Episode 173: Finals Fantasy Part 2

Ash and Greninja, transformed into Ash-Greninja, stand in the exact same pose of fear as they look up at the dozens of Lucario clones, lunging towards Greninja, each cloaked in a fierce glow of Aura and with a large Aura Sphere about to be launched. There's no way that Greninja could dodge, deflect, or counter all of them. The Guardian declares, "There's no escaping this ninja art! Ninja Art: Aura Storm!"

In unison, Ash and Greninja both close their eyes. Time seems to slow around them. Despite their closed eyes, both can still see through an infinite black void, where each of the Lucario appear as a white outline over the void. But one of the Lucario is different from the others. It glows with the brilliant blue of Aura.

Ash says to Greninja without speaking, That's it! That's the original!

Greninja agrees, Gren!

They both open their eyes at the exact same time, and without any command from Ash, Greninja leaps at the one they determined isn't a clone and uses Aerial Ace. Its hands and feet glow as it ducks beneath the Aura Sphere and jabs several quick strikes with its hands into Lucario's chest, before leaning back, kicking Lucario, and using the force of the kick to push itself back and away.

Lucario shouts in pain as all its clones vanish and it fails to keep its concentration on the Aura Sphere, so it too fizzles.

The Guardian gasps. "Impossible!"

Ash shouts, "Anything's possible when Greninja and I are in sync! Greninja, use Cut!" Greninja sprints at Lucario wielding a short blade of water.

"Force Palm, Lucario!"

Ash briefly closes his eyes, and without needing instructions, Greninja leans to the side to easily avoid Lucario's palm, then strikes with its blade.

As Lucario staggers back, the Guardian realizes, "You can sense Aura! You're an Aura wielder! And your connection with Greninja allows you transmit your senses wordlessly!" He looks from Ash to Greninja. "In fact, it could be your sensitivity to Aura that allows you such a bond with Greninja. Amazing."

Ash grins. "We'll show you amazing! Water Shuriken, Greninja! Give it everything you've got!" Greninja performs a backflip to land atop a volcanic spire. It grabs the Water Shuriken off of its back and hold it up into the air with one arm. The shuriken floats above the upstretched hand and begins to spin. Suddenly, Greninja becomes cloaked in a whirlpool like when it first transformed. Orange energy begins to mix into the whirlpool, before it rips apart just as suddenly as it appeared. The Water Shuriken spinning above has grown to colossal size and glows orange. "Greniiiiiiiiiin!"

This shocks and amazes many in the audience. Even Galileo, who watches from his private box above the audience leans in with intense interest.

The Guardian gasps. "Lucario! Counter with your biggest Aura Sphere!" Lucario quickly summons a massive Aura Sphere, though nowhere as large as the Water Shuriken, and launches it.

Ash, holding his arm up the same way as Greninja, shouts, "Do it!"

"Jaaaaa!" Together, Greninja and Ash fling the massive Water Shuriken which seems to tear through the very air itself. When it collides with the Aura Sphere, the Aura Sphere poses it no resistance. It simply rips through it and continues on to Lucario, who looks towards the incoming attack with a slacked-jaw expression. The shuriken hits and explodes into a massive cloud of steam upon impact.

The Guardian says to himself, "That power…"

When the steam clears, Lucario is collapsed on the ground.

"Lucario is unable to battle!"

Brenda says with shock, "Greninja is incredible…!"

Brock agrees, "That's a Pokémon like few I've seen before. Amazing…"

Elsewhere, Goh cheers, "Such an awesome Pokémon!"

Continuing his interest from before, Galileo is looking Ash over closely. Ash is left looking exhausted after Greninja's exertion with the attack, but he stands strong regardless.

As the Guardian recalls Lucario, he looks to Ash with a newfound respect. "I could always tell you were a special trainer, Ash, but I did not suspect the true depth of it." He looks to Greninja. "As for your Greninja, for all I can tell, it might as well have been trained in the ways of the ninja arts by an elder of my village. Would you care to see how it stacks up against a Greninja that actually was?" He pulls out his next Pokéball. "Greninja, emerge from the shadows!"

"Gren!" The Guardian's own Greninja appears. It takes a moment to look Ash's Greninja up and down before crossing its arms nonchalantly. "Ninja."

In unison, Ash and Greninja both grin at the prospect of battling against the Guardian's Greninja. Both adopt the exact same ready stance.

The Guardian orders, "Greninja, use Water Shuriken!"

"Grenin!" The Guardian's Greninja thrusts its hands out towards the side, and as it does so, produces three smaller Water Shuriken in each hand. It leaps up and throws all six of them at once towards Ash-Greninja.

