a crouch on the slick surface of the battlefield. Lucario lent forward as he slid back a few paces and placed a forepaw on the ice to slow himself as Avalugg stopped moving and ended the Gyro Ball to face Lucario again just as Lucario stop sliding over the ice.

"Stone Edge." Wulfric ordered as Lucario began to run at Avalugg over the ice.

"Leap over it." Ash said. "I know you can do it Lucario."

Lucario barked again as he felt Ash's passive aura fill him, fueling him to be just a hair stronger and faster than normal as it always did while Avalugg reared and slammed its feet into the ground. As the spike of rock shot out of the ice Lucario leapt up as high as he could, clearing the Stone Edge with an impressive leap, crossing his arms and forming the steel type attack from the spikes on the backs of his forepaws in the process.

All Avalugg could do was look up in surprise as Lucario hurtled down towards him and slashed his Metal Claw across Avalugg's face as he landed. Avalugg roared in pain from the attack but even though it was super effective it wasn't enough to take him down and Wulfric knew it.

"Ice Fang." Wulfric ordered using how close Lucario was to Avalugg to his advantage.

"Metal Claw again." Ash said as it ice formed in Avalugg's mouth.

All Lucario could do was raise his right arm before Avalugg closed its jaws around it and clamped down tight. The ice type attack didn't freeze this time like it had against Greninja and Lucario was resistant to the move, so he just grunted in pain as Avalugg held him tight and he formed his Metal Claw. He couldn't use it with the arm held in Avalugg's mouth, but he could with his other arm and lashed it out to strike Avalugg on the side of its massive body.

"Push through that Avalugg and use Gyro Ball." Wulfric said. "Throw Lucario away."

Avalugg did just that and like with Greninja in the last battle, Avalugg leapt up and spun with Lucario still in its mouth. For a few seconds all there was was the blur of Avalugg before it finally released Lucario and tossed him backwards and into a side wall of the sunken battlefield with a crash that kicked up a lot of dust, both ice and stone as it was one of the few places where there was more than ice near the battlefield. Ash grit his teeth, but he was sure that Lucario was still in the fight, he was too tough not to be.

Ash was right and Lucario let out a bark of defiance as he pulled himself out of the wall and walked out of the dust and back onto the battlefield looking battered but still in it. He could take a lot in this battle because of his resistances and Lucario knew that the more he took the stronger he'd be at the end. He trusted Ash, knew that his human would know what was best for him, and felt the passive aura between them giving him the strength to push on.

"That's it Lucario, Aura Sphere." Ash ordered with a grin.

"Impressive." Wulfric said as Lucario formed the ball of fighting type power between his forepaws. "Avalugg, Avalanche."

Lucario was still forming the Aura Sphere as Avalugg roared and formed the cloud for Avalanche above Lucario's head. He didn't care though; he could take it as he released his attack as the first pieces of ice began to rain down on him. Lucario just braced himself as the ice type attack hit him, but he was grinning as his own fighting type attack tore across the battlefield and slammed into Avalugg's face.

Avalugg roared in pain from another super effective attack. It couldn't take much more though Ash was impressed by how much it had already taken in this battle, though he knew from the last battle that Avalugg was one tough Pokémon, as Lucario was covered in ice. Still, Lucario was in this, and Ash was certain that he was on the brink of finally bringing down Avalugg.

"Metal Claw." Ash said. "We got this Lucario."

"Stop it with Stone Edge." Wulfric countered as Lucario suddenly ran forward from the cloud of icy mist kicked up by the Avalanche attack and the metal claws formed on his forepaws once again.

"We don't have the strength to leap it so use Metal Claw to break your way through it." Ash said as Avalugg reared. "Then use Reversal."

Lucario just barked in acknowledgement as the spikes of rock shot up towards him. Greninja had told him of this attack and how he'd slashed through it with his Night Slash so Lucario could easily slash through the move with his Metal Claw. He did just that, slashing at the rocks as he ran, never once breaking stride as he closed in on Avalugg. Even if some of the rocks hit him he'd be fine, both his types resisted rock type attacks so he could easily take the hit if need be. He was nearing his limit, Lucario knew that, but he wasn't there just yet.

That also meant that his Reversal wasn't as strong as it had been against say that Luxray or Empoleon that he'd fought back as a Riolu when he'd only managed the move because of Ash's passive aura, but it was still plenty strong after all the damage he'd already taken in this battle. The move was his trump card, the one he and Ash always played at the end to win the battle after Lucario had taken plenty of damage but pushed through it to land the move he knew was his strongest at the time and which would almost certainly ensure victory in the battle.

