Greninja evolved upon coming out of his Pokeball, something that had become more natural now. Ash and Greninja were as in-sync as ever, facing off against one of their strongest opponents yet. 

"Greninja, cut..." rage filled Ash's mind. He hardly spoke as the words left his mouth, violence wrapped around each letter. He was only thinking about Serena and what he had to do in order to keep everything safe, including his future. 

Greninja could feel Ash's feelings and see his thoughts. The power Ash wanted, Greninja replicated, bursting away towards the stream, where Kyogre was preparing to fire a move of its own. Greninja didn't even dodge the attack. He drove straight through it, cutting through the middle with ease. Greninja reached Kyogre and slashed down, connecting with a swift strike. 

More power...show no mercy! Ash thought and Greninja carried out his wishes. 

"Greninja, water shuriken!" Ash had a slight calmness in his voice, but it was a lie. Greninja understood this and kicked off from Kyogre, flying into the sky.

"Seems like Ash is trying to make his Greninja as strong as possible right now," Jake and the rest of Team Shadow had retreated back into the building, to escape from the attacks Kyogre and Groudon had done. "Shall we step in again?"

"No," Elizabeth gave this order, throwing her arm in front of the others. "Let's watch and see what happens."

"Hmm? You seem to have changed recently, Elizabeth," Jeremy, who hadn't spoken much, grinned slightly.

"That's none of your business. Try keeping your eyes trained on the enemy for now," Elizabeth scowled and then sighed, looking back out to the fighting.

Greninja had launched a giant water shuriken at Kyogre. It had not done much, however, Kyogre preparing for another attack.

More power, Greninja! Aerial Ace!

Greninja began moving without Ash saying a word, leaving him confused. Greninja's legs and arms began to glow with a white aura as Greninja dropped down towards Kyogre. Ash-Greninja flipped and slammed a foot down onto Kyogre, before swiftly following it up with several more attacks. 

"Huh?" Ash murmured to himself but then he realised what was happening. He was thinking the moves and Greninja was doing them. 

However, as much as Ash and Greninja were trying, Kyogre was taking all of the hits and carrying on like they were nothing. Ash had to think of a strategy fast before it was too late for him. 

Then it hit him like a ton of bricks. Ash had too much on his mind. The revenge, the possibility of seeing more of Serena. Somehow, someway. But he was blind to the battle in front of him. Ash took a deep breath and cleared his head. He slowly brought out another Pokeball and launched it across the field.

"Sceptile!" Ash shouted, bringing out his mega stone. "Listen to me! I need your full strength. I need you to show me all you can bring! You and Greninja CAN do this. MEGA EVOLVE!" 

Ash waited as nothing happened. Was the bond not strong enough anymore? Ash looked at Greninja, who stepped up next to Sceptile. Still, nothing happened. Greninja looked back at Ash and nodded. He had another epiphany. 

Our power is growing, huh Greninja? But, we can't do this alone. We need Sceptile's help. 

Greninja dashed back to Ash and Sceptile turned to face them both. Ash clutched the mega stone with all of his strength and Greninja grabbed it also. 

"Sceptile, show me what you are capable of. Mega evolve!" Ash tried one more time and this time Sceptile began to change shape. 

It's showtime. 

Ash grinned. "Sceptile, agility and leaf blade, then Greninja, use cut!" 

Pink aura flashed around Sceptile, before disappearing. Then, the two Pokemon looked at each other, nodded and fired off towards Kyogre for round two. Kyogre suddenly launched itself into the air, blue orbs forming around its body. Each orb shot out blue beams of light, straight at Sceptile and Greninja, forming one big beam to take them both out in one hit.

Greninja suddenly moved left and attempted to block the move, while Sceptile continued ahead, the leaves on its arms glowing green. Greninja continued to fight with the move, Ash's thoughts giving Greninja more strength in the battle. 

Don't give up until it is over!

