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“So, Ash, you’ve been traveling for a while now, right?” Clemont gestured vaguely across the table as the group worked through dinner the day after encountering Alain and his Charizard.
“Yeah, I have. I’ve been through…. What, five regions?” Ash paused long enough to swallow before he spoke, glancing over at Pikachu with a questioning look.
“Pika…. Pika pika.” Pikachu set down his bottle of ketchup for a moment, counting on his paws, before nodding and making a small hand-waving gesture. “Pika.”
“Right, Kanto, then the Orange Islands, Johto, Hoenn, Kanto again for the Battle Frontier, Sinnoh, Unova, then the Decolore Islands, which I’m gonna count as part of Unova even if it really was a sort of Orange Islands situation. That’s where I met Alexa.” Ash nodded as he thought, tilting his head slightly to the side.
“That’s a lot of regions. I know you traveled before this, but I didn’t know you’ve been to so many places.” Serena blinked as she learned a bit more information about her crush than she knew previously despite traveling together for most of Kalos.
“Wooooooaaaaaahhh… You’ve probably met a lot of Pokemon!” Bonnie exclaimed, completely missing Squishy’s incredulous stare at Ash.
“Yeah, it’s been an interesting run. I don’t think I would’ve gotten to this point without the people I’ve met and the Pokemon I’ve encountered. Brock - one of my previous traveling companions - was a great help in keeping me alive. I’m sure I would’ve burnt a lot more meals if he hadn’t been there until the end of Sinnoh.” Ash chuckled sheepishly as he recalled the food issues he had at the beginning of Hoenn before Brock found him again.
“Right, so, I have to ask. Have you encountered any Pokemon that have had something similar to what you and Greninja have? I know it’s unlikely, but you’re the most experienced traveler out of all of us.” Clemont hummed as he adjusted his glasses slightly.
Around them, the chatter of the Pokemon stopped as they started listening in. Greninja watched stoically, but with clear interest, even if his expression didn’t change.
Ash set his fork down as he took the moment to think, Pikachu jumping up on the table to stand next to him, knowing that his knowledge would be needed.
“I don’t… Think so exactly. There was Mewtwo at… Tork City? I think? That was in the Decolore Islands, but that also could have been a form of Mega Evolution. It didn’t have a trainer or a mega stone, nor did its transformation look like Mega Evolution from what we’ve seen.” Ash tapped his fingers on the table as he looked at Pikachu.
“...Mewtwo?” Clemont and Serena exchanged a glance, already confused.
“Uh, I’m not sure what their deal is, but I think they were a clone of Mew. Generally wanted to be left alone, so I won’t go into more details there. Other than that, there were the genies from Unova. They had a transformation through the Reveal Glass, which was a whole mess. Cynthia was there for that one.” Pikachu nodded along with Ash’s explanation.
“Cynthia??” Serena mouthed at Clemont.
“The genies?” Bonnie asked, oblivious to the byplay between her brother and Serena.
“Tornadus, Thundurus and Landorus. Meloetta was involved too, and she can change forms through music, but that’s not something I want to talk about right now.” Ash sighed as Pikachu’s ears drooped briefly.
“Oh…” Bonnie wilted slightly. “Was it like… Dahara City?”
“Sort of. But in some ways worse.” Ash winced, before deciding to distract Bonnie before she could become despondent.
Squishy kept staring at Ash, unnoticed, as if piecing together something that wasn’t obvious before.
“Anyway, while I haven’t seen any other Pokemon that can pull off Mega Evolution or Greninja’s transformation, I have seen some other cool Pokemon! Like Suicune! And I’ve seen a Lugia on two other occasions!” Ash grinned as he changed the subject.
“I see! You’ve seen a lot of Pokemon, so you must have a larger roster with Professor Oak!” Clemont smiled as the conversation shifted away from recent events.
“Yeah! Here, I think I’ve got a picture around here somewhere.” Ash started digging around in his bag, before making a small noise of triumph as he pulled out a slightly bent photo.
“Here, this was taken right after I got back from Unova!” Ash grinned as he set the photo down on the table where the other three could see it.
“Wooooooaaaaah! That’s a lot of Pokemon! Is that an Oshawott? Oh, a Snivy! And a Bulbasaur!” Bonnie grinned as she looked over the photo excitedly, seeing the entire lineup around Ash.