Once again that was the case as Lucario slashed through the last of the rocks, his Metal Claw ending, and reached Avalugg. Before either Avalugg or Wulfric could react he was on Avalugg and unleashing an all-out attack in the form of a flurry of punches and kicks to Avalugg's face. All the Iceberg Pokémon could do was roar in pain for a few seconds as the attack lasted and then it was over and Lucario back off to put some distance just in case Avalugg somehow didn't faint from it so that he was out of the range of another Ice Fang attack.

For a moment, the Pokémon just stood there. Lucario panting, battered, paws clenched into fists at his side as he stared at Avalugg who met his gaze for a split second before its eyes went vacant. With a groan Avalugg, now past its limit, keeled over and onto its side with a crash that kicked up a little ice dust due to Avalugg's impressive weight. The ref had to actually come out onto the battlefield to confirm the swirls for eyes given the positioning but once he saw it, it was clear that the battle was over.

"Avalugg is unable to battle." The ref declared as he made his way back to his spot now that he'd confirmed that Avalugg had been defeated. "Lucario is the winner."

"Very impressive Ash." Wulfric said as he recalled Avalugg and Lucario turned to face him. "Your burning hotter than last time but can you keep it up to the end. I still have one more Pokémon and now it's your turn Abomasnow."

With that Wulfric tossed out his Poke Ball and his Abomasnow burst forth with a roar. As soon as Abomasnow landed on the battlefield the hail began thanks to his Snow Warning ability and Lucario began to take minor amounts of damage every time a bit of hail hit him. Lucario was nearing his own limits, but he could do this for Ash and fight as hard as he could against this latest foe.

"Aura Sphere." Ash ordered knowing that ranch was the best right now if he wanted to start off with a hit.

"Energy Ball." Wulfric commanded as Lucario formed the ball of fighting type power in his forepaws once again. "That attack won't miss, and we don't have anything that can block it well so go for the hit, you can take it Abomasnow."

"Abomasnow." Abomasnow said as the ball of grass type power was formed in his own mouth.

The balls of power flew from their respective Pokémon at almost the same time, the larger blue ball of Aura Sphere lower to the ice with the smaller green ball of Energy Ball higher due to the meter height discrepancy between the Pokémon. As such the balls flew past each other and onto their targets with the Aura Sphere slamming into Abomasnow's gut causing him to grunt in pain and slide back a few paces on the ice while the Energy Ball hit Lucario in the face bringing him to a knee.

However, as with all the attacks he'd taken so far, Lucario was resistant to the move, so he was still in this fight. That said, he was very close to being pushed past his limit and Ash could tell it. That meant that it was time for maximum power.

"Reversal." Ash ordered knowing that the close quarters attack would be a risk, but he had to go for it. "We can do it Lucario, dodge or power through anything thrown at to stop you."

Lucario barked one more time as he grit his teeth. He knew that this was likely it, that he was only still standing because of his bond with Ash and the passive aura of his trainer giving him that final edge he needed to charge forward determined to land this attack at full strength. He wasn't sure if it would bring Abomasnow down, the dual type was weak to fighting type attacks but fresh and fully evolved so might be able to take it, but Lucario was sure that it would hurt like hell and really set up the final Pokémon for the day with a shot at winning the battle.

Wulfric for his part grinned as Lucario charged. The fire and passion were scorching in Ash just as he liked to see in his challengers. This time the Reversal would be even stronger than it had been against Avalugg, but Wulfric had no plans on letting it land. He'd assessed Lucario the entire battle and knew that it was a strong Pokémon, probably the strongest he'd faced from Ash excluding Greninja's power up ability and it was the perfect counter to his ice types. Still, it would go down and Wulfric knew the right move as Lucario close in on Abomasnow.

"Ice Punch." Wulfric commanded.

Ash was a bit surprised by that move. He'd expected Energy Ball or a ranged ice type attack to slow down Lucario's approach, not a physical attack like Ice Punch but then again Wulfric wasn't a gym leader for nothing.

It was a clever move however and Lucario was already too close to avoid it as Abomasnow cocked back his right fist, ice encasing it and punched forward using his greater height and reach to his advantage. Had Wulfric used Wood Hammer the time it took to raise and form the move and bring it down might have allowed Lucario to dodge and get behind Abomasnow but with Ice Punch Lucario didn't have the time for that.

The ice type attack slammed into Lucario's face just as he reached Abomasnow and blasted him backwards as Abomasnow punched through the move with a roar. Lucario had been so focused on keeping an eye out for ranged, and slightly thrown by the lack of them, that he'd not had time to block or evade the hit to the face. Course he'd have to reflect on that later as the blow was the final straw for him, and he was out cold before he was even tossed back by the punch.

