The battles dragged on. Hour after hour, Ash faced each and everyone one of his friends. However, they were all too sad to even try and battle. It was quiet, their voices barely whispers as their Pokemon battled with the same energy. There were only two people that could handle the fact that Ash was making his decision to start a new journey. 

"You better not start crying against me, Ash," Gary smirked, facing off against Ash and his healed Pokemon. They were all ready to battle. "I want to see everything you have to offer, so let's do this! Two Pokemon each, okay?" 

Gary's smirk lit a fire in Ash. He returned the smirk and brought out a Pokeball, preparing for a full-scale battle. 

"You better not hold back," Ash sighed and then threw out his Pokeball to commence their final battle. "Charizard, I choose you!" 

"Blastoise, let's go!" Gary threw out his Pokeball also and Blastoise came out, roaring and ready for battle.

"So, are you going to make the first move, Ash?" Gary raised an eyebrow and folded his arms. He stared directly at Ash, who looked like he wasn't going to back down.

"Sure," Ash's smirk faded into a grin. "Charizard, flamethrower!"

"Blastoise, hydro pump now!" Gary's counter came as fast as ever before Ash had even finished speaking. He knew Ash too well to not know what move he was going to be using. 

Charizard had already shot the flamethrower at Blastoise, but Blastoise shielded it with his own move, the jets of water meeting the flames and causing a small explosion in the middle, the flames died and the water dissipated into the air. 

"Charizard, slash," Ash wondered if it would be a good move. Gary knew what he could do to counter it, however.

"Blastoise counter with rapid spin!" Gary was replying to Ash's move in a flash, making sure Blastoise could move at the same time as Charizard to never let anyone have an advantage. 

Charizard lunged forward, claws glowing white. Blastoise dropped down into its shell and began to spin at a great speed, moving towards Charizard, who was heading straight into the dangerous move.

"Charizard, pull back and use flamethrower again!" Ash wasn't sure how to counter at a type disadvantage and his long-range attack wasn't going to be enough, but it was all he could do. Ash didn't want to lose so he had to try.

Charizard stopped by flying backwards and opened up its huge jaws, flames shooting out from them and at Blastoise, who was still spinning. Charizard connected first, the flamethrower hitting Blastoise effectively, but it didn't do much to Gary's Pokemon, who stopped spinning and waited for further instructions. 

"Blastoise, water gun!" Gary started off with a small move and Blastoise instantly fired water at Charizard, who had to react fast. 

"Charizard, dodge it fast!" Ash believed Charizard could dodge the water gun and he was right. Charizard swiftly moved up and out of the way just in time.

"Blastoise, keep firing," Gary's words made Ash feel suspicious. He knew Gary was up to something and he kept a level head, to prepare himself for whatever was about to happen.

"Charizard, dodge everything!" Ash said, still keeping a close eye on Gary while watching the battle. 

Charizard swiftly moved around each water gun, swooping up and down past each shot. There was no victor, the stalemate continuing as Blastoise failed to land a hit. Until Gary noticed something with Charizard out of the corner of his eye. 

"Blastoise, aim under and then above Charizard!" Gary began his plan and Ash still didn't know what to expect. All he could do was hope Charizard could dodge. Which proved to be a fatal mistake. 

Charizard swooped up and then did a full 360 to avoid both attacks. However, halfway through the 360, Charizard could not see or react to Blastoise, which Gary anticipated and made use of.

"Blastoise, hydro cannon now!" Gary called the move with perfect timing and Ash realised he was out of time. 

Blastoise put its feet firmly into the ground, the cannons on the shell preparing to fire. For a moment, there was nothing and then suddenly, water began to gush out of either cannon, forming a great big jet of water that landed directly on Charizard. Charizard crashed into the ground and landed right in front of Ash. Gary knew that wasn't enough. 

"Charizard are you okay?" Ash had to shield his eyes as the dust had risen from the ground upon Charizard crashing down. He couldn't see Charizard or Blastoise at all.

"Blastoise, rapid spin, find Charizard in the smoke!" Gary called out to his Pokemon, who instantly went into its shell and began to spin, heading into the smoke. 

