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“Alright, where is Greninja, anyway?”
Goh swipes sweat off his forehead. The sun is hot up in the sky and they’ve already been walking for a couple of hours in the Kalosian forest, backpacks heavy with food and supplies for a night in the woods.
Ash’s grin is confident as he shrugs. “It’s gotta be somewhere in these woods!”
There’s a spring in his step like they haven’t already been trekking for miles. Goh knows Ash used to live like this for a long time – with new roads under his feet every day, a new place to sleep each night. Goh also knows that in the past, Ash spent a long while in Kalos and competed in the infamous league final that then turned into a national disaster.
Ash laughs at Goh’s miserable look. “Man, I just love Kalos! It’s so nice here, dontcha think so?” He waves his hand around, at the forest around them, and the blue sky that peeks through the treetops, and the wild pokemon that curiously peek at them from behind the undergrowth. “I really missed this place.”
Goh can’t deny it. “It is pretty cool”, he admits, but groans right after. “It’s way too hot, though! I seriously wasn’t prepared to sweat so much toda- Hey!“ He yelps as he almost collides with Ash, who has come to a sudden stop in the middle of the path. Pikachu is at his feet, looking up at Ash with its ears down.
Goh steps around him, hands on his hips. “What was that for? I almost… ran…” He trails off. Ash’s gaze is unfocused, and he’s mouthing something silently. Goh cautiously taps his shoulder. “Ash, hello?”
After a brief pause, Ash startles like he’s waking up from an accidental nap, shaking his head sharply. “Oh”, is all he says for a moment.
Puzzled, Goh tilts his head. “What happened?”
Ash slowly drifts his head around to look at him. He’s smiling a little, but the look in his eyes in intense. “Greninja”, he says simply.
“Greninja”, Goh repeats, not comprehending. He looks around, attempting to spot something slim and blue in the lush forest, but to no avail. He makes a face at Ash. “Where? What do you mean?”
Ash finally cracks a full smile, posture relaxing as he laughs. “Not where”, he chuckles. “But here.” He presses his palm against his chest, right above his heart, fingertips just brushing the hollow of his throat. “Man, it’s been a while since we did that. It caught me off guard!”
Goh throws his hands in the air. “Did what?!”
Pikachu rolls its eyes, jumping from foot to foot. “Pikapi.”
Abruptly, Ash starts walking again, and Goh has no choice but to jog after him. Ash glances at him from over his shoulder. “You see, like I said, me and Greninja are connected”, he explains. “Greninja just let me know that it sensed my presence and is waiting for me.”
Goh furrows his brow. “How did it do that? That sounds like something you do with Lucario, but that’s because it has Aura!”
“Yeah”, Ash replies, eyes squinting a little as he studies Goh. “Greninja does, too.”
Goh skids to a stop, and after a few steps Ash does too, turning on his heels to stare back at Goh.
“Greninja has Aura?!” Goh exclaims. “But… I looked at its poke dex entry. There’s no mention of Aura! How’s that possible?”
Ash’s smile wavers, and Goh can instantly sense his defenses going up. “Everyone and everything has Aura”, Ash replies cautiously. Pikachu leaps onto his shoulder, its paws squeezing the fabric of his shirt. Ash scratches it between its ears. “Greninja’s just happens to be stronger than is maybe normal.”
Goh takes a moment trying to process Ash's words.
Everyone and everything has Aura.
And then something clicks in his head, as multiple peculiar things he's observed about Ash and his pokemon throughout the past year suddenly make sense. “You have it”, he blurts out, and Ash blinks, his mouth opening. “You have Aura.”
Goh throws his hands out to the sides. “Now I get it! It makes so much sense!” Excited by his deduction, he takes a step towards Ash, and… Ash flinches and takes a half step back, expression now fully guarded, fingers curling into fists as he raises his arms in front of him.
“Stop”, Ash snaps, his face going pale.
Pikachu has its tail wrapped around the back of Ash’s head, it’s body tense and ready.
Ready to attack.
Goh freezes. “What?” he says, unnerved by the reaction. “Am I… am I wrong?”