“Oh, you have a Charizard? He doesn’t have a Mega Stone, does he? That Mega Charizard from yesterday was super strong.” Serena stared at the photo, drinking everything in. She hadn’t realized Ash has so many Pokemon. A small flash of something crossed her face as she realized she never asked about Ash’s previous journeys.
Greninja’s eyes narrowed slightly upon hearing that, even as Talonflame and Hawlucha nudged him lightly. He could get experience facing a Charizard.
“No, he doesn’t have a Mega Stone, but he’s totally strong as well. He’s been training with the Charicific Valley in Johto the past few years, and has helped me face tough opponents. He won against an Articuno when I challenged the Battle Frontier during my second run through Kanto!” Ash grinned as Pikachu nodded proudly beside him. The Battle Frontier was one of their more impressive runs.
“Amazing… Ash, why haven’t you brought any of these Pokemon in on our journey? They could provide excellent experience for your team!” Clemont exclaimed as he took in the calm Sceptile, the Krookodile with the sunglasses, the steady Infernape, and the small, but mighty Gible.
“And we could’ve met some of these cute Pokemon before! Look at that Bayleef! She looks adorable!” Bonnie grinned as she pointed at some of the Pokemon, her finger landing on Totodile briefly.
Noibat looked up from his food briefly, before returning to the collection of berries in his dish.
“Well, I wanted to focus on a new team for every region. It’s something we started doing in Hoenn. When I leave for a new region, I only take Pikachu with me to start fresh. Build up a new team without relying too much on Pokemon I’ve used before, mainly because I had issues with that in Johto.” Ash sighed as he scratched at his cheek, thinking things over.
Pikachu sighed right next to him as he drooped once more.
Both of them remembered the over-reliance on Charizard and how it came back to bite them.
“I kept using Charizard, since he was my strongest Pokemon at the time - and might still be my strongest Pokemon, honestly - and neglected the rest of my team, which caused them to suffer.” Ash glanced over at his Kalos team, who were all looking back at him now. Even the newest addition, Noibat.
He met Greninja’s eyes as he thought back to the times Greninja has transformed and the power he felt.
“I think Greninja can manage to become stronger than that, but… I don’t think I could trust myself to keep that balance. I never really learned how to balance the focus between old team members and new until the Battle Frontier.” For a moment, it was just him, Greninja and Pikachu in the room until he snapped out of it and looked back at Clemont.
“I see… I’m just not sure why you haven’t brought back one of your older Pokemon or set up a slot or two to rotate Pokemon through. After all, you’ll need six Pokemon for the League, and you only have five at the moment.” Clemont frowned with concern as he glanced at Ash’s team as well.
“I’m sure Ash will think of something, he always does.” Serena smiled gently, her hands shuffling slightly, as if she wasn’t sure whether or not to reach out to gently touch Ash or not.
“Yeah. If I can’t get Goodra to come back for the League I’ll see if one of my other Pokemon aren’t interested. Maybe I’ll bring in Torterra, or Bayleef. I don’t have a grass type on my team after all. Or maybe one of my Tauros.” Ash chuckled, already knowing what question is going to come next.
“You have so many Tauros! How did you catch them all?” Bonnie didn’t disappoint with the immediate question right after, standing up in her chair as she made her exclamation.
“The safari zone, actually! During my first run through Kanto I took part in the safari zone down by Fuschia City! Every time I tried to catch a Pokemon, a Tauros got in the way. And before I knew it, I had thirty Tauros!” Ash grinned as he spread his arms wide, Pikachu giggling beside him.
Greninja and the rest of the team stared at Ash incredulously, trying to imagine their trainer dealing with something like that. The shock only lasted for a moment before they glanced at each other, knowing of the adventures they’ve gone through so far and agreeing that yes, that would happen to Ash.
Poor Noibat looked confused though.
“That’s statistically impossible. I’ve seen those Safari Balls, and they don’t have the greatest catch rate. You’re telling me that every single one of those balls worked?” Clemont paused as he took that information in.
“Yep! Every single one! Although that’s not a story I tell often, because the warden of the safari zone was a bit… Protective. To an extreme. He was trying to protect some Dratini in the zone but he was very over-zealous about it.” Ash winced as he subtly nudged Pikachu.
Pikachu, taking the hint, bounded over to the photo and started chattering as he pointed at different Pokemon. Dedenne hopped up on the table to inspect it as well as Bonnie became absorbed by the photo.