Greninja couldn't fight the move anymore, the beam exploding and causing a great amount of damage. Smoke rose around Greninja as Sceptile continued on. Kyogre landed back in the water, waves flying upwards around Sceptile, who slashed through them and then slashed across the body of Kyogre, landing on the other side of the stream. Sceptile turned and in one swift movement, fired off to the original side of the stream, hitting Kyogre once more. 

Ash dropped to one knee, feeling the pain that Greninja had from the attack. However, Ash could feel the connection and for some reason, he understood that Greninja was okay, even while the smoke surrounded him. 

Greninja, water shuriken, show them everything you have got! 

"Sceptile, leaf blade one more time," Ash took a deep breath and then clenched his fists. "SHOW NO MERCY" 

Sceptile struck with great speed, Kyogre actually feeling the force of the attacks. There were signs of weakness coming from the legendary Pokemon, something Ash was hoping to use to his advantage. 

More! More! MORE!

Ash watched as Greninja brought the shuriken from his back. It began to grow. 

And grow.

And grow.

The water shuriken changed colour, orange taking over the blue. Greninja seemed to be struggling with it, but Ash continued to ask for more power. He needed it. Craved it. Revenge was everything. Greninja launched the gigantic shuriken and it cut across the ground, the explosion happening a moment after Greninja had fired it. Ash didn't get to see what had happened. He had no idea. The smoke cleared from the starting point, revealing a large crack through the ground. Once the rest had cleared, Ash saw the crack in the stream, water pooling down into a hole, where Kyogre was trapped. 

"Did I win?" Ash asked himself as the bond between him and Greninja was severed. He collapsed onto the ground and looked across the middle of the crack, waiting for something to happen. Nothing did. There was silence in Ash's head. He felt peaceful. Sceptile broke off from the mega-evolution and Ash returned them both. 

"It seems he beat Kyogre, that little-" Elizabeth started, but The Boss put a hand in front of her to cut her off.

"Almost ten years ago now, I did something terrible. Now look at us all. We have all become different people. Even the ones right in front of us. Many have grown stronger. We, however, are weak. In my plan for world domination, I made one fatal mistake..."

"That is?" Elizabeth asked, folding her arms and raising an eyebrow.

"I betrayed the person I love the most..." The Boss looked across the field, far out into the distance, as if he was dreaming of something. Dreaming of a better place he wished to be.

Elizabeth was stunned as she looked up at the robe-covered man, a face she had never seen before. She wondered what is expression was at that moment. Wondered if he was sad or happy. What was he saying? She didn't understand the sudden change.

Ten years ago...

"Dear, look who got a golden star at kindergarten!" a woman in a dress, carrying a small child, who looked just like his father. Black spiky hair, leather jacket, black t-shirt and jeans. The casual look that represented the growing personality of the son and the strength of his father. 

"Well done Parker," the father laughed, pushing his hair back. He was proud of his son. But there was something clawing away at the back of his mind. "Honey, may I speak to you for a moment?"

"Sure. Parker, go on inside, okay?" she put Parker down and he raced to the door.

"'Kay!" Parker shouted in a voice that relished adventure. He jumped through the door and disappeared into a different room. 

"I must leave home..." the father didn't beat around the bush and the woman was certainly shocked. 

"But why? Parker is still young. You can't just leave us like this!" she tried to argue but he raised a hand and sighed.

"Something has come up with my work, I will be back in a month or so, that's a promise" he seemed determined when he heard the shuffling of feet. Parker was stood at the door, he had heard everything.

"Daddy is leaving?" he asked, tilting his head a little with uncertainty. 

Parker's father walked up to him and kneeled down, sadness in his eyes. 

"It's only for a little bit, son. I will be back soon" he smiled, trying to make Parker understand. But he didn't. Parker began to cry, failing to see why. Parker's father didn't have the power to explain. He said nothing more, dropping his head and moving inside to gather some things.