For a few seconds, Ash just stares at him, like he’s trying to figure something out. Determined not to mess this up any worse, Goh clicks his mouth shut and opens his arms to his sides. It’s just me, he wants to say, your friend.
Then, finally, Ash drops his hands, and Pikachu sits back down. “N-no, you’re right”, he mutters. He shakes his head and grimaces. “Sorry, I’m… Sorry.”
He paces a few steps in a circle, taking deep breaths to compose himself. After a minute, he looks at Goh, appearing almost embarrassed. “Sorry, Goh. It’s been a long time since… I was just… It’s fine.”
He takes off his cap and runs a trembling hand trough his hair.
Goh, feeling completely confused and slightly concerned for his friend, lets him have a moment to calm down. “No, I’m sorry”, he says slowly, “if I did something wrong. Are you okay?”
Ash nods and offers a lopsided smile. He puts his hat back on, his shoulders relaxing as he exhales. “Of course. I guess it’s just… being here in Kalos and having Greninja so close. It puts me on edge. You see, after the- after what happened here, it messed me up a little. Sometimes I get defensive even if there’s no reason! Kukui said it might go away in time, and it has been a long time since it happened last time, but I guess I’m still not completely over it. But I’m totally fine now!”
And Goh’s not stupid. He knows what trauma is, and he knows Ash has been through a lot during his travels – especially in Kalos with the Crisis and all. He can put two and two together.
“I see”, he says softly. “If you’re sure, then I believe you. It’s all fine. Just… tell me if you feel uncomfortable with anything I say in the future, okay?”
“For sure”, Ash assures, still smiling but clearly eager to drop the subject. He turns back to the path and starts walking. “How about we go find Greninja now?”
Goh stares at his friend’s back for a moment, gnawing on his lip, before sprinting to catch up. “Right!” he grins. “I’m excited to meet it!”
When night falls, they still haven’t found Greninja. Ash remains confident that they’ll meet it in the morning, and he says as much, as they set up their tent for the night. Goh nods absentmindedly at that. He spent the last hour of their trek deep in his thoughts, mulling over the strange moment he went through with Ash earlier.
He assumes it had something to do with the Crisis, though he has never discussed that at length with Ash. He brought it up the first time they visited Kalos together, but Ash had only said he was happy Kalos was okay now and didn’t elaborate on his own experiences. Goh had seen some clips on his poke dex though, when curiosity got the best of him. Had seen the destruction and the chaos and some of the world’s best pokemon trainers going against Team Flare’s insane plans. The events of that night looked completely terrifying. However, the league matches were behind a pay wall on the official website, so Goh had never seen Ash and Greninja in action.
“So, why is Greninja in Kalos, anyway?” Goh asks, as they crawl into the tent. “Why isn’t it with Professor Oak or Professor Kukui like the rest of your pokemon?”
Ash busies himself with unfurling his sleeping bag. Lucario settles into the corner of the tent, Pikachu perched on its lap, crooning softly. “It’s meeting up with some friends”, Ash eventually responds. He flops down onto his mattress and squints up at Goh. “Greninja is very protective of Kalos”, he continues. “When I left to go to Alola, Greninja chose to stay back and help with the clean-up after the Crisis. Later, it… uh, came back with me to Alola. We both needed some time together. But Greninja is a free soul.”
Ash pauses, thoughtful eyes trained to the dark dome of the tent. Goh sits very still, not daring to interrupt.
“We miss each other a lot, for sure”, Ash says. “But I don’t think Greninja would wanna stay in one place for too long. I dropped it off here in Kalos on my way back from Alola to Kanto. It’s got a lot of friends here and it likes to keep an eye on them and the rest of Kalos, too. You see, we are never really apart from each other, since we got a special connection that lets us be aware of each other at all times."
“Greninja sounds really amazing”, Goh says, impressed. “Do you think it can help Lucario with its Aura moves, then? Or maybe to connect with you more?”
“Both, I hope”, Ash grins and glances at Lucario. “I think it’ll figure out a couple of things about itself once we meet up with Greninja.”
“Cari”, Lucario grunts.
