Chapter 122: Ash vs Wallace Part 2

Serena's jaw dropped when she saw Ash's Greninja appear.

"Greninja? I thought he was still in Kalos?"

"Nope!" Lillie said. "He came after Ash when we had trouble in Alola, and he stayed Ash's Pokemon afterwards."

Serena smiled.

"Incredible! I can't wait to see how strong he's gotten."

"I didn't even know Ash had a Greninja," Goh commented.

"Seems to me like there's a lot about him that we don't know," Chloe nodded in agreement.

"Well, Greninja had better be strong!" Lisia said. "My Uncle still has two Pokemon that are fighting fit, so he has his work cut out for him!"

Lucario remained silent, keeping his eyes firmly on Greninja. Even from here, he could feel how powerful his bond with Ash was.

Wallace smirked.

"So, this is the famous Greninja Steven was telling me about?"

"You know it! And he's going to help me win!"

Wallace nodded.

"We'll see, won't we? Walrein, use Aurora Beam!"

"Dodge and use Water Pulse!"

Walrein fired off a colorful blast of ice, only for Greninja to expertly jump over it before firing off a ring of water from his hands, splashing Walrein in the face and confusing him.

"Shake it off, Walrein!"

Walrein growled, and slammed his chin into the platform, snapping him out of his confusion.

"Nice try Ash, but it'll take more than that to beat us!"

"Don't you worry, we've got plenty more in us! Dive into the water, Greninja!"

Greninja nodded, before jumping into the pool.

"If you're planning on a sneak attack, think again! Walrein, use Ice Beam to freeze the pool over!"

Walrein acted quick, blasting the pool with an Ice Beam, completely icing it over and trapping Greninja within. But Ash wasn't concerned, he could sense that Greninja was moving swiftly through the water. And he should be in just the right spot…

"Water Shuriken, now!"

Suddenly, the ice beneath Walrein began to crack, and before he could react a huge shuriken broke through the ice and hit him, launching him into the air as Greninja appeared. With a big crash, Walrein landed down hard, floating to the surface of the water out cold.

"Walrein is unable to battle! Greninja is the winner!"

"And just like that, Ash Ketchum ties up the score! But will he prevail in the end, or will Wallace clench out the victory?"

"If I know Ash, he's got plenty of tricks up his sleeve!" May countered. "And remember, both contestants still have a power up available to them. It all comes down to this!"

Lisia could only stare in shock at Greninja's quick work.

"H-How? Walrein is one of my Uncle's best battlers, there's no way Ash could beat him that easily."

"Can and did," Serena said with a little sass. "And they haven't even reached their full potential yet!"

"What do you mean?" Zoey asked. "Do they have some kind of powerful Z-Move or something?"

"Not quite," Lillie said. "Just you wait and see!"

Lucario could only stare in awe at Greninja's power, though he could sense that his and Ash's bond went deeper than that.

Wallace chuckled.

"I can see why Steven was so invested in Greninja. I may have to make a trip to Kalos to get me one!"

Ash chuckled.

"Sorry, but you won't find one quite like my Greninja!"

"Maybe so, but can he stand up to this? Go, Swampert! Mega Evolve!"

But Ash wasn't worried. In fact, he was stoked.

"Ready, Greninja?"

"Ninja!"

The two of them began to concentrate deeply, feeling their bond awaken, and soon Greninja was in his Ash-Greninja form, much to the crowd's shock.

"What is that?" Goh asked in bewilderment.

"That's their Battle Bond," Serena replied. "They're so in sync, that Greninja can change into that form."

"Wait a minute, I remember reading about that!" Chloe shouted out. "It was in an article about the last Kalos League. That was Ash?'

"He's full of surprises, you have to give him that," Dawn said.

"Whatever," Calem snorted. "He's not that great."

Serena giggled, and kissed him.

"Aw, don't be jealous! You knowI love you."

Calem smiled, and kissed her back. Lisia, meanwhile, watched the battle with renewed interest.

"This just got interesting."

Lucario silently agreed.

"Earthquake, Swampert!"

"Jump, then use Aerial Ace!"

Swampert roared, smashing his fist down onto the ice and creating a huge wave that sped towards Grenina. Greninja, undeterred, leapt just in time, sailing towards his opponent with his arms out like a drill, ramming into Swampert and pushing him back.

"Hydro Pump, Swampert!"

"Block with Water Shuriken!"

Greninja had just enough time to throw one up before being blasted back with a huge burst of water, launching him into the pool.

"Now use Whirlpool!"

Before Greninja could escape, the water around him turned into a vortex, trapping him inside and throwing him about, causing both him and Ash great pain.

"Now, as we practiced!"

Swampert raised his head, and the water around Greninja floated out of the pool, with him still trapped inside. However, this gave Ash an idea.

"Water Shuriken!"

FInally having a bit more freedom, Greninja concentrated hard, forming all of it into a massive shuriken before throwing it at Swampert, who couldn't dodge in time and got thrown into the pool. Greninja, on the other hand, gracefully landed on the platform beneath him.

"So, you managed to turn my move against me, did you? Impressive, but not enough! Surf, Swampert!"

Swampert quickly rose back out of the water on a massive tidal wave, ready to wash Greninja out.

"Cut, Greninja!"

Once more Greninja leapt into the air, this time forming a small dagger in his hand as he soared towards Swampert. The two met in the middle, both attacks hitting their mark as they crashed down on opposite sides of the arena.

For a moment, both Pokemon stood still, before they both began to fall. But while Greninja managed to catch himself, Swampert collapsed, too tired to move. With a relieved sigh, Greninja collapsed to one knee, reverting back to his normal form.

"Swampert is unable to battle, Greninja wins! Which means the battle goes to Ash Ketchum from Pallet Town!"

"What a finish, folks! After a hard fought battle, Ash Ketchum comes out on top!"

"I'm not surprised, Cecil. Having traveled with Ash, I expected nothing less from him."

Despite his loss, Wallace felt pleased with the battle, walking over to Ash and shaking his hand.

"Well done, Ash. You could've made an excellent coordinator."

"Thanks, but I'm happy with what I am."

"As you should be. Now, as proof of your triumph, take this!"

He reached into his pocket, and handed Ash a Rain Badge, much to his confusion.

"But I already got one of those when I beat Juan?"

"And you can take this as well!"

He took off his scarf and handed it to Ash, before leaving.

"I bid you adieu."

Ash just watched him leave with a weird look on his face.

"That happened."

"Pika."

"He did it! He won!"

Serena and Lillie were so excited that they didn't realize that they were hugging each other. When they did, they immediately pulled apart, embarrassed.

"Sorry."

"No, I'm sorry."
Lillie took a deep breath. It was time to get this off her chest.

"Can I…talk to you in private?"

"Sure."

With that, the two got up, and walked out into the corridor.

"I, uh…I wanted to apologize for what happened between you and Ash."

"Why? You didn't do anything to cause it."

"Maybe not, but I saw how heartbroken you were when you found out we were dating. I never really got to say anything before, so now's my chance."

Serena smiled, and patted her shoulder.

"I appreciate that, but you don't need to worry. Ash and I are still good friends, and I'm happy with Calem. And if you'd let me, I'd like to be your friend too."

Lillie smiled, and shook her hand.

"I'd like that too. Friends?"

"Friends."