With Bonnie distracted, Ash made a quick gesture of holding a gun and Clemont and Serena winced. Clemont shot Ash a grateful look for making sure Bonnie was distracted beforehand.
“Anyway, my first Pokemon I caught was a Caterpie, actually. Which seems weird to think about now that I’ve been through multiple regions. I released him as a Butterfree a bit after, so he could start a family.” Ash chuckled at the memory of him as a beginner trainer, before he winced at the rest of that memory of his overconfidence and arrogance.
“Really? A Caterpie?” Serena blinked as the pedestal she placed Ash on was shaken a bit.
“Yeah. Misty, my first traveling companion, was not a fan. She hated bugs. Kept screaming the entire way through Viridian Forest. I think she’d love to meet Greninja honestly, before calling me an idiot for not calling as often as I do.” Ash smirked as he remembered that first week, thinking about how far he’s come.
“After that, I caught a Pidgeotto, who was released to protect a flock of Pidgey outside Pallet Town. Professor Oak and Tracey give me updates periodically when they see the flock. She’s doing great these days.” Ash hummed as Pikachu trotted back over now that the topic shifted away from the safari zone.
“How many Pokemon have you ended up releasing?” Clemont asked before his brain caught up with his mouth and he winced. “Sorry, that came out wrong.”
“It’s fine, it’s been a while. The only other Pokemon I’ve officially released is a Lapras who I caught at the beginning of my trip through the Orange Islands. She needed to be reunited with her pod, and once we found them, I let her go. Other than that, there’s a Squirtle I have that’s working in a firefighter squad and a Primeape that’s the current P1 Grand Prix Champion. And then there was a Larvitar that I never officially caught but took care of and reunited with his mother.” Ash mused as he waved off Clemont’s apology, not really worked up about it.
“Always the kind heart, aren’t you, Ash?” Serena sighed to herself, before her face turned red as she realized what slipped out.
Fortunately for Serena’s sanity, Ash and Clemont didn’t notice this as they were focused on their discussion about Ash’s full roster.
Unfortunately, Bonnie noticed. And now Bonnie is giving Serena a very smug side-eye.
Squishy at this point has crawled onto the table and has begun inspecting the photograph as well.
“If you had to bring in any Pokemon to help you and Greninja train, which one would you bring in?” Clemont put a hand on his chin as he ran through the roster Ash showed them.
“I would have to say Sceptile or Buizel, to be honest. They’re both fast Pokemon that can help Greninja with his agility. Sceptile would also be good, since he favors Leaf Blade as one of his moves. That might help Greninja upgrade his Cut into Night Slash, if we choose to work on that.” Ash pondered, briefly glancing back as Greninja moved to stand beside his chair.
“Charizard would be good if we encounter Alain again, get the team used to fighting a Charizard, even if it won’t be a Mega Charizard. But that’s more general training, and no two Pokemon fight the same. Sceptile could be useful to help counter Sawyer’s Sceptile in the same way, but that’s not the same as actual experience.” Ash continued as he flicked his wrist, thinking.
“So how do your Sceptile and your Charizard fight compared to Alain and Sawyer’s Charizard and Sceptile?” Clemont queried as he briefly glanced over towards Bonnie and Serena as they have a hushed discussion.
“My Sceptile and Sawyer’s have similar movesets. Sceptile has Quick Attack, Leaf Blade, Agility and Leaf Storm, while Sawyer’s has been shown to have Leaf Blade, Leaf Storm, Dragon Pulse and Dragon Claw. However, it seems that Sawyer is going more for power while I typically prefer speed.” Ash pulled out his Pokedex and scrolled to Pokemon registered to him, bringing up Sceptile’s entry and moveset.
“Meanwhile, when it comes to the Charizards, my Charizard has Flamethrower, Wing Attack, Slash and Dragon Tail. He used to have a preference for Seismic Toss, and has a more varied moveset. Alain’s Charizard, meanwhile, has been shown to have Flamethrower, Steel Wing, Dragon Claw and Blast Burn. Moves that more match Charizard’s types, especially when Mega Evolved.” Ash quickly scrolled to Charizard’s entry and moveset, tapping at the screen.
“Do you think that Alain might teach his Charizard a coverage move for water types?” Clemont mused as he leaned in curiously.
“It’s likely, especially with the interest he showed in Greninja’s new form. I just don’t know if he’ll go for Thunder Punch or Solar Beam.” Ash tapped his chin as Pikachu sweatdropped. It’s been a while since Ash actually sat down and thought about stuff like this.