Lucario's body just went limp as he was thrown backwards and crashed to the ice, sliding over it on his back, arms to the side, and eyes swirls as he finally came to a stop a few feet in front of Ash. He'd given it his all, taken down the Avalugg that had bested so many in the team, and set things up for a final win just as he'd done in back in Shalour when he'd evolved against that impressive Lucario out there. Now it was time for Ash to use that to his advantage and bring home his 8th Kalos Gym Badge.

"Lucario is unable to battle." The ref declared raising his hand as soon as Lucario came to a stop. "Abomasnow is the winner."

"Lucario, return." Ash said with a smile as he looked at the Poke Ball in his hand. "You were amazing out there my friend, just as I knew you would be. We're in a good position to win this battle and now I can really show Wulfric what I've learned since last time."

"I look forward to that Ash." Wulfric said grinning with his arms still crossed over his chest. "Let's see that fire, you know. This is it, final Pokémon each so show me all that you've got."

"Oh, I intend to." Ash said looking at Wulfric and Abomasnow as he reached behind him, put Lucario's Poke Ball away and pulled out his final one, expanding it and tossing it out in a smooth move. "It's time you saw our true power! Greninja, I choose you."

"As I expected, I've been waiting for this Pokémon all battle." Wulfric said his grin widening as Greninja appeared before Ash in a battle stance. "Time to show me how much stronger you've become since you last faced me."

"We intend to." Ash said. "Greninja, Aerial Ace."

Greninja's right forepaw glowed with flying type power as he charged forward as fast as he could. He was one of Ash's fastest Pokémon that couldn't fly, and Aerial Ace was a move that couldn't be dodged so he was on Abomasnow before the bigger Pokémon could react, slamming the move into him with a few body blows that were super effective thanks to Abomasnow's grass type.

That was useful for Ash in terms of Aerial Ace, but it was also what made this matchup really interesting as it gave Abomasnow a resistance to Greninja's water type attack while also having attacks that would be super effective on Greninja like Energy Ball. For the moment, though, Abomasnow roared in pain and took a step back Ash saw another opening and went with speed to land the next hit as he kept pressing his advantage. He knew it wouldn't do much but any little helped in the long run.

"Water Shuriken." Ash ordered as Greninja pushed off Abomasnow to give them some room and croaked in agreement.

While still in the air, Greninja slapped his thighs and pulled off two shurikens of water from the markings there and tossed them at Abomasnow. There was only two this time, but they landed cleanly on the larger Pokémon's chest, and Abomasnow groaned in pain from it, but his grass type easily resisted the attack. As for Greninja he landed in a crouch and grunted in pain from the hail that was causing minor damage every time a piece hit him, but it was negligible in the short term at least.

"Energy Ball." Wulfric said impressed by how fast Ash had started the final matchup.

"Destroy it with Night Slash." Ash countered as Abomasnow began to form the ball of grass type power in his mouth.

Greninja croaked again as he leapt from his crouch with his strong leg muscles to close the distance while forming the dark type attack in the process. Then he slashed it across Abomasnow the moment that the opening presented itself, raking it across Abomasnow's right arm and through the Energy Ball to destroy it in an explosion that hurt both Pokémon.

The critical hit hadn't triggered however and Abomasnow wasn't weak to dark type attacks, so he wasn't too badly hurt as he staggered back from the explosion of the two moves colliding with one another. Meanwhile, Greninja croaked with mild pain from the backlash and the hail as he landed in a crouch pretty much in the same position as before as both Pokémon stared at each other after the flurry of opening moves from Greninja set the tone for the battle.

"Wood Hammer." Wulfric ordered as Greninja was briefly held up by pain from the hail.

"Block it." Ash said as Abomasnow leapt up and formed the grass type attack in its hand before bringing it down on Greninja knowing that the Ninja Pokémon had no time to dodge it.

Greninja had enough time to get his arms up and cross them over his head to intercept the blow but that wasn't enough. With a roar, Abomasnow pushed through the block to strike Greninja in the face with the super effective attack. Greninja was driven into the ice and bounced off it and backwards from the force of the hit as Abomasnow landed pretty much where Greninja had been standing and grunted from the recoil of the move.

Even though it was super effective, it wasn't enough to take out Greninja and he flipped his body in the air to land on his feet before Ash. He was hurt sure, but he wasn't near his limit yet and the attack had really got his battle spirit going, as it had with Ash and their wavelength began to synchronize. Perhaps it was because they had reached the maximum level but now they knew what to do and Greninja looked back to Ash and met his human's eyes. All he did was nod to confirm that he was ready, and Ash nodded back.

"This is it Greninja." Ash said raising his arm and Greninja matched it. "Together we will become stronger and show our true power!"