Ash orders, "Blast them all away with our Water Shuriken!" Ash-Greninja grabs the large Water Shuriken off its back and throws it at the incoming shuriken. It's clear that Ash's plan is to have the much larger shuriken of Ash-Greninja crash through the smaller ones, simultaneously knocking them aside and allowing the larger one to continue on to strike the Guardian's Greninja.

However, it does not actually play out like that. Instead, the six smaller shuriken suddenly veer out of the way, as if the Guardian's Greninja had planned for that exact eventuality. This catches Ash and Greninja off guard. They both raise an arm to shield their face, allowing all six shuriken to hit Ash-Greninja in the arm.

Meanwhile, the Guardian's Greninja leaps up and over the large Water Shuriken in an elegant dodge, as the Guardian orders, "Hydro Pump!" From its aerial vantage point, his Greninja attacks Ash-Greninja with a powerful jet of water.

"Aerial Ace!" Ash-Greninja rolls to the side to avoid the Hydro Pump, then extends its legs with all its power to propel itself as fast as possible toward the Guardian's Greninja. With a glowing fist, it moves in for a quick strike, followed by a flip into a series of rapid kicks. As Ash-Greninja now moves away from the Guardian's Greninja from the recoil of the last strike, Ash adds, "Water Shuriken!" This time, Greninja quickly generates two smaller shuriken and throws them at the falling Greninja ahead of it.

But, the moment these shuriken strike, there's a puff of smoke, as the Pokémon transforms into a log with the two Water Shuriken imbedded in it.

Ash and Greninja gasp in unison. "A Substitute!"

The Guardian orders, "Lick!" Before it can react, a long tongue shoots out from the shadows behind Ash-Greninja, wrapping around its ankles and pulling it to the floor.

Ash asks, "But how? When did you get the chance to order a Substitute?"

The Guardian looks to his Greninja, as it steps out from the shadows. "You and your Greninja may share a special link between your minds, allowing you to communicate without words, but that is not the only way to communicate silently. In order to maintain stealth, two ninja must be able to wordlessly commune with one another. That is how we prepared the Substitute Jitsu. Even earlier, that is how we prepared our Water Shuriken without tipping you off to the fact that we were anticipating your next attack." The Guardian thrusts an arm out. "Now, Greninja! Toss it in the air!" His Greninja whips its body about to use its tongue to throw Ash-Greninja upwards. "And Water Shuriken!"

Ash shouts, "Get ready, Greninja!"

"Gren!" Despite being suddenly flung into the air, Greninja is able to create a water dagger to use Cut. With a blade in each hand, it furiously moves to block all six of the Water Shuriken that were thrown at it.

"Now our Water Shuriken!" With its foe's attacks taken care of, Greninja pulls another giant Water Shuriken off its back and throws it at the Greninja below. After throwing it, it performs a backflip, then lands atop a spire.

"Dodge it!" Given the size of the large Water Shuriken, the Guardian's Greninja is able to easily jump up and over it. But then it's struck by two smaller Water Shuriken, sending it tumbling out of the air and crashing into the ground. The Guardian gasps. "I see…"

The scene replays in his mind. Just after throwing the large Water Shuriken, Ash-Greninja does a back flip before landing. What he realizes this time is that as Greninja flips, it's creating two more regular sized shuriken that it throws as well.

"I see. The first attack was a decoy. The true attack was hidden in its shadow. A perfect ninja technique."

Ash responds with only a grin and a confident chuckle. "Greninja, let's use Aerial Ace next!"

Greninja leaps down from its perch and runs at the Guardian's Greninja as its hands and feet begin to glow.

The Guardian orders, "Stop it with Lick!" His Greninja uses its tongue as a whip aimed at Ash-Greninja.

"Double Team!" But Ash doesn't need to shout it. Before the words fully leave his mouth, several duplicates are jumping away from Greninja in various directions. While the tongue whip strikes the one that continued running forward, it was one of the clones.

Two of the clones that ran to either side slide into the Guardian's Greninja in order to deliver an upwards kick from below with Aerial Ace. This sends it flying up, only to be met by two more Ash-Greninja, which both deliver a downwards kick to slam it back into the ground. From directly above, one final Ash-Greninja meteors down with a glowing foot outstretched for a final strike.

But the Guardian shouts, "That's the real one! Hydro Pump!" As his Greninja is lying on its back with its face up, it's able to attack with Hydro Pump without having to first move. Ash-Greninja is struck hard by the sudden attack before it can deliver its final blow.