It was a long journey after he had left Parker and his love behind. He said nothing while leaving, feeling ashamed. For he knew he was never going to return home. He would have to see Parker another time, when he was ready. 

"I see you are finally here," a short man greeted Parker's father at the door. 

"Sorry I am late," he replied casually, stepping inside the small hut where one person sat at the other end.

"You know why I called you, right?" the man had authority in his voice. The born leader. 

"Yes..." Parker's father sighed and then sat down.

"This mission is very important, I hope you realise that Arthur," the man in charge raised his eyebrows and Arthur sighed. He gulped once, nervousness reaching its peak.

"I do. Shall I be on my way?" Arthur finally spoke, his voice quieter than when he entered. He felt shame take over, thinking of his family. He was committing his life to something evil. Something that, although his heart didn't understand, the back of his head understood it clearly, clawing away at the good and happy thoughts. Arthur was going to be the boss. The ruler of the world. Through any means necessary. He didn't like it now, but he was being taken over by greed and evil. 

"Do you need anything before you do so?" the question from the leader's lips made Arthur freeze for a moment. 

"A...robe, please," Arthur stood up and saw the question on the leader's face. "I want to hide my shame..."

Present Day...

"All those years ago, I ran away. I was taken over by greed, by power and evil. I was scared to reject it and so acceptance was the only way to carry on," Arthur pulled his robe hood down and revealed his face, a face that had not felt the heat of the sun in over ten years. The face of a broken man, dirty and scarred. He looked rougher than the fields that had been destroyed around them. His hair was brushed back over his head, only because of the hood. Some parts began to unsettle and flop across his forehead.

"Lock him up," Elizabeth didn't hesitate to order.

"Don't you see?!" Arthur yelled, staring right at Elizabeth, expressionless. "I have been using you for this damn mission, I left my only family behind and it was the worst decision of my life. I know it has been ten years, but watching has made me realise...this is wrong. Taking over the world is wrong. Everything is wrong. But we must pay for our crimes..."

"I said lock him up!" Elizabeth stopped her feet like a child, screaming the words. Everyone stared at her, blankly.

"He is right. We all turned into something we aren't because of him and the others at the top of command. They are all gone now, it is just us. Stupid pawns thinking they are bigger than the world," Jeremy sighed and pushed up his glasses.

Arthur reached into his pocket and threw up a small cube. It flashed and everyone became blinded. He accepted the light, being able to see nothing but the brightness. He wanted to see the light the sun held since it was now dusk and everything was darkening. But, as the light faded, that was not all he wanted. The cage from the cube had trapped all of them but Arthur inside, right in the centre of the building they were in. 

"We must pay for our crimes and let the police take us in this time. No playing tricks. I want you all to use this time to reflect on the life you could have had. This sudden change may trigger side effects from the control the command put you under. I apologise...realising this should have taken me sooner," Arthur sighed and took a step forward, but then he stopped.

"How come you only locked us in here?!" Jake and Tristan spoke simultaneously. They hadn't commented on the situation and Tristan continued to speak. "You left us with our Pokemon so we can just escape, right?" 

"Well, I know you won't do that," Arthur replied confidently and turned his head so he half-faced the group. "I need to do something before I join you."

Elizabeth reached into her pocket and went to bring out a Pokeball, but thoughts hit her like bullets from a gun. She thought about the life she could have had. The best Pokemon performer in all of the world. That is what she wanted to achieve when she started her journey. So, how did she become like this? Elizabeth looked down at her hands, cold tears running off of her face and into them, like taps filling up a sink. The others stared blankly into space while Arthur walked off, towards the battle against Groudon.

Groudon was still standing. Everyone had attacked and attacked for a long time, but the rage inside Groudon kept the legendary Pokemon going. There was nothing they could do. Ash was still sat down, staring. Arthur passed him and Ash looked up briefly, seeing a man he had never seen before. Slowly rising to his feet, Ash continued to watch Arthur walk on.

