The return of a legend

The first sign of trouble

The night had come and gone, the run had risen, and Ash had now taken his quiz on Bonds and Evolution. He was currently sitting on the railing at the school, swinging his feet as he patiently (impatiently) waited for the test results. He hadn't been able to sleep a wink last night. He'd tossed and turned for hours, had walked around the room, had counted Wooloo as high as he could go, and nothing worked. 

Everyone else was quietly talking, comparing questions and answers, and trying to figure out what people struggled on. It seemed the Battle Bond was the most confusing aspect for most of them, which Ash could understand. It had been very difficult to understand it at first, just what exactly made the bond so special. 

"So, Ash, how do you think you did? I know you missed a lot of yesterday." Lana asked,  Popplio running around her feet. 

"I think I aced it." Ash grinned. Of course, having prior knowledge about the subject made it easier to learn. 

"Hey, I meant to ask you earlier, but have you ever been up close to a Mega Evolution? I know Principal Oak said it's supposed to be amazing to see. Plus, you said you've been to Kalos, and Mega Evolution is supposed to be really big there." Lillie asked.

"Oh, yeah. I've witnessed a lot, and I've battled...at least seven Mega-Evolved Pokèmon."

"Did you ever see Diantha?" Mallow asked.

"A couple of times. I've battled her, too. I almost beat her once, but Team Rocket kept interrupting us."

"You battled Diantha?!" Most of the class exclaimed at once, looking at Ash with mouths agape. 

"Oh, yeah! She usually keeps me updated on where Greninja is, although it's been a while since we've talked. Her career must've gotten busy again." Ash shrugged.

"There's got to be some sort of explanation as to why you seem to experience all this stuff." Kiawe shook his head.

Kukui walked out into the hallways, holding several papers in his hands. "Well, I'm pleased to announce that this is one of the highest scoring quizzes we've had. Everyone has at least a 90." He grinned as he begin handing out the papers.

"Who had the highest?" Mallow asked.

"We had one student get everything correct, which would be Ash." Kukui handed Ash's paper to him, locking eyes with the boy. Ash had fulfilled the challenge Kukui set for him, and they both knew what that meant.

"Dang. How much did you study yesterday?" Sophocles asked as Kukui walked back into the classroom.

"I didn't." Ash hopped down from the railing.

"What do you mean, you didn't study? We just learned about this yesterday!"

"True, but I've been around it a lot more than any of you guys have."

"But how did you know about what the trainer experiences during a Battle bond? You weren't here for the second half of the lesson yesterday."

"I...know someone who had a Battle Bond, and he explained it it me. It's like being a Pokèmon yourself, in short."

Kiawe shook his head. "I will never understand you, Ash."

"You know, I don't think anyone will." Mallow chuckled.

The bell started ringing, signaling the end of the school day. "There's the bell. Go home. Your homework is the chapter three section review. Do questions one through twelve. I expect those tomorrow." Kukui called as the students began to leave the room.

Ash began his trek to the room, ready to pack a bag to stay in the Pokèmon center overnight. 

"Hey, Ash! Where did you go yesterday? I couldn't find you at all!" Rotomdex asked as he floated alongside Ash.