1. Ash's Story (Part 7: Kalos)

Chapter 73: Ninja Decision

After leaving the road where Squishy joined us, we stopped in a quiet clearing so Frogadier and I could train before lunch. Snowbelle City still waited somewhere ahead, and Terminus Cave had started to feel like more than a name in Sawyer's guidebook, but I did not want to let Team Flare be the only thing shaping our next steps. Frogadier needed his own rhythm again, not only fear about why Celosia had recognized him.

Frogadier stood across from me with his frubbles loose around his neck, the shiny color Yveltal had forced onto him still catching the sunlight in a way that made him look both familiar and changed. Pikachu watched from a rock, tail twitching with excitement. Serena sat nearby with Bonnie and Squishy, while Clemont tried to keep his lunch supplies from becoming part of a training target. Elline and David watched the trees, both still uneasy after Team Flare's night attack.

The drill had started simple, but I kept changing the rhythm every few minutes. Sometimes I asked Frogadier to attack Pikachu head-on, and sometimes I asked him to vanish behind the trees before striking from a different angle. He never complained, but every time I mentioned Team Flare, his movements sharpened because he remembered Celosia's stare.

Serena noticed the tension before I said anything. "You are training like you expect someone to attack before lunch."

"After what happened with Squishy, that does not sound impossible," David said.

Clemont lifted a covered basket protectively. "Even so, I would prefer our lunch not become a battlefield."

Bonnie patted the pouch where Squishy rested. "Squishy does not like battlefields either."

Squishy gave a tiny bounce without leaving the pouch. The meaning reached me with dry patience. "This small human is correct for once."

I nearly smiled, but Frogadier's eyes had already narrowed toward the cliffs.

"Frogadier, use Quick Attack into Double Team," I called.

Frogadier vanished into a blur, copies flashing between the trees before one real shape sprang toward Pikachu's rock. Pikachu jumped aside with a grin, and Frogadier landed lightly, one hand already moving to his frubbles. His focus reached me clearly. "Something is moving where it should not be."

At the same moment, Squishy stiffened in Bonnie's pouch. Its single eye turned toward the cliffs, and a tense feeling brushed my mind. "A hidden presence is watching."

"Everyone, get down!" I shouted.

Frogadier fired strands of frubble before the attack could land. The sticky shield caught a dark blur in midair, stopping a water-charged strike just short of our lunch blanket. A Greninja flipped backward from the broken frubbles and landed on a branch, while a familiar ninja dropped down beside it with a laugh.

"Wow, well done!" Sanpei said.

"Sanpei!" I gasped. "And Greninja too."

Sanpei straightened with a sheepish smile. "When we saw you here, we thought we would sneak up on you, but I did not think you would notice us first."

Frogadier folded his arms, proud but alert. Sanpei studied him more closely, and his eyes widened when he noticed the color.

"You're improving, Frogadier," Sanpei said. "But what happened to its color?"

"It's been a while," I said. "A lot happened. Yveltal's power changed Frogadier into a shiny Pokémon, and we are still figuring out everything that means."

Sanpei looked serious for a moment, then bowed toward Frogadier. "Then you have walked through danger and kept moving. That is worthy of respect."

Frogadier gave a short nod. His meaning reached me with quiet confidence. "Respect is accepted, but I will still surpass them."