This time the change was different as their hearts became one and activated the Battle Bond phenomenon. Whereas before the water vortex kinda just burst forth as the change occurred, this time a golden helix seemed to form around Greninja and then moved to incorporate Ash as well as they triggered it while the others, including Wulfric, just gasped at the sight.

Only when both human and Pokémon were within the helix did it end when the water vortex suddenly shot up from beneath Greninja. This time, however, it was intense, faster and stronger than ever before and completely hid Greninja in it before bursting apart and coalescing into a ball on Ash-Greninja's back and forming a large Water Shuriken there.

It was now faster than ever before and nothing more was needed as the change ended and Ash-Greninja stood before Wulfric and Abomasnow in all his maximum glory and showing why Bonnie had dubbed the changed form Ash-Greninja. This was Battle Bond when it was complete and for the first time in battle Ash and Greninja were going to truly use it together as one.

"Woah." Misty said her eyes wide as they all saw the new change for the first time. "They did it. I knew Ash could, but this is clearly different to when he faced Diantha."

"It's like then but now it's from the very start of the change." May said. "Not achieved during the battle. That has to mean something, I'm sure of it."

"Well Ash does find his next level in strange ways so we shouldn't really be surprised." Dawn said. "Amazing to see it without the water spout surrounding it, it's magnificent and a testament to the beauty of water types. I can't wait to see Greninja he uses that Water Shuriken."

"They look so strong." Serena said smiling the last of her doubts that Ash was back now all but gone from her mind. "So, this is what Ash is like when he bounces back, it's wonderous."

"Now you're getting it." Dawn said with a grin at Serena. "This is the final thing you really needed to see to understand Ash like we do. No matter what knocks Ash down he always gets up stronger."

"That said this is beyond anything Ash has ever done before." Misty said.

"And I can't wait to see how he uses Ash-Greninja now." May added. "But we should just watch and let Ash and Greninja show us what they can do."

The others nodded as they turned back to the battle. It was really heating up now that Ash and Greninja had triggered the Battle Bond phenomenon at its fullest and clearly Wulfric was enjoying what he was seeing.

"Yes, that is it, I can feel the heat from you two now." Wulfric said grinning as he looked at the sudden change before him, this was like Mega Evolution but different and he couldn't wait to face it again, the last time had been fun, but this was going to be a whole new level. "This is what I wanted to see you know."

"That's because we're going to always get stronger and stronger no matter what." Ash said. "You may have beaten me before Wulfric, but we've came back twice as strong."

"You know what." Wulfric said. "I need you to show me your future now Ash, show me that passion and see if you are worthy of what only one trainer so far this year has been able to manage."

"I don't know what that means but I will show you what we can do." Ash said grinning at Wulfric. "Greninja, Aerial Ace!"

Instantly all of Ash-Greninja's extremities glowed with fighting type power so it wasn't just his right forepaw like before but now his left one and his feet as well. Then he launched himself at the Frost Tree Pokémon even faster than he had before and began striking Abomasnow with the super effective attack, landing four blows before hitting touching the ground only to leap up for a 5th and final one to Abomasnow's face. Still, that wasn't enough to down the big Pokémon and Wulfric knew it.

"Wood Hammer." Wulfric ordered.

"Alright Greninja, let's use Night Slash." Ash said mimicking blades in his hands as Ash-Greninja formed them himself to counter the Wood Hammer. "Together we can do this!"

As Ash spoke Abomasnow raised the Wood Hammer, but Ash-Greninja got his arm up to block it with Night Slash, Ash copying him in perfect synchronicity, before he landed on the ice and the Pokémon began to exchange strikes. Nothing was landed as Ash-Greninja was moving and parrying while Ash copied his movements and Abomasnow looked for that opening but he couldn't find it. Ash-Greninja however did find that opening as he slid under a blow and leapt up to slash Abomasnow across the face with Night Slash sending him crashing back with a roar.

"That Greninja is different now." Wulfric said with a grin as a pained Abomasnow rose before him still in this fight but really starting to feel all the blows that he was taking. "It's not the same Pokémon, I can tell."

"Abomasnow." Abomasnow grunted but Ash was already in the process of his next order.

"Water Shuriken." Ash said raising his right arm to his shoulder as if to grab something and then thrusting forward, Ash-Greninja mimicking it perfectly only he actually through the Water Shuriken at Abomasnow with a new one instantly reforming on his back.

"Block it Abomasnow." Wulfric ordered as the spinning star of water tore at him.

"Aboma." Abomasnow said as he got his arms up in time to block it but the force and strength of the larger than normal attack pushed through the block and lifted Abomasnow up and into the icicle covered ceiling showing just how strong the attack now was.

Abomasnow let out a groan of pain as he hit the ceiling with a crash and then fell to the ground to land on the ice with a puff of mist covering him. Greninja landed in front of Ash having jumped up to attack and looked at his opponent who was slowly rising to his feet as the mist cleared. The Abomasnow was impressive for sure as it got to its feet still in the battle.