Ash smiles kindly at the Aura pokemon. "You're already incredible, Lucario," he says, “but I'm sure Greninja can help you unlock even more of your potential!”
Lucario growls lowly, clearly not buying it, and closes its eyes. Ash and Goh share a laugh, and shortly after they settle in for sleep.
“It’s Greninja! Lucario, did you feel it too?” Ash's urgent voice startles Goh, who blinks his eyes open, groggily asking, "What's up?"
It’s still pitch black out, the forest silent around them save for the rustling wind and the slight noises of few nighttime pokemon milling around. Ash is sitting up on his knees, eyes wide in the darkness. Lucario appears restless, and before they can react, it leaps through the tent door, sprinting off into the forest.
“Lucario!” Ash yells, scrambling to follow. Goh hurriedly exits the tent after him, but halts when he realizes Ash is struggling to get onto his feet. Halfway getting up, he falls back onto his knees, face twisting with brief agony, before he grits his teeth and gets back up. “Lucario, wait!” he shouts again and he’s off, running after the pokemon.
“Ash!” Goh cries, and he gets up as well, suddenly wide awake and heart racing, and chases after them.
He catches up to Ash sooner than he expected. The boy is no longer running but leaning against a tree instead, eyes tightly shut. Pikachu is at his feet, watching the forest intently. Goh stops at Ash’s side, unsure what to do if he’s in pain or something. He hovers there for a moment, and then he hears Ash mumble, “Show me, Greninja.”
Goh watches as Ash goes completely still, his closed eyes moving rapidly beneath their lids. After a brief silence, he gasps softly and startles, opening his eyes with an intense expression. “Pokemon hunters”, he tells Goh. “Greninja got attacked.”
Goh looks at him in shock. “What?! Is it okay?”
Ash nods and draws in a deep breath, rubbing at his breastplate like he just got struck there. “Yeah, now it is. Its friends are there to help. I think it’s gonna be okay.”
“That’s a relief”, Goh breathes. “And Lucario…?”
“I gotta go after it”, Ash says. “You can come if you want. Let’s go, Pikachu!”
Without hesitation, Ash sprints off again. Goh stares after him for a moment before realizing he doesn't want to get left behind, and quickly starts running to catch up.
They arrive in the midst of a full-on scene. The first thing Goh sees is a large cage filled with greninja, with a few scattered outside of it as well. And then he notices someone standing in front of it, Lucario and a primarina by her side. They are facing against two burly, unshaved men that are in the middle of a pokemon battle with them with their large torterra and golem.
Goh seethes with anger at the hunters but snaps to attention when Ash suddenly yells, “Lana!”
And sure enough, the person facing the hunters is no other than Lana from Alola. She’s standing there fierce as ever, shouting orders for her primarina, and Lucario fights alongside her in perfect sync. Goh, astounded by what he’s seeing, realizes too late that Ash and Pikachu have run into the middle of the battle. Ash settles next to Lana, who quickly bumps his fist, and then they swiftly and cleanly decimate the hunters.
When it’s over, and the hunters share an uneasy look over their fainted pokemon, Lana walks towards them and tells Primarina, “Look at those two poor losers. Why don’t you sing them a little lullaby, hm?”
Primarina elegantly bends its back and lets out a sweet melody towards the hunters, and within moments the two men collapse onto the ground sound asleep.
“Way to go!” Goh cheers, throwing his fist into the air, hurries to join Lana and Ash. “That was incredible!”
Ash also turns to Lana, grinning widely. “Lana, great to see you! What are you doing here, though?”
Lana raises an eyebrow. “Wanted to ask you the same thing. Though I suppose it’s got something to do with the Greninja being here as well.”
She points to the cage, where a few Greninja huddle outside of it, communicating with the trapped ones inside. One of the ones outside appears distinct, with red markings on its head and a shuriken glowing on its back. Goh observes it carefully. That’s gotta be Ash’s special greninja, no doubt about it.
There’s a flash of movement and a clatter, and the cage falls apart. The greninja sprint out of it, collecting around Ash’s greninja, croaking excitedly. Despite the commotion, Ash’s greninja gracefully turns on its toes, and its eyes lock with Ash’s.