Within a few seconds, Blastoise had found and hit Charizard. Ash heard the impact and then saw his Pokmon sliding across the ground, out of the smoke and to the side. Ash rushed over to check if Charizard was okay. Gary knew that still wasn't enough. He wasn't going to let Ash's Charizard get up. 

"Blastoise, hydro cannon once more!" Gary was showing no mercy. 

"I need to check if Charizard is okay!" Ash felt a surge of anger and frustration. The anger within him from Team Shadow still hadn't faded. It began to grow again as Gary reminded him of the moments Team Shadow had shown no mercy and decimated his Pokemon.

"You said you were going to go all out. I am disappointed. Besides, I know Charizard hasn't fainted yet so I am going for the win right here and now! Go, Blastoise!" Gary didn't need to explain himself anymore. He knew he had won now.

Blastoise repeated the hydro cannon, this time from a closer range. The move hit straight away, pushing Charizard back even further, crashing into the cave wall. Ash ran over to Charizard again to found out he was a Pokemon down. Charizard had fainted. 

"Charizard return," Ash spoke quietly as he returned Charizard, bringing out another Pokeball. "You want me to go all out, Gary?" Ash's voice became angry. It was laced with the same violent thoughts as when Ash defeated Kyogre. Anger swirled in his head, thoughts of Team Shadow taking over his mind. 

"Of course," Gary was as relaxed as ever, shrugging off Ash's anger.

"Greninja, let's show him our true power!" Ash threw out his second Pokeball and Ash-Greninja instantly came out, a shroud of water exploding over Greninja's body.

"This is more like it!" Gary looked up at Blastoise and then grinned. "Hydro cannon!"

"Greninja, cut!" Ash still had anger in his voice. Greninja reciprocated the anger and launched straight at Blastoise, disappearing due to the great speed. All that could be seen of Ash-Greninja was the shroud of water that was shaped around its body. 

Suddenly, there was a flash in Blastoise's face as a move connected, followed by another one. Ash's bond with Greninja made him know that Greninja had connected with the move, so he continued on with the attacks while Blastoise couldn't handle the speed.

"Aerial ace," Ash knew he had won this battle. It was the anger that made Greninja stronger. 

Nothing was seen. One moment, Blastoise had recovered and then the next, Greninja connected with a foot into Blastoise's chin, bringing it back down onto Blastoise's head before doing an x-shaped hit. Each move connected in a matter of seconds and Blastoise collapsed onto the ground, fainting before Gary could even reply. 

"Wow, you really did go all out. Huh..." Gary returned Blastoise without saying another word. Things got tense as he silently stared across at Ash and his partner. Gary was hit with nostalgia as he thought about the past momentarily. He was Ash's rival right from the very beginning. Their first day as trainers started their journeys. Today was the last day of that very journey. There were still so many things left unanswered, but Gary knew he had to carry on as he was. He couldn't let emotions or thoughts distract him. "Guess it is time for me to bring out the big guns. Blaziken, you're up!" 

Gary pulled out the Pokeball of Blaziken and dropped it onto the ground, releasing his second Pokemon out for the battle. The battle had come down to Ash-Greninja vs Mega-Blaziken. 

"Greninja, water shuriken!" Ash started the final battle, not wasting any time.

"Blaziken, dodge and use blaze kick!" Gary gritted his teeth, knowing that Ash-Greninja was too fast for Blaziken in normal form. He needed to buy time to mega evolve, the mega stone glowing brightly in the bracelet on his wrist. 

Blaziken swiftly flipped over the water shuriken just as flames began to light up on the end of Blaziken's legs. Greninja was hit by a quick kick to the side. Blaziken retreated afterwards, avoiding any quick close range attacks. 

"Greninja, cut," Ash instantly carried on. Gary was showing no mercy and so in turn Ash wasn't going to give him a chance to mega evolve. 

"Blaziken, power-up punch!" Gary prepared a defensive strategy to try and push Greninja back. 

Greninja moved swiftly, instantly striking Blaziken with ease. Blaziken managed to stay balanced and connected with a punch on Greninja, both moves hitting. The force of both moves sent either Pokemon skidding back across the ground. Gary used this to his advantage.

"Now, mega-evolve Blaziken!" 