“Do you… Understand any of this?” Serena whispered to Bonnie as they refocused on the conversation in front of them after their small discussion.
“A little bit. Big brother is getting in the zone, and I don’t think we’ve seen Ash like this.” Bonnie whispered back.
“Nenenene…” Dedenne whispered to feel included.
“I see. Well, that explains partially why you don’t bring in your older Pokemon to train against Pokemon that other people have. Especially if they match what your opponent has.” Clemont looked up at Ash briefly.
“Honestly, it’s not something I really thought about before now anyway. It’s just been how we roll. Pikachu and I go to a new region, we catch new Pokemon, we leave those Pokemon at Oak’s ranch to rest while we go to the next region.” Ash shrugged, missing the glances that Hawlucha and Talonflame shared.
“Well, I’d love to meet some of your older Pokemon Ash. So why don’t you rotate one out every time we go to a Pokemon Center using your free slot?” Serena piped up as she smiled, taking the moment to interject herself in the conversation again.
“That… Might work, honestly. Like I said, it’s just not something we thought about, right Pikachu?” Ash glanced at Pikachu.
“Pika.” Pikachu nodded, looking over at Hawlucha, Talonflame and Noibat.
“Maybe when we go on our next journey after Kalos, we’ll set up a rotating slot or two so that we can bring in anyone who wants to come with us. I know some of my Pokemon are probably getting antsy back at the ranch, and it’d be good to take them off the professor’s hands so he doesn’t start ranting about Snorlax or Muk destroying something.” Ash chuckled sheepishly as his Pokemon relaxed. Greninja especially, as he recalled staying at the Lumiose lab.
Greninja did not want to repeat that experience.
“Well, the next Pokemon Center is a few days away, so you can think about what Pokemon to bring over when we reach it. It might help to bring in an older Pokemon anyway if you and Greninja want to try and access that form he has.” Serena pulled out her map and set it on the table so that the group can take a look at it, seeing where they are and where the next Pokemon Center is.
“Yeah, maybe I will bring in Charizard. Or maybe Snorlax or Torterra! Practicing against a defensive Pokemon is always helpful, especially since a lot of them know how to stall with defense-increasing or self-healing moves like Rest!” Ash grinned as he pumped his fist.
“Training like that will be helpful for your final gym battle against Wulfric. And especially helpful for the league beyond that.” Clemont nodded as he accepted the logic.
“Oh! You should bring in that Swellow! Or that Corphish! Or maybe that Quilava! You have so many cool Pokemon to choose from, Ash!” Bonnie grinned as she bounced in her seat, Dedenne bouncing with her.
“Just choose whatever you feel is best, Ash. I’m sure it will work out great.” Serena reached out and gently pat the back of Ash’s hand, before she yanked her hand away with a soft squeak.
“Bringing in an older Pokemon will definitely be a good help for figuring out that form Greninja has. A strong opponent can take the blows needed for you two to practice with the transformation.” Clemont chimed in again as he nodded his head towards Greninja.
“Yeah. The transformation feels incomplete, I want to say. It’s powerful, but we haven’t completed it, as it feels like it’s unstable when we battle.” Ash turned to look at Greninja, who nodded in agreement.
“It feels like… We’ve hit a roadblock. Something is preventing a flow of power that’s needed to complete the transformation. I just don’t know what that block is, or what the power is.” Ash frowned as he turned to look down at the table, his hat covering his eyes.
“Pika…” Pikachu looked at Ash with concern, his ears twitching slightly.
“Yeah, I know Pikachu…” Ash sighed as he looked back up at his starter.
“It can’t be psychic power, can it? No, that doesn’t make sense. If it was a psychic power, it wouldn’t work on Greninja since he’s a dark type, and you haven’t shown any aptitude for psychic abilities anyway.” Clemont frowned as he mentally went through what he knew about different powers humans could have.
“It could be something from Greninja! Like how Lucario have their Aura!” Bonnie grinned as she looked over at Clemont, just missing the wince on Ash’s face.
“Yeah, Aura…” Ash tapped his fingers on the table, ignoring Greninja’s sharp look.
“Ash?” Serena frowned, having noticed Ash’s facial expressions changing. Clemont and Bonnie looked at Ash as he grimaced.