Goh can almost sense the air crackling with the intensity of their connection. Ash grins, wider and more alive than he’s been since they landed in Lumiose city. Greninja walks forward, and the other greninja instinctively give it space. Ash steps past Lana, and then he’s in front of Greninja, their hands clasping together.
“Greninja”, Ash says softly.
Greninja says something that sounds like a name, ni-greni, and it closes its eyes, leaning its forehead against Ash’s. They stand there breathing together, like one singular being, and Goh’s suddenly afraid to move a muscle, not wanting to disturb them.
Lana, instead, side-eyes him and asks, “You seen Greninja before?”
Goh shakes his head, too stunned to speak.
Lana smirks. “Though so. That deerling-in-the-headlights look is a dead giveaway every time.”
That snaps Goh out of his stupor, and he yelps, “Hey!”
Lana giggles. “Don’t worry. Even Professor Kukui is flailing around like an excited schoolkid whenever he sees them battle together.”
“Wow”, snorts Goh. “I’d like to see that.”
Lana makes a face. “Them battle, or Professor Kukui flailing around?”
“Guys”, interrupts Ash. He’s standing shoulder to shoulder with Greninja, an amused glint in his eyes.
“Anyways”, says Lana, rolling her eyes. “So, what brings you two here?”
Ash bumps his elbow against Greninja’s. “I wanted my Lucario to meet Greninja. I think that’s gonna help Lucario learn to use its full power!”
Lana glances at Lucario, who’s standing slightly behind Ash. “It’s really strong already”, she comments. “A great partner to battle with.”
Ash raises his fist, all fired up. “It sure is! But it never hurts to train a little more, dontcha think?”
Instead of answering him, Lana turns to Goh. “Wow, what an incredibly Ash thing to say, dontcha think”, she drawls.
Goh lets out a startled laugh. “Uh-huh”, he grins.
Ash takes the snark in stride. “So, Lana. What’re you doing in Kalos anyway?”
Lana hesitates. She looks up at the star-filled sky, a soft smile playing on her lips. “Well, I thought it was about time I got my own greninja.”
Ash gapes at her. “Really? That’s a great idea!”
Goh glances at the group of greninja standing to the side, all of them gazing back in their direction. Now that they’re not so tightly packed together, Goh can spot a couple of froakie and frogadier amongst the group as well. Goh wonders if these are the friends of Greninja Ash was talking about earlier.
Lana looks pensive as she says, “I thought I’d ask if any of them wanna come with me. I think few of them might still remember me from Lysandre’s torture lab.”
Goh tilts his head, not getting the reference, and Ash grimaces.
“Right”, Lana sighs, noticing their reactions. “You didn’t tell him.”
Ash rubs the back of his neck. “Well…”
Lana raises her hand, stopping him. “It’s okay. I mean, it’s just not my place to tell the full story”, she says. She looks up at Goh with dark eyes, suddenly seeming years beyond her age. “Goh, just letting you know that a couple of years ago, that bastard Lysandre from Team Flare caught a bunch of greninja to experiment on them. Then, a shitload of crap went down, and Ash ended up saving the whole group, and me, and himself, and a bunch of other people too from certain death. So that’s why those greninja are hanging around him and Greninja like a group of fangirls.”
Goh blinks, trying to absorb all that information. One particular thing that shocks him is the nonchalant way Lana is speaking. Since even if it’s been a few years, what they went through sounds nearly unbearable to Goh. It really puts it into perspective how good Ash is, he thinks. How he still manages to radiate positivity into the world despite everything. Goh wonders if he could ever be that strong.
Ash, meanwhile, looks sheepishly at the greninja, but he waves his hand at them and gets them chattering excitedly amongst themselves.
“So, Ash”, Lana continues, not minding their silence. “How’s it going with the word championships?”
Ash grins. “Pretty good! I’m gonna battle Raihan from the Masters Eight next. That’s why it’s so important we give training all we got before that!”
“I see”, Lana says. “Well, good luck! I’m sure you’re gonna crush it!”
“Thanks, Lana!”