"This really is something else, I've defeated many trainers and then faced them in rematches, but you are different to them all you know." Wulfric said. "You lost to me just a few days ago but now you're so much stronger than you were back then. How?"

"Working with my Pokémon and trusting them like they trust me, that's how." Ash replied as he and Ash-Greninja moved in synch with each other. "We all get stronger together."

"Yes, I can feel it, the heat is intense." Wulfric said with a grin. "The two of you are battling as if you are one in a way I've never seen before."

"I can't really explain it myself." Ash said. "We know it's called the Battle Bond phenomenon and is tied to Greninja's ability, but this is beyond what we did before. It's as if Greninja awoke a power I never knew I had and I did the same for him. We briefly touched this power in a battle with Diantha and her Gardevoir, even got her to Mega Evolve it, but we couldn't control it then and ended up being unable to maintain it. Last night we managed to achieve that control, and this is the first time we are properly using it in battle."

"I see, it is an honor to be the first to face it at its fullest then, especially if such a power without control can give the Champion herself a run for it, there's no way I can't not do this in the face of your real power, your fire, and your future Ash." Wulfric said as he ripped his pendent off and rose it above his head and opened it to reveal that it was a locket containing a Key Stone that he then clasped in his fist. "You know that I must respond with my own maximum power now."

"That's a Key Stone!" Ash said his eyes wide, same with Pikachu, Ash-Greninja, and all those watching but for the ref. "Abomasnow is a Pokémon capable of Mega Evolving, I never knew."

"Bear your fangs, power of ice." Wulfric intoned the way those who could Mega Evolve often did to show that they were unleashing their full power. "It's time to Mega Evolve!"

As Wulfric was speaking the Key Stone glowed within his fist with a bright light to show that it was being activated. At the same time, the fur on Abomasnow's chest parted to show that he was wearing a matching locket around his neck with his Mega Stone set into it that glowed in response to Wulfric's Key Stone as their hearts became one.

As that happened the strange glow of Mega Evolution and Abomasnow fell forward, growing in size, it's fur thickening and becoming wilder in places, and two strange things shot from its back. It only lasted a second before it ended and Mega Abomasnow roared before Ash-Greninja.

Mega Abomasnow was about half a meter taller than regular Abomasnow with fur that was more pronounced and thicker, but the most distinctive change was that it was now on all fours, it's arms effectively becoming sturdy forelegs to hold it there. The protrusions on its back looked a bit like extra limbs with green fur on the lower part that connected to his back going into to white at the ends and what looked like ice at the tips. The rest of Abomasnow retained the color scheme it had had before Mega Evolving, something unusual in Ash's few experiences with the phenomenon outside of his own Charizard's Mega Evolution.

"You are the second trainer this year to face me with such a burning passion that I had to Mega Evolve Abomasnow to match it." Wulfric said with a grin. "This is from your heat Ash; your fire is so hot that when facing such an opponent it is a courtesy to respond with Mega Evolution. I felt your potential last time but your were too rigid and plagued with doubt. No, though, I see your full potential Ash, so show me it all now!"

"We will, Water Shuriken." Ash ordered as Ash-Greninja leapt into the air and Ash matched the moves as the battle heated up to an inferno of pure power.

"Block it with Ice Punch." Wulfric said also mirroring the move of his Pokémon as Greninja tossed the Water Shuriken though their timing was slightly off.

"Abomasnow!" Mega Abomasnow roared as he encased his right fist in ice and punched forward, his boosted speed from Mega Evolution more than enough to match the speed of Ash-Greninja.

As such the ice type attack collided with the water type in midair, froze the water and then shattered it as Mega Abomasnow punched through the move a look of challenge in his eyes. The move was a show of how much stronger Mega Abomasnow now was but Ash and Ash-Greninja just grinned, this was a worthy challenge in deed, and both of them were ready for it.

"Ice Shard." Wulfric ordered.

"Dodge and throw off Mega Abomasnow with Double Team." Ash countered as several shards of ice shot from Mega Abomasnow's mouth.

The shards went straight for Ash-Greninja, but he leapt up and out of the way of them, but Mega Abomasnow wasn't done as he kept firing off the attack at his opponent. Ash-Greninja tried to evade it but even with his speed he couldn't, so he raised his arms to take the blow there, the damage low given his resistance to ice type attacks.

Regardless, Ash groaned in pain and clutched his own arm from the link that ensured he felt Ash-Greninja's pain when transformed. Still, Ash pushed through the pain and watched as Ash-Greninja let the momentum of the Ice Shard push him back to a large icicle.