Blaziken's stone connected with Gary's, the energy surging through both stones linking. Blaziken began to change. The battled had only just begun as Blaziken finally mega-evolved. 

Ash looked to his left briefly. He noticed that everyone was still being quiet. No one was making a sound. Some still seemed upset. It had been a few hours since they had parked up in front of the cave, the afternoon sun beating down immense waves of heat. No one seemed to care about the weather, though, only Ash and his battles. They watched intently, not moving an inch. 

"Greninja, water shuriken again!" Ash tried for a repeat of Greninja's signature move.

"Blaziken, dodge again and use power-up punch!" Gary smirked. He knew Blaziken's power after mega-evolution. Especially at the start of a battle. 

Greninja launched a huge water shuriken at Blaziken, but Blaziken flew forward like a cannonball out of a cannon, the water shuriken missing completely. Within a second, Blaziken was in front of Greninja, orange aura flaring around Blaziken's fist. Greninja couldn't react in time as the punch connected, causing Ash's Pokemon to fall back all the way to Ash.

It's okay, we have got this. You ready? Ash suddenly found himself thinking to Greninja, the same bond they shared against Kyogre returning. It seemed as though it was becoming a permanent part of their battling, however, Ash wasn't just sharing the physical pain of Greninja, he was also feeling mental pain.

"Blaziken, blaze kick!" Gary said, folding his arms with interest. He had already noticed that Greninja and Ash were not moving nor communicating verbally and decided to try and take the win early, while they were not saying anything. 

However, just as the flaming leg of Blaziken was about to strike Greninja, Ash's Pokemon countered with a kick of his own, the feet of Greninja glowing white. Each Pokemon stared each other down as they tried to beat the strength of the other. Eventually, they both gave up and a round of rapid strikes and blocks came, both Pokemon going all out to try and land a hit, but nothing happened. Hit after hit was blocked. 

"Seems like no one is going to win here," Ash frowned and looked over at Gary, who laughed slightly in response.

"Of course, I am going to win. Have you not learnt anything Ash?" he replied, adding a smirk to the end.

"Guess I better start learning before it is too late," Ash retorted with a smile. Greninja, double team. 

With that thought, Greninja began to multiply, surrounding Blaziken. No one moved as silence crept back onto the battlefield. Each Greninja stared straight at Blaziken, not even moving a muscle. Blaziken slowly turned in a circle, staring at each one to try and identify the real Greninja.

"Blaziken, blaze kick and find the real Greninja," Gary stared directly at Ash while speaking. 

Time it right. When Blaziken gets to you, jump up and use water shuriken!

Blaziken began his rampage, launching blaze kicks at every Greninja in sight, rapidly moving around the circle as each one began to disappear. Blaziken finally reached the real Greninja and Ash watched everything, feeling like it was in slow motion. Blaziken's leg moved like a blur, but Ash could see it clearly. Just an inch before Blaziken was about to hit Greninja, Ash's Pokemon jumped up into the air. 

I didn't mean time it perfectly! Ash smiled to himself while Greninja pulled up a shuriken from its back and launched it quickly at Blaziken. The effort from taking out the doubles ensured the shuriken was going to hit and it did, exploding around Blaziken's body. Gary waited for the smoke to clear, knowing his Pokemon could handle the hit. 

Ash and Gary stared at each other with smirks for the final time. 

"Greninja, cut!" Ash put everything behind his words, shouting loudly. 

"Blaziken, cut!" Gary mimicked Ash's shouting.

Greninja charged forward.

Blaziken charged forward.

Both brought out their cuts at the same time like a sword fight commencing. Strike after strike, they blocked each other constantly. There seemed to be no victor as each cut was blocked. However, Greninja could feel what Ash could feel. Ash wanted more power and speed, so Greninja gave him what he wanted. Dashing to the left, Greninja hit Blaziken with a swift strike, sending Blaziken back slightly. 

"Perfect," Gary smirked and Ash seemed a little surprised by Gary's reaction. "Blaziken, flare blitz!" 

Blaziken began engulfed in flames, blasting off towards Greninja. There was nothing Greninja could do as Blaziken landed a direct hit, causing a huge explosion. The recoil damage sent Blaziken flying back and the hit sent Greninja flying back too. The smoke cleared and the dust settled, revealing the victor.

