Before we begin, I need to give you all a reminder. The Master Class is fast approaching, and I'd really like your opinions on who should win it and go on to challenge Serena. Please comment either Zoey, Chloe, Shauna, or Miette on this chapter or chapter 66 if you want one of them to win. Please. Now, onto this chapter itself, I have one final character that needs to be introduced. He's coming in very late, and I'm sorry about that, but I figured this would be the best place to bring him in. Plus, I figured it's about time that I give Ash a proper battle, since I've only given him one simple one against Max all the way back in chapter 2. Anyway, on with the chapter.

Chapter 68:

Reunion of Rivals

Thanks to Bonnie keeping an eye on the Pokémon Showcases, she and Max are able to keep an eye on the progress of Miette, Chloe and Zoey. Thankfully, Zoey managed to win her final Princess Key around the same time Shauna did, and Miette and Chloe end up in different competitions in their next chances, and luckily they succeed in earning their own final Princess Keys. Both Max and Bonnie are thrilled that all four of them have managed to make it to the Master Class, and Bonnie even wants to head to Gliore to watch it live. But, Max reminds her that the Kalos League is about 2 1/2 months away, so they don't have time. But, he does promise her that they will watch it on TV when they get the chance. This makes Bonnie even more anxious to get to Snowbelle as quickly as possible, so they can watch it live instead of watching it on the internet after the Master Class is over.

At last, they are only about a week or so away from Snowbelle City. The two of them are currently resting in a Pokémon Centre, where Bonnie is assembling a list of all of her pokémon's moves, while Max listens to his audio logs, filling in his notebook as he does. As usual, Max is also coming up with a strategy for Bonnie to win against Wulfric's pokémon. He figures this will be her easiest challenge yet, since they're she has two fire types going up against his ice types. Every once in a while, Max stops writing to lean back and stretch in order to stop his back from cramping. Once Max has caught up with all of his logs, he begins to help Bonnie with a strategy for beating Wulfric. While in the middle of coming up with something, Max feels the need to stretch again, commenting that he should just sit beside her to save his back the discomfort. Bonnie goes a bit pink at the thought, but Max doesn't notice, because something catches his eye. A yellow electric mouse, sitting on the shoulder of a teenage boy.

Max squints to make sure he isn't seeing things, then his eyes widen upon recognising the two people who've just come into the Centre. "Ash, Serena, Pikachu!" Max calls, getting out of his seat and running over to them. Bonnie wheels around upon hearing this and spots them as well. Ash turns to face them and Max can see that he's wearing sunglasses and has his hood up, while Serena wears a bandana and sunglasses as well. As they approach, Ash indicates to Max to keep his voice down, before looking around at the other people in the Centre. The other guests start to stare at them, as if trying to see if it really is Ash Ketchum and Serena Yvonne. Realising that the two obviously don't want to be recognised, Max quickly saves the situation by saying, "Hey Dash, hey Selena, it's good to see you again!" It works. Everyone in the centre come to the conclusion that they must've misheard, and go back to whatever they were doing before. As Max and Bonnie lead the couple and Pikachu to the table they're sitting at, Ash whispers to Max, "Nice save."

Once seated, Bonnie quickly presents the two with her badge collection. They both beam at her and Serena gives her a congratulatory hug. "Great job Bonnie!" she says. "Now all you need is the Snowbelle one, right?" Bonnie nods, and Max notices Ash's face darken. "What's up?" he asks him. "Did you lose to that one?" Ash nods bashfully at that. "Yeah, Snowbelle wasn't my finest hour," he admits. "And not just because of the gym." Max looks quizzically at Ash, but Serena interjects. "Let's save that story for another time," she says. "I forgave you for that, and we've moved on." This only serves to make Max more curious, but he agrees to drop it. "So, what brings you two all the way out here?" Bonnie asks, trying to change the subject. Serena smiles at this. "We're on our way to Gliore," she explains. "The Master Class is happening soon, and I need to be there to challenge the winner." She says this part very quietly. "And I'm coming along to support her," Ash adds. "Gotta be there to show my support, cheer her on and hope the Monarch gets to keep his Queen." He says this joke very quietly too, but it still makes everyone at the table laugh rather loudly.