There Ash-Greninja got his bearings and pushed off it, activating his Double Team as he did thus creating a series of Ash-Greninja shadow clones that were all in the air at different heights in an arc around Mega Abomasnow who was looking up at him from down on the icy battlefield. This was the point of Double Team and Ash was already ready with the next order.

"Aerial Ace." Ash said.

This time only Ash-Greninja's forepaws glowed with power, but it was the case for all of the clones as well. Then as one they dove at Mega Abomasnow so that he didn't know which one was the real Ash-Greninja thus increasing the chances of the super effective hit landing.

"Wood Hammer." Wulfric ordered the attack drew in on Mega Abomasnow. "Destroy all of them to hit the real Greninja."

"Abomasnow!" Mega Abomasnow roared as he formed a massive Wood Hammer in his right hand and brought the grass type attack down on Ash-Greninja and his clones.

The move cut through the fake ones with ease and Ash Greninja realized that he'd have to block it but as with before, the sheer force of the Wood Hammer was too much for him as it broke through his block and slammed into his chest. With another roar, Mega Abomasnow pushed through the contact and send Ash-Greninja flying backwards, the recoil hitting him in the process and into the ice chest first.

The ice was hard and Ash-Greninja just slid back over it, kicking up a lot of icy mist in the process, as Ash clutched his chest in pain. That one had really hurt, it was a super effective attack after all, but they weren't going to be defeated by it just yet.

"Night Slash." Ash ordered.

"Ice Shard again." Wulfric said as Ash-Greninja leapt at Abomasnow.

"Slash through it." Ash said as the ice shards flew from Mega Abomasnow's mouth again. "And then use it again once you reach Mega Abomasnow."

"Greninja." Ash-Greninja said as he slashed at the ice coming towards him.

He had to leap up, and slash some more ice that came his way, but soon he was clear of the attack and pressing down on Mega Abomasnow once more. This time he was coming from above as he formed the Night Slash and got ready to land it, but Wulfric was ready as well.

"Ice Punch." Wulfric ordered.

"Flip over it." Ash said quickly assessing the situation and going using Ash-Greninja's smaller size and greater agility to his advantage. "Then slash down."

Ash-Greninja croaked in agreement as the ice encased Mega Abomasnow's fist and he punched up at the water and dark type. However, Ash-Greninja just flipped over the punch and with Ash mimicking it slashed the dark type attack down in a vertical line between Mega Abomasnow's eyes, this time scoring a critical hit with Night Slash's higher than average critical hit ratio.

Mega Abomasnow roared in pain as he slid backwards from the blow, but he was still in the fight. Wulfric knew this too and gave his next order.

"Wood Hammer." Wulfric said. "And then into Ice Shard."

"Dodge it all with Aerial Ace." Ash said as the hammer of grass type power was formed.

Mega Abomasnow roared as he brought down the grass type attack, but Greninja's feet and hands were now glowing with flying type power, and he leapt back and to the side for it and the ice that the attack kicked up with ease. Then be kept moving, using the speed that Aerial Ace allowed to run around while leaping, dodging, and weaving out of the way of the ice shards that Mega Abomasnow sent at him so that none of them hit as Ash-Greninja circled Mega Abomasnow until he was back in front of him.

"Water Shuriken." Ash said raising his arm again as Ash-Greninja leapt up and grabbed the star on his back.

"Ice Punch again." Wulfric said as Ash-Greninja leapt forward and threw the shuriken and Ash grinned, he'd expected that and knew what was coming, he didn't even need to communicate to Ash-Greninja what he wanted his Pokémon to do, their trust was so complete that Ash-Greninja understood it as well. "Destroy it like last time."

Again, Mega Abomasnow punched the Water Shuriken with his Ice Punch, and it froze and shattered but Greninja was already closing in from above using the mist from the interception to cover himself long enough to get in close for a physical attack. It was a tactic they'd used in the past; he'd used something similar to land a Night Slash on Diantha's Gardevoir after all, and now it was time to show it off once again as Ash really began to mimic Ash-Greninja showing how in synch they were.

"Aerial Ace." Ash said raising his foot high as Ash-Greninja did the same, all of his extremities glowing with flying type power one more time.

"Amazing." Was all Wulfric could get off his eyes wide before the axe kick landed on Mega Abomasnow's forehead and that was just the start of the assault.

From there Ash-Greninja, with Ash fully mimicking him, unleashed a volley of punches and kicks to Mega Abomasnow's face and upper torso in a series of blows that would impress any fighting type. It culminated in Ash-Greninja getting under Mega Abomasnow and kicking it in the gut with one leg before pushing off the battlefield with the other and leaping up with enough force to drive Mega Abomasnow into the icicle covered ceiling with a boom that shattered a good portion of the icicles that hung there.