Goh can't help but wonder aloud, “You and Greninja must be really strong together. Did you ever think you’d use it in the Masters Eight battles?”
Ash looks oddly uncomfortable with the question. Lana shakes her head slowly.
“Eh, probably not”, she says. “Unless you’ve changed your mind since the Alola championships?” She gives Ash an observant look.
Ash shakes his head. “No, I haven’t.” He addresses Goh, “See, Greninja draws a lot of attention when it’s battling with me. I don’t wanna have anyone take special interest in it again.”
Again. Goh thinks he now knows who the previous person to take interest in Greninja and Ash was.
“Gotcha”, he says evenly. “Then I’ll keep my mouth shut, too.”
Ash gives him a grateful smile, and it finally dawns on Goh why Ash remains so vague about so many things from his past. Perhaps it simply isn’t safe to tell all the details.
Thinking about it like that, it makes him feel slightly ill.
“Go on”, Lana tells Ash, who startles a little, “I see how you keep glancing at those greninja. Go say hello.”
“You think so?” Ash asks, but grins at Greninja then. “Wanna introduce me to your buddies?”
Greninja nods, and they leave together to greet the group. Goh moves to follow, but Lana grabs his wrist, stopping him. Goh, taken aback, turns to look at her.
“Hey. You know about his Aura at least, right?” Lana asks, once Ash is far enough away.
Goh nods hesitantly. “Just learnt about it yesterday.”
“Right.” Lana purses her lips, thinking for a minute. “I figured with the Lucario and all… But whatever. I guess it’s still a sensitive topic. I just tend to forget, since it’s so normal to me now.” She lowers her voice even more. “Ash got nearly killed over his Aura. More than once. So, if you go blabbering about it to anyone…”
Goh throws his hands up, horrified. “I won’t!”
Lana squints her eyes at him. “I believe you, but... Don’t poke him about it either. He’ll tell you more if he wants to.”
“Of course”, Goh hurries to promise, still not over Lana saying more than once. “I don’t care about that stuff anyway. He’s always gonna be my friend first, no matter what.”
Lana smiles, appreciative. Ash is walking towards them with a wild greninja by his side, and Lana claps Goh on the arm. “Just look after that little weirdo for me, okay?” She orders and Goh nods, grinning.
“Hey, guys!” Ash greets them.
“Greni.”
They turn to look at the greninja that has approached them with Ash. It’s larger than most of its group, bearing a faded scar across the ridge between its eyes. Lana’s eyes light up with recognition.
“It’s you!” she exclaims. “You were helping us back then, weren’t you?”
“Nin-greninja.”
It reaches its hand forward towards Lana, palm up. Lana, finally stunned speechless, gently grabs its hand. The greninja closes its eyes, humming contently.
Ash beams with joy as bright as the sun. “I think it wants to come with you, Lana!”
Lana tightens her grip on the greninja's hand, her eyes filling with tears. “Really? You really do, Greninja?”
The large greninja nods. It opens its eyes and gazes at Lana intently, croaking something in its language.
Ash’s greninja steps forward and replies to it. They have a short conversation, and then Ash translates, “They have a new leader for their group now. This greninja has been thinking about you, Lana, and it can see the passion you have for training. It really wants to explore the world and grow stronger together with you!”
Lana leaps forward, and her greninja catches her in its arms. “Thank you”, Lana mumbles against its chest. “We’re gonna have so much fun together!” Still embracing it, she fishes a poke ball from her pocket and taps it against the greninja. It goes in smoothly, and the poke ball jumps only once before becoming still. Lana picks it up from the ground and lets the greninja out again. She grins fiercely, and there’s a churning ocean behind her eyes as she turns to face Ash.
“Alright, it’s on! My Greninja against your Lucario. Let’s see what you two are made of!”
Ash pumps both of his fists. “You’re on!”
Goh shares a look with Pikachu and Greninja. Best they take a few steps back and observe from a safe distance.
And there, sitting down on the dewy grass, surrounded by pokemon and witnessing the sun rising over an epic battle between his friends, Goh decides that he really, really likes Kalos.