The four of them continue to talk for a while, while Pikachu and Dedenne run around the table to burn off their energy. Many small children see the two electric pokémon chase each other around and begin to crowd around them, giggling happily and squealing with delight at the two adorable pokémon. Now quite nervous about being recognised, Ash and Serena decide that it's about time they head off. Ash calls Pikachu up to his shoulder, and Bonnie has Dedenne go back into her bag. Then, they make their way to the door. Wanting to spend a bit more time with the two, Max and Bonnie follow them out. According to Max navigation, they can go the same path for a bit before it forks, and they need to go their separate ways. As they walk down this route, Ash suddenly tenses. "What's wrong?" Serena asks, grabbing his hand apprehensively. "I think someone's following us," he says. "I feel the presence of another person." Bonnie suddenly senses it too. She about to ask Ash if they're friendly or not, when a voice calls out behind them. "That trick may have worked on everyone else, but I'm not as stupid!" the voice called. "Hey there Ashy-boy, it's been a while!"

Ash wheels around to see who's talking to him. Standing behind them is a taller boy with spikey brown hair and brown eyes. He wears a black jacket and grey trousers. In his hand is a pokéball. Max and Bonnie are totally confused as to who this is, but looking at Serena, they see that she knows him. Ash meanwhile is clearly delighted. "Gary!" he exclaims, running over to the boy. The two clap hands, then pull each other into a hug. Then, Ash turns to the others. "Max, Bonnie, meet my oldest friend and first rival, Gary Oak," he says, to which Gary waves. "Gary, that's Max, Bonnie, and you remember my girlfriend Serena don't you?" Gary nods, and the two share a brief hug of their own. Then, he turns to the younger two. "So, you two are on your own journey huh?" he asks. They both nod. "Cool," says Gary. "So, are you collecting badges? Or something else?" Bonnie quickly shows Gary her badge collection. "I'm going after the badges," she explains. "Max here is researching pokémon." Max nods at this, expecting to have to pull out the book and be praised for how impressive it is.

However, Gary simply smiles at them. "I see you're a researcher as well. That's interesting," he says. "I'd ask to see what you've got, but we probably don't have time for that." Gary then turns to Ash, and Max would be lying if he said he doesn't feel a bit relieved that he didn't have to show his notebook to Gary. "Now, about the reason I stopped you," he says, and Ash can immediately tell where this is going. "It's been a while since we've last had a battle. So, what do you say?" Ash pulls off his disguise and beams at his friend. "Oh, you know I'm in!" he replies eagerly. The two quickly agree on the terms of their battle. A two-on-two single battle, with substitutions and Mega Evolving allowed. Max agrees to be their ref and states these facts like an official match. Then, the pair send out their pokémon, Gary sending out an Umbreon, and Ash sending out Pikachu.

The battle starts with Umbreon using Snarl. Pikachu manages to dodge the attack, then runs in with Electro Web. It ensnares Umbreon and hurts him, but he's able to break free and avoid Pikachu's follow up, Iron Tail. Then, he runs in again and hit Pikachu with Assurance, which manages to hurt him. As Pikachu staggers from the hit, Umbreon runs in and lands a Snarl, knocking Pikachu back. Pikachu hits a nearby tree, but manages to bounce off of it with his feet, then he charges at Umbreon with Thunderbolt. Umbreon cries out from this hit, but stays on his feet. He lets out an angry cry, then launches a Dark Pulse at Pikachu. Pikachu dodges it, but gets hit by a second Dark Pulse out of nowhere. Pikachu hits the ground a few times as he's thrown backwards by the attack. But he stays on his feet and launches a Thunder Ball at Umbreon. Like with Pikachu, Umbreon manages to avoid the first one, but is taken by surprise by the second. However, he manages to throw one more Dark Pulse at Pikachu as he's thrown back, which knocks Pikachu down as well. Both pokémon try to struggle to their feet, before collapsing to the ground.

"Both pokémon are unable to battle!" Max calls. "Which means that both battlers are down to their last ones." Gary returns Umbreon to his pokéball while Ash scoops up Pikachu. Both trainers thank their pokémon, then Gary returns the ball to his belt while Ash hands Pikachu over to Serena to mind. Then, they choose their next ones. "Blastoise, come on out!" Gary shouts. "Greninja, I choose you!" Ash calls. Both water types burst from their balls and immediately ready themselves for battle. Gary smirks at this and raises his wrist. "I've been wanting to show you this for a while Ashy-boy," he says. "And now is the perfect time to do so. Blastoise, Mega Evolve!" Then, he taps the wristband on his wrist, and Mega energy comes out of the Key stone and flows into the Mega stone on Blastoise's arm. Blastoise Mega Evolves, and Max is amazed by the giant cannon on his back. Ash smirks to, then makes eye contact with Greninja. "There's something I've been meaning to show you as well," Ash tells Gary. "Greninja, let's go!"