Ash stumbles back as he feels the force of the attack. He's panting from exertion. His Greninja stands up, and through its vision, he watches as the Guardian's Greninja also stands, but the image blurs. Both Pokémon seem ready to faint at any moment. Ash shakes off the dizziness he feels and shouts with all the energy he can muster. "Water Shuriken! Put everything into it!"

With a deep breath, Ash-Greninja banishes it fatigue and stands up straight as it pulls out its next shuriken. Like before, it holds the ninja star up above its head and imbues it with energy, allowing it to grow several times in size, as a whirlpool forms around it.

The Guardian declares, "This will be it! Our last chance to attack! Use Hydro Pump and make it as explosive as possible!"

"Greeeeniiiiiiin!" The Guardian's Greninja launches its most torrential Hydro Pump.

Just a moment later, and Ash shouts, "Throw it!"

"Niiiiiinjaaaaaa!" Greninja throws the massive Water Shuriken.

The two attacks appear as if they will collide. And when they do, the Water Shuriken tears straight down the middle of the Hydro Pump's jet. While the shuriken continues on unhindered, so does the two halves of the Hydro Pump. Simultaneously, both attacks hit their target with explosive power. Both Greninja are blasted off of their feet and crash into a wall behind them.

There's a tense moment of silence before both Greninja keel forward and faceplant onto the ground. In a flash of light, Ash-Greninja's transformation breaks, returning it to normal. Ash grunts in pain and stumbles onto his knees.

Pikachu, still weak itself from its earlier battle, asks with concern, "Pikapi?"

Ash forces a grin to his face. "Don't worry, Pikachu. I'm fine."

The referee announces, "Both Greninja are unable to battle!"

Goh complains, "Ah man! I wanted to see more of the Greninja! Hey, Scorbunny, you think I could catch a Greninja like that?"

Scorbunny shrugs. "Scor scor."

Brenda comments, "I can't believe that Ash's Greninja lost to a regular Greninja. I thought for sure Ash had that round."

Brock reminds her, "No matter how powerful a Pokémon's natural abilities might be, the right training and techniques can always overcome them. And let's not forget, Ash's Greninja was already significantly weakened by its battle with Lucario. The fact that it managed to defeat two of the Guardian's powerful Pokémon is extremely impressive." He watches Ash closely as he manages to stand back up. "I just hope that bonding with Greninja didn't take too much out of Ash. He still has two of the Guardian's Pokémon left to deal with."

Who's That Pokémon!?

It has some similarities to a mad scientist's invention covered in a paranormal magazine.

As the Guardian pulls out his next Pokéball, he comments, "As a superhero, I am not like most trainers. I fight alongside my Pokémon. I am with them in battle. Ash Ketchum, you have already proven yourself to have the traits of a hero, but now you have shown me why. You too fight alongside your Pokémon. You unlock their hidden power by being as one with them. You continue to fascinate me." He throws the Pokéball. "Accelgor, emerge from the shadows!"

"Acceeeel!"

Ash takes a deep breath to ready himself, then throws his next Pokéball. "Lycanroc, I choose you!"

Ash's Dusk Form Lycanroc howls at the sky after appearing. "Lycaaaaaaaaaaaan!"

Brock nods in approval at the choice. "Another speedy Pokémon for Ash. A good choice to fight against a fast Pokémon like Accelgor."

"Lycanroc, use Stone Edge!"

"Accelgor, Me First!"

Lycanroc begins to glow as it stands up on its hind legs to summon the Stone Edge, but before it can even manage to bring its paws back down on the ground, Accelgor has bounced up and down, summing an extremely fast series of jagged rocks to erupt out of the ground and strike Lycanroc first.

Brenda objects, "That was a Stone Edge! How could a Pokémon like Accelgor know Stone Edge!?"

Brock explains, "That was actually Accelgor using Me First, a powerful move that allows a speedy Pokémon like Accelgor to steal the opponent's move and use it first, but with even greater power than the original."

Brenda gasps. "Oh no. That doesn't sound good."

Lycanroc managed to land on its feet after tumbling from the blow. Ash declares, "Okay, you think you're so fast, then how about you check out our speed! Use Accelerock!"

"Lycaaaaaaan!" Lycanroc glows with a white aura as it dashes at high speeds towards Accelgor.

"Use Skitter Smack, Accelgor!"

With speed somehow greater than Lycanroc's, Accelgor completely vanishes. Lycanroc skids to a halt and glances around with a look of confusion. "Lycan?"