“It’s nothing, don’t worry about it.” Ash sighed, before yelping and glaring at Greninja indignantly as the frog pulled a webbed hand away from his side. “What was that for?”
“Ninja.” Greninja stared at Ash for a moment more, before tapping the Pokedex.
“What, you want me to pull up Lucario’s entry?” Ash stared at Greninja for a moment before he sighed and grabbed his Pokedex and scrolled to Lucario’s entry.
“This isn’t about Korrina’s Lucario, is it? You were on edge for a while during that whole thing.” Serena watched Ash with concern as he scrolled to Lucario’s entry.
“No, it’s…” Ash sighed as he glanced at Bonnie for a moment, judging something, before he deflated. “I’ve had experiences with Lucario and Aura before, and it’s not a fun tale.”
“Tell us. We’re here for you.” Serena reached out again, placing a hand on Ash’s arm.
“We’ve been through encounters with Yveltal and the Dahara City debacle with you. You can tell us, Ash.” Clemont reassured Ash, even as Bonnie nodded emphatically.
“Yeah! You can count on us, Ash!” Bonnie grinned as Dedenne chittered in front of her.
“Pika.” Pikachu nodded as he placed a paw on Ash’s other arm.
Ash stared at the gang for a moment, before he nodded, steeling himself. “Alright.”
Settling back, Ash thumbed through the Lucario entry, his gaze focused on the image in the Pokedex before he set it down.
“The first time I encountered a Lucario was in a town called Rota, in Kanto. He was the Lucario of Sir Aaron, an Aura Guardian, sealed within a staff for centuries. I’m not going to get into details, but Pikachu was kidnapped and taken to a place called the Tree of Beginning. The Tree is connected to a Mew, and the well-being of one ties to the other. So when the Tree destabilized due to the presence of humans, Lucario and I had to help Mew.” Ash sighed as he closed his eyes.
“Lucario showed me how to command Aura, since he said my Aura was similar to Sir Aaron’s. We poured what we could into Mew. Mew needed more.” Ash’s eyes remained closed, preventing him from seeing the looks of dread on Clemont and Serena’s faces, as well as the devastated look on Bonnie’s.
“Lucario pushed me away and poured everything he had into Mew. He passed away shortly after from Aura overuse. I haven’t really used my Aura ever since. Never trained with it, never looked into it. Never had a reason to.” Ash finally opened his eyes, seeing the looks on his friend’s faces.
“Pika…” Pikachu deflated as Greninja put his webbed hand onto Ash’s shoulder.
“The other time I’ve had to use my Aura was to help a Riolu escape a Pokemon Hunter. But that was more for sensing rather than active use. Which is really the only thing that Aura can be used for by humans without some sort of amplifier.” Ash shrugged as he looked up at the sky.
“Ash…” Serena sighed as she gave Ash’s arm a gentle squeeze.
“So the block might be me, if the power we’re drawing from is Aura. It might entirely be because I’m not comfortable with using Aura or even the thought of it right now.” Ash kept staring up at the clouds overhead, lost in thought.
“I’m sure you’ll get it, Ash. We’re here for you, alright?” Clemont sighed as he adjusted his glasses again. “I’m not the best with emotional support, but we’ll figure it out. Sometimes the best thing to do is take a step back. That helps me with my inventions.”
“When they don’t explode immediately…” Bonnie grumbled to herself.
“My point is-” Clemont gave Bonnie a pointed look before he refocused on Ash, “you don’t have to figure it out immediately. The pressure is not on just Greninja, as you have other Pokemon that can help you. We want to figure out Greninja’s form, yes, but it can wait if it has to.”
Ash stared at the sky for a few moments longer, before he looked back down at the group with a small smile. “Thanks guys. I guess… Maybe I’ll try and practice with my Aura in the evenings. Try and get used to it. And comfortable with it. It… It wouldn’t be fair to Lucario’s memory, now would it?”
“Pika…” Pikachu gently pat Ash’s shoulder before he hopped up and nuzzled his cheek against Ash’s.
“Heh, thanks Pikachu.” Ash chuckled as he reached up to pet Pikachu’s head.
“Ninja.” Greninja gives Ash’s shoulder a pat, making his trainer look up at him.
“Yeah, we’ll figure it out. Together.” Ash held his hand up to give Greninja a fist bump.