At this, Greninja's movements seem to mimic Ash's, then Greninja is enveloped by a column of water. Both Max and Gary stare in amazement as this happens. Then, when the column evaporates, the two are left speechless. Greninja's form has taken on that of Ash's. The top of his head now bears a resemblance to Ash's hat and hair, and he even has those two marks on Ash's cheeks. Once the transformation is complete, Bonnie yells with delight, "Ash-Greninja!" Gary's jaw drops to the floor. "How did that happen?" he asks. Ash shrugs. "We call it Bond Evolution," he explains. "But we don't know how it works. Want to see it in action?" Gary's face changes from one of shock to one of excitement. "Do I ever!" he says, then the two old rivals resume their battle.

Blastoise immediately fires a Flash Cannon, but Ash-Greninja dodges it so quickly it's like he teleported. In seconds, he's right behind Blastoise and strikes him in the back with a Water Shuriken. Blastoise is knocked forward so hard he almost falls. But he remains standing, then wheels around, trying to strike Ash-Greninja with with Hammer Arm. But once again, Ash-Greninja dodges the strike, then appears above Blastoise. Before either Gary or Blastoise have time to react, Ash-Greninja strikes Blastoise upside the head with Arial Ace. Blastoise takes the hit, then grabs onto Ash-Greninja's leg before he has a chance to get away. Blastoise swings Ash-Greninja around before slamming him to the ground. Then, he strikes him with a Flash Cannon before Ash-Greninja has a chance to dodge. Max notices Ash wince in pain at this, and realises that the two seem to share more than just appearances.

Ash-Greninja gets up and races forward. Blastoise readies himself to grab Ash-Greninja again, but again, Ash-Greninja moves so quickly, it's as if he teleported. Blastoise looks around, prepared to take whatever attack comes his way. Suddenly, a barrage of Dark Pulses and Water Shurikens comes flying out from one of the trees, creating a dust cloud. Blastoise is unable to see, and therefore can't do anything about the Arial Ace that strikes him from above, or the other blows that come his way. Blastoise uses his Water Cannon to ride the dust, but isn't quick enough to react to Ash-Greninja charging in with two Water Shurikens attached to his legs. Before Blastoise can even blink, Ash-Greninja kicks him in the chest with both legs, toppling Blastoise over onto his back. Blastoise's Mega form fades as he's knocked out.

"Blastoise is unable to battle!" Max calls. "Making Ash the winner of this battle. The Ash-Greninja form dissolves from him and Greninja falls to his knees. Ash slumps to the ground as well, suddenly very tired. "We don't use that form very often," he explains as Gary looks at him with concern. "So, it tires us out afterwards." Gary just nods, unable to say anything. Eventually, he does manage to speak. "So, you truly have no idea how it works?" he asks. "No we don't," Ash lies. "All we know is it occurs due to our strong bond. But I've got no explanation as to why it doesn't happen with Pikachu." Gary nods thoughtfully, then returns Blastoise. Serena helps Ash to his feet, and Ash returns Greninja. "So, Gary," Ash asks as he does this. "What actually brings you to Kalos?" Gary smiles at this. "I'm here to research a mysterious pokémon called Zygarde," he explains. "Apparently it can change form."

Bonnie brightens up at this. "Oh, you mean Squishy?" she asks. Gary looks at her like she just spoke an alien language. "Squishy?" he asks, clearly trying not to laugh. Ash puts an arm around Gary's shoulder. "It's a long story," he says. "But how about we head back to the Pokémon Centre and I'll explain on the way?" Gary nods at this, and the five of them head back the way they came. By this time, night has begun to fall, so the Centre won't be as busy as it was earlier. As they travel, Ash, Serena and Bonnie regale Max and Gary on their original journey through Kalos, explaining who Squishy was and how they knew them. Gary and Max are shocked to hear this, but not too surprised. They had both seen their own share of Legendary pokémon in their time. Max is more amused by the fact that Bonnie actually named the pokémon. Speaking of, Bonnie wants to join Gary in finding Squishy, but Max reminds her, once again, that they're on the clock. Bonnie is clearly disappointed, but she agrees with Max that they need to get going. So, before they all go into their own rooms, Bonnie makes Gary promise to send a picture of Squishy to Ash so he can send it on to her, to which he agrees. Then, they all head off to settle down for the night.

Once again, that ending wasn't great. But if I kept this chapter going until they separate the next day, it would have dragged on even longer. But now, there's only one more chapter until their arrival in Snowbelle. I've given this gap between cities one extra chapter because the gap between Lumiose and Laverre was supposed to be 3 chapters long, but I couldn't think of a 3rd chapter, so I gave this gap 4 to make up for it. Now, I'm going to stick one final request that you comment who you want to win the Master Class, because I cannot make up my mind. Please help me?