Then Accelgor suddenly reappears in Lycanroc's blind spot to strike it from behind. "Celgooor!"

Goh shouts, "It's just too fast!"

As Accelgor leaps back and away from Lycanroc, the Guardian orders, "Acid Spray!" Accelgor spits a clump of purple fluid at the downed Lycanroc before it has a chance to stand back up and dodge.

Lycanroc yelps in surprise, "Lycan!" It looks over itself to see the acid soaking its fur. This seems to frustrate it.

Ash chuckles. "You shouldn't have done that."

The Guardian is taken off guard by the remark. "What does that mean?"

"If there's one thing that Lycanroc doesn't like, it's getting its fur dirty. Show them how much you don't like it, Lycanroc!"

"Lycaaaaaaaaaan!" Lycanroc's howl is so fierce, it creates shockwaves through the air. When it opens its eyes after howling, they've transformed from green to red.

Ash thrusts an arm forward and shouts, "Accelerock!"

"Lycanrooooooc!" With even greater speed than before, Lycanroc charges at Accelgor, leaving neither the Guardian nor Accelgor the chance to react. Lycanroc plows into Accelgor, causing pointed stones to explode out from their impact point as both Pokémon bounce off of each other.

The Guardian nods. "I see. Accelgor, use Skitter Smack!" Accelgor disappears once again.

Ash promptly orders, "Lycanroc, Counter!"

As Accelgor reappears and strikes Lycanroc, Lycanroc pivots about with the spike above its head glowing orange. It slashes the spike across Accelgor in counterattack. Both Pokémon are flung back by their mutual attacks.

"Accelerock!"

"Me First!"

Both Pokémon enter into a battle of pure speed. They dash into each other, only to bounce back. They run in circles several times, only to charge at once another simultaneously, then bounce back again. Next, they find themselves running side-by-side as they push against one another, attempting to force their opponent to stumble over and fall. With Lycanroc's rage-filled state fueling it, it seems to be just as fast as Accelgor.

The Guardian realizes that Accelgor cannot hope to win with speed alone and pivots tactics. "Acid Spray on the ground!"

"Accel!" Accelgor sprays its purple acid all across the ground in front of it and Lycanroc. It is able to easily run over the puddle, but Lycanroc is not so skilled at it. It slips and tumbles end over end thanks to the speed it was running at.

"While it's down! Use Giga Drain!"

"Celgoooor!" Accelgor stops and thrusts its arms towards Lycanroc. From each arm, a tendril of green light extends outwards and then thrusts into Lycanroc.

Lycanroc howls in pain as its energy is sapped away by the attack. "Lyyyyyyycan!"

Ash grimaces as he realizes there may be no way out of this attack. "Lycanroc! You've got to give me one more Stone Edge!"

Even as its energy is being drained by the Giga Drain, Lycanroc's enraged state gives it the strength to stand back up. "Lycaaaaaaaaaaanroc!" It slams its front paws into the ground to causes massive rocky spikes to rip out from the ground, one of which strikes Accelgor, blasting it away.

While this cancels the Giga Drain, it seems too late for Lycanroc. The Pokémon simply took too much damage. It falls over on to its side.

"Lycanroc is unable to battle!"

Meanwhile, Accelgor is able to stand back up, although it did seem to take significant damage from the Stone Edge.

Ash recalls Lycanroc. "You did a great job out there. Sorry about your fur. I promise you we'll get you a nice long bath after the battle." He looks down to Pikachu. "What do you think, buddy? Ready to get back in there?"

Pikachu nods with determination. "Chu." While it's not as battered as it was following its bout with Scizor, the damage it sustained is still evident.

"In that case, Pikachu, I choose you!"

Pikachu runs back onto the field. "Pika!"

Goh cheers, "Pikachu's back in action!"

Scorbunny adds excitedly, "Scorbun bun!"

Ash stares across the field towards the Guardian and Accelgor as he contemplates, Accelgor is just too fast to be able to beat in a match of speed. But that last Stone Edge took a lot out of it. And really, a Pokémon like that probably doesn't have much in the way of defense. It doesn't usually need it with how fast it can move. I'd bet that just one powerful attack is all it will take to finish it off. One attack. That's all we need to land. He orders, "Pikachu, use Thunderbolt!"

"Pikaaaaaa chuuuuuu!"

"Skitter Smack, now!" Accelgor blurs away as it speeds out of the way of the electricity, only to reappear behind Pikachu a moment later.

"Iron Tail! Quickly!"

"Chu, pik-!" Pikachu starts to whip its tail at Accelgor as the Pokémon appears behind it, but Accelgor is too fast in its strike for Pikachu to be able to land a hit first. Pikachu is sent tumbling away by Accelgor's strike.