"Groudon, stop," Arthur's voice was firm. Groudon froze.

"Huh?" Parker turned around and he too froze. He studied the face of Arthur and slowly saw the change into the face he saw ten years ago. "Dad...?"

Arthur didn't say anything to Parker. He brought out a Pokeball and Gyarados came out. The rest of the group didn't speak, watching in silence. 

"Mega evolve," Arthur casually waited for his Gyarados to mega evolve. "Now, hydro pump."

Gyarados let out a thunderous roar of his own and fired the hydro pump at the frozen Groudon, who didn't react. The power of the hydro pump caused it to explode into Groudon, causing the legendary to finally fall and be defeated, severing the control in the process.

Arthur turned around and walked away. Parker followed.

"Dad...why?!" Parker was panicking for the first time ever. He caught up with his Dad, who just continued to walk on. "Why did you do all of this...what is going on?!"

"I...I will explain everything soon. First, paying for what I have done comes first. Bye, Parker..." Arthur stepped into the building and then slapped a button on the side. The doors slid shut and stopped Parker from entering. 

"SPEAK TO ME YOU DAMN FOOL!" Parker lost his cool, smashing his fists against the doors over and over again. "WHY DID YOU LEAVE? FOR THIS? TELL ME!"

Arthur didn't reply and Parker completely lost it, breaking down. Arthur watched as his son disappeared from the windows on the door, tears falling down his face. Parker turned around and sat against the door, head in his hands.

"Parker..." Ash knelt down beside him. "We all lose something in our lives. The sudden things that have just happened have stunned us all, believe me. But that doesn't mean you just give up because your own father used you for his own plans. He seems like he regrets it all. Once he has served his time, he will be ready to talk to you. You can't give up until that day, or you won't hear what he wants to say to you."

Parker wiped the tears away and smiled at Ash. "Why the hell are you always right?"

"That's something you should say to me, being the smartest here," Gary jerked a thumb at his own chest. 

Everyone went silent and then suddenly broke into laughter, Parker forgetting his emotions and realising he had friends to keep himself going. He couldn't give up. Not just yet, anyway.

"What's next?" Miette asked the group as they all surveyed the damage in the area. 

"Well, let's contact the police first to handle these guys, then we should camp out and figure out what is next, sound good?" Ash suggested this and looked around. Everyone nodded. They were all exhausted. Of course, they wanted to rest up for a new day. 

However, as they all began to settle down, Lance came flying in on his Dragonite. Everyone rose up from their tents, waiting for Lance to land to give some news. Ash was waiting, searching for the answer in Lance's eyes. 

"It's the mirror world, Ash. You won't believe it!" Lance smiled and Ash could see the hope he still had left. Everything was right in front of him now. He had to search no longer. 

"Serena..." Ash whispered to himself and then he brought out Charizard. "Let's go."

Meanwhile, in maximum security...

Arthur had a pen, writing away quickly on a short piece of paper.

Parker...ten years ago I did something terrible. I want you to know I am sorry. When you are a little older, we will meet again. We won't be the family we used to be, I know this. We won't be like the Team Shadow I forced you to join. It was so I could see you again, you know. It could have been any trainer, but I wanted to see if you had grown. I am truly sorry.

Maybe you can forgive me. One day. I don't mind if you don't. It's my fault entirely. I am going to spend my time here and...like I said, we will meet again. Don't be sad. Live your life as much as you can. Don't let evil win. Don't let it defeat your mind anymore, like it did mine all those years ago.

From, 

           Your loving father.

Arthur folded up the paper and handed it to the guard outside. The guard read the note on the front, nodded and then walked off to begin the delivery of the message. 

"You will be stronger one day, Parker. Maybe I can test your strength, maybe you will use your strength for greater things. I believe in you...son," he slowly sat down, with a deep sigh.

With the battle over, everything came to the dreams the gang once had. 

Reflection cave waited for their arrival.