"My ice, you broke it." Wulfric said his eyes wide as Ash-Greninja pushed off Mega Abomasnow and flipped in the air to land on the ice facing Ash with his arms crossed, standing tall and proud.

A second later Mega Abomasnow fell from the ceiling and crashed into the battlefield behind Ash-Greninja was an almighty thud that kicked up a lot of mist. Even as it cleared they could all see Mega Abomasnow on his back with swirls for eyes before the Mega Evolution fell in a flash of light as the unconscious Abomasnow returned to normal and the battle ended.

"Abomasnow is unable to battle." The ref declared recovering from the intense end to the match to make his final declaration. "That makes Greninja the winner. Wulfric is now out of Pokémon which means that the match goes to Ash the challenger."

"Alright we did it!" Ash cheered as he rushed out to congratulate Greninja.

"Pika pi." Pikachu said joining in as Wulfric recalled and thanked Abomasnow for his efforts in the battle.

"Greninja." Greninja said as the transformation fell as Ash and Pikachu reached him and smiled at his human after such an intense battle showing their full power for the first time.

"Woah, Ash did it." Misty said as the girls cheered in their section, and she turned to hurry to him. "Let's…"

Misty didn't finish her sentence, or reach the place to return to the battlefield, when a Poke Ball burst from behind her and a pair of strong tentacles wrapped around her holding her body to pull her in and hold her in place. However, the was only one sudden bursting not the usual two like usual.

"Malamar." Malamar said as she held her human tightly and shook her head. "Mal, Malamar."

"Malamar let me go." Misty complained. "I was going to congratulate Ash that's all, this is a tradition whether you like it or not. Where is Machamp when I need him."

"Context?" Dawn asked the others. "Why is that Pokémon holding Misty?"

"Oh, her Malamar is a bit like Brock's Croagunk." May explained as they all began to head to the carefully down to the battlefield while Misty protested but Malamar wouldn't let her go. "She likes to prevent Misty from doing something that she deems to be stupid or inappropriate, usual with a slap to the face. These days it's mainly when Misty gets too PDA with Ash in front of other people though after she caught her Machamp he protects her whenever he disagrees with Malamar's assessment of the situation. Usually, they fight and destroy part of a gym. It's kinda amusing actually."

"Huh, well you go Malamar." Dawn said with a grin of support. "But how did Misty find such Pokémon?"

"Malamar's capture was a complete accident." Serena explained. "Misty was trying to catch an Abra but kept missing her attacks with her Furfrou, accidentally wounding Malamar who was in a nearby bush for some reason in the process, until she finally hit Abra and tossed a Poke Ball at it now that it was wounded. However, Abra teleported away, and the ball landed on a weakened Malamar. We didn't even know Misty had caught her until the ding was heard and even then it wasn't until Misty opened the Poke Ball, and got immediately slapped, that we knew it was a Malamar."

"Ah that does explain it a bit." Dawn said.

"I'm surprised you aren't more surprised." Serena said looking at the dark haired girl.

"My Psyduck did something similar in terms of unorthodox catches and he also keeps popping out of his Poke Ball." Dawn said as a Poke Ball on her burst open and said Psychic suddenly appeared next to her looking confused, but Dawn recalled him without breaking stride. "I fell over a rock and an empty Poke Ball rolled out of my bag. Psyduck then tapped it with his bill to expand it and then again to catch himself. However, he seems to not know why he pops out of it when he does."

"Dawn's Psyduck is a bit of a character." May said as Misty continued to argue with Malamar who was now holding Misty's arms despite them now being on the main level and heading to the battlefield where Ash was with Pikachu, Greninja, Conkeldurr, and Talonflame out ready for the presentation of his final badge. "Malamar is as well of course and chose to stay with her to be a chaperone of sorts though they battle well together and Malamar was key in Misty's first Showcase win."

"She listens and cares for Misty." Serena added. "She just has her own way of doing it."

"Right." May said with a nod. "Then Misty caught a Machamp during a wild adventure we had in a forest just before the Kalos Canyon out west where she also caught an Ursaring, and Ash got Hawlucha and Conkeldurr. Machamp is really protective of Misty and stops Malamar when he thinks she's in the wrong only adding to the situations when it happens."

"Which he usually does but he's not doing so right now." Serena said. "Which means that he must feel like Malamar is in the right which is odd."

"I think it's the ice." May pointed out as they carefully made their way to the stairs to join Ash on the battlefield. "It's slippery and Misty's habit of blindly running at Ash when he wins, even leaping over small ledges at times, might be dangerous here."

"That would make sense." Dawn said.

"Malamar." Malamar said with a nod to confirm that this time she was doing so out of concern for her human's safety more so than for propriety of the situation as she continued to hold onto Misty. "Mal, Malamar."