"Regain control and use Electroweb!"

Pikachu slams its tail into the ground to arrest its tumble and bounce into the air. "Chu pikaaaa chuuuuu!" Pikachu flings Electroweb from its tail at Accelgor.

"Dodge, Accelgor!" Accelgor uses its speed to easily move out of the way of the incoming Electroweb.

"Keep them coming, Pikachu!"

"Chu pika chuuuu!" Pikachu begins to fling Electroweb after Electroweb at Accelgor. While Accelgor is able to avoid each one without much of an issue, it is not given enough time to do much else than run away. Several of the Electrowebs linger on the field after getting caught by rock formations.

Ash quickly realizes this plan isn't going to work, but a new one seems to form. "Pikachu, make your biggest Electroweb and throw it straight up!"

"Chu pikaaaaaa chuuuuuuuu!" The balled up Electroweb is flung straight up into the air, where it unfurls up above the battlefield.

The Guardian takes the break in Pikachu's onslaught to order, "Move in for Giga Drain!"

"Pikachu, Iron Tail on the Electroweb! Jump!"

"Chu, Pika!" Pikachu leaps up and uses Iron Tail to slash at the falling web of electricity.

The Guardian hesitates. "What is this tactic?"

Pikachu's Iron Tail slices through the web and causes it fray apart. Fragments of the Electroweb rain down across the entire battlefield, including several in Accelgor's direction.

The Guardian realizes the plan, but before he can formulate a counter, a portion of the Electroweb falls on to Accelgor, binding the Pokémon's lower body. The sudden impediment of its movement causes it to stumble over and trips right into one of the Electrowebs from Pikachu's initial assault. It's now a bug caught in a web. The Guardian shouts, "Free yourself with Acid Spray!"

Ash shouts, "Give it everything, Pikachu! Hallowed Ligthning!"

"Pika, pika, chuuuuuuuuuuu!" Pikachu launches its most powerful attack as a ball of lightning from its arms as Accelgor attempts to free itself. But restrained by the Electroweb, Accelgor's not fast enough this time. The lightning ball hits, summoning a tremendous bolt of lightning from above to strike Accelgor before it can fully free itself.

When the blinding light from the attack subsides, Accelgor is hanging limply from the web.

"Accelgor is unable to battle!"

Pikachu and Ash both breath a collective sigh of relief. Ash nods. "Good job, Pikachu."

It's Iron Valiant!

Brenda looks up from the battlefield to the scoreboard. Both Ash and the Guardian have one Pokémon yet to be used. "This is it. Ash has made it to the last of the Guardian's Pokémon, while he still has two of his own remaining."

Brock nods. "It's important that Ash was able to make it to this point while still having a fresh Pokémon. It gives him an advantage, and if the Guardian's final Pokémon is the one I'm assuming it to be, he's going to need every advantage he can get."

Brenda nods as she considers Brock's thought. "Right… That Pokémon…"

The Guardian states, "Well done, Ash. But one of my Pokémon remain. But this Pokémon will not fall as easily as the others. It is every bit the master of the ninja arts that I am. It is the one who has been by my side since the very beginning. It is the one who has foiled countless villains." He produces his final Pokéball. "Emerge from the shadows, my faithful companion! Ninjato!"

"Ninjat!" Ninjato stands on one leg with other bent and a hand in front of its face.

Ash rubs his hand together in excitement. "This is the moment I always imagined when I thought about the possibility of battling against you! This is going to be amazing!" He twists his hat around backwards. "Pikachu, use Iron Tail!"

Pikachu lunges at Ninjato, prepared to attack with its tail. "Chu, pikaaaaa!"

"Parry with Night Slash!"

"Jatoooo!" Ninjato generates a blade made of pure shadows from its hand, leaps forward, and uses the blade to block Pikachu's tail. And while Pikachu's tail is busy clashing with the first sword, Ninjato creates a second blade and strikes Pikachu with it.

As Pikachu is sent tumbling back, Ash orders, "Hit it with Thunderbolt before it can land!"

"Pikaaaaaa chuuuuuuuuu!" Pikachu is able to control its aim for just long enough while it tumbles to briefly electrocute Ninjato. As the Pokémon was still landing from its jump, it was unable to adjust its trajectory and dodge.

Both Pokémon impact the ground with an uncontrolled thud, but Pikachu is able to get up first while Ninjato still deals with aftereffects of the shock. Ash urges, "Quickly! Hallowed Lightning while we have the chance!"