“If you want, I can do some research on Aura. See what’s available and what might help you. I’m sure we can also ask Professor Sycamore and Korrina if we need to, since they’re in the region and can easily find us if we need in-person help.” Clemont pulled out a tablet to start taking notes on things they might need to help Ash with his training.
“I can… I can sit with you, while you practice your Aura. Give you emotional support if you need it. Like how you’ve helped me when I was down.” Serena gave Ash a shy smile, trying to suppress the blush that was forming on her cheeks.
“Thanks, Serena. That helps more than you know, actually.” Ash gave Serena a small smile, completely missing the incredulous look Bonnie gave him and the confused look Clemont wore.
“You’re welcome, Ash.” Serena beamed at Ash even as Pikachu glanced over at where Braixen, Pancham and Sylveon were sitting to share a look with them.
“Greninja, it might help if you join me in the evenings as well, if the transformation is tied to my Aura. If we can get more in sync, then that might help work through the block.” Ash turned to look at Greninja, who nodded stoically.
“Alright, we should finish the food so it doesn’t go to waste. You did a great job on dinner, as usual Clemont.” Ash chuckled as he focused back on the blond inventor with a smile.
“Ah, thank you Ash. I try to do my best.” Clemont smiled at the compliment as the group eased into a more relaxed atmosphere after such a heavy conversation.
As the group settled into an easier conversation about their plans for the next few days and what Pokemon Ash might bring in at the next Pokemon Center, they miss Squishy moving towards the edge of the camp to think.
Squishy knew the events Ash mentioned, and what events he wasn’t talking about this evening. It had Cells all over the world. It just didn’t make the connection until now.
The Zygarde Core settled at the edge of the clearing to take in the entire group. The humans at the table, with Pikachu and Dedenne remaining with their people as Greninja moved back to the Pokemon. Talonflame, Hawlucha, and little Noibat. A group that Squishy knows will grow strong under the guidance of the trainer that saved the world countless times over.
Squishy was not a believer in the Shamouti Prophecy being a be-all end-all for Chosen Ones. Rather, that prophecy was self-contained. A single instance.
It was only luck that Ash was there every other time. Sheer dumb luck.
Squishy’s gaze moved to the other Pokemon. The Braixen, Pancham and newly evolved Sylveon. The Dedenne that it rides with frequently. The Bunnelby, Chespin and Luxray. Fine companions for friends of the world’s savior.
Squishy nodded to itself. Kalos was in trustworthy hands.
Team Flare was moving, but Squishy was sure that these kids could handle anything that was thrown their way. Although it was worried about what they will have to face. It can’t see the future, and it doesn’t have an easy way to contact any prophets. Nor does it want to. But Squishy is sure that the kids will be fine, so long as they support each other.
As Squishy settled down to absorb energy from the sun, Greninja watched Ash thoughtfully.
He knew that Ash had traveled to other regions before, but the full extent of it was something that the Kanto trainer hadn’t really talked about. To find out that Ash had other Pokemon to call upon was no shock, but the sheer amount was. And the thought of being left at the lab after traveling through Kalos… Did not sit right with Greninja.
He resolved right there to make sure that Ash began rotating older team members in where he could. He would not be side-lined after one region, and he was sure that Ash’s other Pokemon were having similar thoughts.
While the ranch Ash mentioned would likely be much better than being cooped up in an indoor lab, it would still make him go stir-crazy after a while.
So as Ash and the gang started cleaning up after dinner, Greninja moved to find a spot to meditate in. He would try to connect to Ash and use their strange new bond to convey his thoughts.
No matter how long it would take.
It was a bit before Ash settled down next to Greninja awkwardly with Pikachu on his shoulder.
“Right… Meditating… Guess that’ll be the first spot to try and get control of my Aura, yeah? Not really something I’m used to but I’ll give it a shot.” Ash grimaced at the thought of sitting there and not thinking about anything, before he sighed and tried to relax his body as he sat next to Greninja, cross-legged.
Serena settled down nearby with her tablet open to keep them company, pulling up a website to read through so she would have something to do.
“Come on, group meditation!” Bonnie’s voice cut in as she dragged Clemont over as well.
“Bonnie, not so loud! Ash and Greninja need to focus!” Clemont gently scolded Bonnie, but followed her to sit down next to Serena as well.
Ash chuckled as he heard Greninja slowly exhale next to him. It was certainly never a dull moment with his friends, no matter what region he was travelling through.
And to be quite honest? Ash wouldn’t have it any other way.