"I think you should just wait until later Misty." May said. "I know this is usual for you, but this is ice, so it is for the best."

"Fine." Misty grumbled as they reached the battlefield. "I'll hold off, that good with you Malamar?"

"Malamar." Malamar agreed and finally let go of Misty but was right behind her as they approached Ash ready to act and with Machamp apparently approving for once Misty had to restrain herself, plus it would be rude to make out with Ash in front of the others now that she'd calmed down from her initial excitement at Ash so she would wait and give Ash an extra special reward that night in the Pokémon Center. "Mal, Malamar."

"You did it Ash." May said as they reached him. "You won your eight badge."

"And mastered the Battle Bond phenomenon." Misty said still controlling herself from throwing herself on Ash. "That was incredible at the end."

"More so than even back in the day." Dawn grinned. "I've missed this, shame I have to leave for Cerulean tomorrow, but I'll be watching the Lumiose Conference back home from the moment it starts."

"It's good to have you back Ash." Serena said smiling at him all her doubts gone and her heart racing as she'd finally seen the full Ash that she loved and which the other girls had already seen, and she couldn't wait to see more of it. "You were great out there today."

"It's all thanks to you." Ash said to the girls smiling at them. "All of you, I wouldn't have bounced back without Misty's words and your support."

"That was certainly the case, that battle was on fire you know." Wulfric said interrupting then and Ash turned to face the gym leader who was walking over the ice to them with the ref next to him holding a box in his hands. "Been a long time since I faced a challenger with that much fiery passion, not since I faced Diantha herself back when she was still a normal trainer have I had such a good battle."

"Thanks." Ash said amazed at the praise he was getting but with Wulfric's apparent age he wasn't surprised that the man had still been a gym leader back whenever Diantha had challenged the Kalos League. "It was the best gym battle of the year for me as well."

"That Ash-Greninja change as you call it was damned impressive, it was a pleasure to see it let alone battle it." Wulfric said looking between Ash and Greninja before he reached into the box and took out the badge from within. "I can give you this badge to with confidence, and I look forward to seeing what you do in the Lumiose Conference this year. Here, Ash, take it, you really earned the Snowbelle Gym Iceberg Badge today."

Wulfric opened his hand to reveal an elaborate hexagonal badge in his palm. It had 6 sides made of golden metal all connected by 6 gold teardrops with deep blue stones in it that connected the outer hexagonal to an inner one. The inner one had border with the top two side light blue the bottom two dark blue and the side ones half light at the top and half dark blue at the bottom, all bordered in gold, with a gold-filled center inlayed with a three peaked ice mountain range motif.

It was one of the more intricate badges Ash had gotten for sure but at the same time clearly in the style that most Kalos gyms liked to use for their gym badges. At last, though, the final gym badge that Ash needed was his and he reached out his hand to take it.

"Alright." Ash said as he took the badge and held it out in his traditional victory pose. "I just earned the Iceberg Badge!"

"Pi, Pikachu." Pikachu said celebrating as all the other Pokémon in the team that were present also cheered and everyone smiled at Ash.

Ash held the pose for a moment before he lowered his arm and pulled out his badge case. He opened it and placed the final badge in it in the lower right corner completing the set of 8 Kalos Gym Badges at last.

"It's been a long time since I've seen this sight, I'm glad to see it again." Dawn said looking over Ash's shoulder at the completed set. "It's always impressive to see it."

"Just like in Hoenn after Sootopolis." May said.

"Or Sinnoh after Sunyshore." Misty added.

"It's amazing seeing them all there like that." Serena said. "It shows all the hard work you've done this year to earn them."

"That is your 8th badge Ash." Wulfric said getting Ash's attention again and Ash closed the case to look at the man. "Which means that it is time to head to the Kalos League though you do have some time before it starts."

"I know." Ash said. "Misty has the Master Class first and then we're going to Lumiose for the Kalos League and the Grand Festival for Serena as both are being held there."

"Busy but I'd expect that from you." Wulfric said. "Know this Ash, you are loved by your Pokémon, and you believe in them in return. That makes me like you kid, you've got a great team and great supporters, it's time to see how far you can go."

"Right." Ash said with a nod. "I can't wait."

With that Wulfric turned and left with the ref while the others surrounded Ash to look at the badges and congratulate him. He'd done it, he'd gotten 8 Kalos Gym Badges and it was now onto the Kalos League. There were other things to do first, they had the time, but for the moment it was Ash's day as he'd reached his qualification as well. That meant that it was time to return to the Pokémon Center and celebrate tonight before they left Snowbelle City in the morning and continued on their Kalos journey, or in Dawn's case returned to Kanto.