"Pika, pika, chuuuuuuu!"

As Pikachu's about to throw the electric orb, the Guardian commands, "Disappear! Smokescreen!" Before Pikachu can fully launch the attack, half the battlefield has been covered in a thick smoke that obfuscates vision. Pikachu's attack goes into the cloud and passes right back out on the other side, where it causes the side of a rock formation to explode.

Ash and Pikachu both look around carefully for any sign of movement from Ninjato at all.

The Guardian declares in a deadpan tone, "Midnight Fury."

Ash and Pikachu both notice the blurry shadow moving towards Pikachu at the same time. Ash shouts, "Thunderbolt!" but before Pikachu can even begin the attack, the shadow has closed the gap.

"Tooo!" With a sudden swipe from its blade, Ninjato has flung Pikachu straight up into the air. With another burst of speed, it blurs away again. Then the real onslaught begins. In rapid succession it flies past Pikachu with blinding speed over and over again from different angles. With each pass, it slashes its blades at its target. Each hit comes too fast for Pikachu to react. Then, ready for one final strike, Ninjato appears above Pikachu and brings both of its blades down onto the helpless Pokémon.

This last strike sends Pikachu plummeting towards the ground, where it crashes hard enough to leave a small crater. It's immediately clear that Pikachu is out for the count.

"Pikachu is unable to battle!"

Goh shouts, "No way! Pikachu lost!"

Ash wordlessly steps out onto the field to retrieve Pikachu. He picks it up. "You did good out there, buddy. Thanks for your help." He walks back and props Pikachu up behind where he stands. "We'll take the rest from here."

Brock remarks, "And that leaves Ash with only one Pokémon left. This battle is completely down to the wire."

Brenda contemplates, "What Pokémon is it going to be? Everything rides on this one choice."

Brock can't help but smile. "There's one Pokémon on Ash's Tenno team that has yet to make an appearance at the Cosmic Conference, and knowing Ash, he's been saving it for exactly this moment."

Ash pulls out his final Pokéball with a grin. "It's time to show the Guardian everything he's taught us. Ninjitsu, I chose you!"

"Jitsuuuu!" Ninjitsu stares directly into the eyes of the opposing Ninjato. If it is at all intimidated by facing its evolved form, it doesn't show a hint of it.

The Guardian nods approvingly. "I was hoping to battle against your Ninjitsu. Now I'll really get to assess your skills as a trainer."

From his seat above all the others, Galileo leans in and rests his chin atop his interlocked fingers, showing great interest in the battle to come.

Simultaneously, Ash and the Guardian both order, "Night Slash!"

Ninjitsu transforms its upper arms into blades, while Ninjato creates two blades. The two Pokémon meet midfield where they trade off attempts to land a slashing blow against the other, only for the opponent to block with one of their own blades.

Ash is the first to change things up by ordering, "Dark Pulse!"

As Ninjato brings a blade up to slash from below, Ninjitsu blocks with a downwards slash. It then uses the recoil of the colliding blades as a springboard to allow it to leap into the air, quickly perform a front flip over Ninjato, and then land facing its back, where it's clear to use Dark Pulse. The attack lands, though doesn't seem to inflict any significant damage.

The Guardian nods in approval. "Using a foe's strength against them to land an attack from behind. I see that you two really were studying the scroll I gave you."

Ash nods with a grin. "We were up late last night reading and practicing everything we could. I couldn't tear Ninjitsu away from the scroll."

"Ninjiiiit!"

"Then let's put those skills to the test! Ninjato, use Lunar Beam!"

"Jatooo!" Ninjato performs a backflip to land on one of the spires behind it and begins to charge shadowy energy between its hands.

"Slice through it with Night Slash!"

Ninjato fires the silvery beam of moonlight and shadows at Ninjitsu as Ninjitsu raises a blade and uses it to part the beam. Two halves of the beam form a V as they pass Ninjitsu.

"Now Dark Pulse!"

"Jit suuu!" With its other hand, Ninjitsu flings the purple energy pulse to strike Ninjato while it's still using Lunar Beam.

"Dodge and use Midnight Fury!"

Ninjato cancels the beam and disappears with great speed just in time to avoid the Dark Pulse.

Ash urges, "Ninjitsu! Be ready to parry with Night Slash!"

"Nin…" Ninjitsu readies both of its blades for Night Slash and carefully looks around. But, despite its best efforts to not be caught off guard, Ninjato suddenly appears to knock it into the air with one blade, only to disappear again. Ninjitsu shouts in surprise, "Jitsu!" But even in the air, it manages to keep its focus. Perhaps remembering a technique from the scroll, it closes its eyes to better focus on its surroundings. It senses Ninjato coming in from above it. Its eyes snap open and it parries the slash. With the attack blocked, Ninjato disappears again, only to reappear behind Ninjitsu this time for another strike. Ninjitsu blocks again.

Things may have been going at a reasonable pace from Ninjitsu's perspective, but from Ash's there's a flurry of motion in the air above him as Ninjato rapidly disappears and reappears to attack from different angles and Ninjitsu moves to counter in a flash. It's much too fast to properly track any individual movement. Despite that, one thing does seem clear. Ninjitsu is losing momentum. Each parry seems to come slightly later than the last. If the onslaught continues, then there's no way that Ninjitsu will be able to continue to block each attack.

Ash shouts words of encouragement. "Ninjitsu! Think about our studying and training last night! Speed and agility are key! You have to do whatever you can to keep up! Use your breathing to control your body! Just like the scroll said!"

From Ninjitsu's perspective, Ninjitsu takes a deep breath between Ninjato's strikes, and with that, the already slowed perspective seems to grow even slower. It expertly manages to block the following strike. As it twists about to prepare its next parry, it begins to glow.

Brenda stands up from her sight and gasps. "No way!"

Brock smiles broadly. "They say that a Ninjitsu only evolves when it has learned secret ninja arts. I say that scroll did the trick."

As Ninjitsu's shape begins to change, it continues to block each of Ninjato's strikes. The Pokémon grows taller and takes on a more agile build. Its blades no longer take the place of its hands, and instead extend out from them. As the transformation progresses, its movement grows quicker, more fluid, and more graceful all at once. As the glowing aura explodes off it to reveal its new form, it takes the offensive and delivers a strike of its own to the incoming Ninjato, blasting it away and ending the assault.

Ninjitsu, now evolved into a Ninjato, lands in a crouched stance on the ground in front of Ash. "Jato!"

Ash pumps a fist. "Amazing! You evolved at just the right time!"

As his Ninjato lands in front of him, the Guardian looks over Ash and Ninjato. "I see that giving you two that scroll was the correct choice. You have both fully comprehended its meaning and assimilated its teachings. I am proud to call you my students. Now is when the real battle begins. Ninjato, use Smokescreen!"

"Jato!" The Guardian's Ninjato throws a pellet down to the ground which explodes into a smoke cloud that covers half the field.

Ash orders, "Just like before, Ninjato. Focus on your surroundings. Control your breathing. Sense his Ninjato."

"Nin." Ash's Ninjato sits down on the floor cross-legged and adopts a meditative stance. As it sits and listens, it hears a rustling in the smoke to its left. But it doesn't react. When it then hears a more aggressive rustling to it right, it instantly extends a blade and blocks the other Ninjato's Night Slash without even having to stand. "Jato!"

Ash shouts, "Karate Chop!"

Ninjato quickly kicks itself up off the ground and uses its momentum like a spring to chop its glowing hand into the other Ninjato's stomach. But even with the added speed, the Guardian's Ninjato is able to use its palm to force Ninjato's arm in a different direction so that the attack misses. With both of their attacks failing, both Ninjato leap back to get some breathing room.

Both Ash and the Guardian once again order simultaneously, "Night Slash!"

The two ninja Pokémon leap at each other, lock blades, then bounce back. At once, they both start running parallel to each other as they seek to gain some sort of upper hand. As they run through the lingering smokescreen, at times one or the other becomes obscured from view. When this happens, the hidden one attempts to use it to their advantage by striking at that moment, but the other is able to perfectly counter. They trade off like this. Ash's Ninjato attempts a Dark Pulse, only for the Guardian's to use its blade to block the projectile. They leap at each other only to bounce back again. The smoke has mostly cleared, but the two continue to run and strike when they the opportunity.

The Guardian announces, "In a battle between two ninja of evenly matched strength, it is the element of surprise that will make the difference! Smokescreen!"

As the Guardian's Ninjato is leaping in towards Ash's for a Night Slash, it suddenly puts away its blade and instead throws a smoke pellet into its opponent's face. Ash's Ninjato was not prepared for this tactic and goes into a coughing fit from breathing in so much smoke so suddenly.

As it staggers back, the Guardian orders, "We finish this now! Midnight Fury!"

"Ninjatoooo!" His Ninjato leaps at Ash's and attacks without obstacle. The still coughing Ninjato is flung into the air where it has no hope at blocking the coming onslaught.

Ash shouts with concern, "Ninjato!" He hesitates for a moment.

The Guardian's Ninjato begins its barrage of attacks from all angles. Not a single one is blocked. With one final and powerful strike from above, the Guardian's Ninjato sends Ash's plummeting down to the ground, just like Pikachu before it.

The Guardian's Ninjato reappears in front of him as the dust settles to reveal Ash's Ninjato lying limp inside the crater it formed.

Brenda shouts, "No! Ninjato!"

Goh shakes his head in disbelief. "Ash…lost…?"

The referee raises a flag. "Ash's Ninjato is unable to battle! The winner—"

The Guardian realizes that Ash is grinning. "Something's not right!"

Ash shouts, "Do it!" There's a puff of smoke around Ash's Ninjato, which quickly clears to reveal a log lying on the ground. The referee quickly lowers his flag.

The Guardian's eyes go wide. "A Substitute! Ninjato!" His Ninjato readies its blades and looks about.

Ash shouts, "Night Slash!"

"Jatoooooo!" His Ninjato appears behind the Guardian's and runs forward with its own blades.

The Guardian's Ninjato begins to move to block the attack, but suddenly sparks dance across its body and it finds itself unable to move.

Brock leaps up in excitement. "That was paralysis! Pikachu's Static ability must have paralyzed Ninjato after that final attack!"

In a movement too fast to track, Ash's Ninjato dashes past the Guardian's to deliver a slash at lightning speed. It never stops and keeps running past until it's several feet away. For a moment, both Pokémon stand completely still.

Then the Guardian's Ninjato collapses to the ground.

Ash's Ninjato puts away its blades. "Jato."

The referee hesitates for a moment, then raises his flag. "The Guardian's Ninjato is unable to battle! The winner of this year's Tenno League Cosmic Conference is Ash Ketchum!"

Ash staggers back in disbelief. "We did it… We won…"

The stadium erupts into massive applause. Brock and Brenda leap up and down and give each other a hug.

Goh and Scorbunny are also jumping. Goh cheers, "Go, Ash! Go, Ash!"

Jessie, James, Meowth, and Wobbuffet have dropped their concessions and cheer despite themselves. James shouts, "That's my rival!"

Watching from his holovision, Professor Pine grins proudly at Ash. Next door, Braydon and Leo are celebrating. Leo grabs his brother and gives him a hug.

Ryu stands up from his table at the Pokémon Center, takes one last glance at the display, gives a nod in its direction, and leaves the Pokémon Center.

At Professor Oak's Lab, Oak, Delia, and Tracey are all celebrating with various of Ash's Pokémon who were able to fit inside. The ones that couldn't fit cheer from outside, where they were watching through the windows.

Ash runs out onto the field and gives Ninjato a hug. "You were amazing out there, Ninjato. I'm so proud of you."

"Jato."

Ash looks back to Pikachu, who's beginning to stir for the first time. "And you too, buddy. We couldn't have done it without you."

Mr. Goodshow has stood up in his booth. He announces with an amplified voice, "And that concludes the final match of this year's Cosmic Conference! Tonight we will host the closing ceremony and present Ash with—"

Galileo stands up beside him and announces, "No."

This confuses Mr. Goodshow. "Huh?"

The stadium suddenly becomes dead silent.

"That was not the last battle of the Cosmic Conference." Galileo steps up onto the edge of the booth and jumps, despite the incredible height above the ground level he's at. While falling, his Dracosmic appears from its Pokéball on its own accord. Galileo lands standing on the serpent's back and it gently descends him the rest of the way to the ground, where he hops off to face Ash.

Ash is confused and surprised. "What's going on?"

Galileo steps up to him, "Ash Ketchum, it rare for me to see such talent in one as young as yourself. I truly enjoyed every one of your battles in the Cosmic Conference." He pauses. "And I'd like to see another."

Ash grins. "I'm always up for another battle."

"In that case, I challenge you to an exhibition match."

Ash's eyes widen as he realizes the meaning of the request. "You want to battle me!? The Tenno League Champion!?"

Galileo nods. "I do."

Ash's stupefied look slowly transforms into a beaming grin. "I would be honored."

"In that case, we battle under the stars tonight, before the closing ceremony." He turns around to climb back onto Dracosmic. "I'm looking forward to it." Dracosmic flies him away.

Ash shouts up, "So am I!"

He's done it! Ash has proven that he has what it takes to become the victor of the Tenno League Cosmic Conference! But even that isn't the end of his Tenno journey! A battle with the Tenno Champion himself still awaits. Do I even need to say it? Stay tuned!

To Be Continued…