"Looks like you were right," Gary smiled as both Blaziken and Greninja dropped down, fainting.

Ash couldn't respond. He collapsed onto his knees and began breathing rapidly, feeling the effects of the battle. His head was throbbing with pain, but he tried to ignore it. Gary walked over and offered his hand.

"Guess I was, great battle, Gary," Ash finally spoke, with a weak smile. 

"Don't forget about me," Parker interrupted and everyone turned to him. "We have to battle now, Ash." 

"Of course," Ash brushed down his pants and took a deep breath. 

"We will use one Pokemon since you are still feeling the effects of the last battle," Parker walked up to his spot opposite Ash and brought out a Pokeball. "I only ask one thing of you."

"What is it?" Ash asked Parker, who pushed his Pokeball forward, towards Ash.

"Use your Sceptile. Mega versus Mega," was all he had to say for Ash to understand. 

"Let's do it then," Ash nodded and brought out Sceptile's Pokeball. "Sceptile, let's win this one!"

"Gyarados, bring me your full power, show me what you can do!" Parker brought out Gyarados as Ash brought out Sceptile.

"Sceptile, show me your power. Mega evolve!" Ash called out to Sceptile, holding the mega stone in his hand. 

"Gyarados, release your hidden strength. Show no mercy. Mega evolve!" Parker also held his mega stone, commencing his own mega evolution. 

Both Pokemon simultaneously mega-evolved. Both Pokemon prepared for a power struggle battle. 

Ash looked at Parker. Parker looked at Ash.

Seems like I have known Parker for a long time. Almost one year and a half. That is all. The first time I met him, the real him...I won't forget it. All of my friends accepted him for who he is now, not who he was before. I am glad. Hopefully, their friendships continue. 

"Sceptile, leaf blade!" Ash kickstarted the battled, forgetting his thoughts so he could focus properly. 

The leaves on Sceptile's arms began to glow as Sceptile raced towards the Mega Gyarados at the other side of the battlefield. 

"Gyarados, hydro cannon!" Parker's voice was instantly serious, devoid of the casualness that usually occurred. 

Gyarados opened up its mouth and fired a jet of water at Sceptile, who wasn't up for the hassle and cut straight through the water with one blade, slashing Gyarados with the other in one swift movement. 

"Sceptile, leaf storm now!" Ash felt his head throbbing violently, the headache continuing. However, he had to use his mind to think up a strategy, having the type advantage.

Sceptile passed Gyarados and upon passing, created a storm of leaves from its tail, firing them at Gyarados. Each one hit without fail, but Gyarados tanked the hits with ease.

"Gyarados, flamethrower!" Parker spoke and then smirked. He knew Ash had no counter for a fire move. 

Gyarados was quick to spin around and use the flamethrower before Sceptile could react. The move hit and Sceptile became badly burned from it, slowly hurting every so often from the burn. 

"Sceptile, keep going! Use agility!" Ash's signature strategy with Sceptile began to take shape as the pink aura surrounded the mega-evolved Pokemon that had taken a huge super effective hit. "Now, quick attack!"

"Gyarado-" Parker began but Sceptile was too fast, hitting a quick attack and being back by Ash within a second. 

"Leaf blade!" Ash continued as Parker began to panic, trying to think of a new strategy. 

Sceptile hit both leaf blades with ease, swiftly returning to Ash's side like nothing had happened, the agility wearing off. The burn from the flamethrower caused a little bit of damage, but Sceptile tried to ignore it.

"Leaf blade, one more time!" Ash repeated the last move.

"Mistake!" Parker shouted and then clicked his fingers, an idea popping into his head. "Gyarados, let's try out a new move, fire blast!"

Gyarados had enough time to build up the flames since Sceptile was not as fast without the use of agility. Sceptile was an inch close as Gyarados used the moved, a star shape of flames encasing Sceptile from a close range, before blowing up with immense force. Sceptile dropped onto the ground, also feeling the effects of the burn. 

"Finish it with giga impact, now!" Parker knew the battle was over. It had happened so fast but the power of Gyarados was much more in comparison to Ash's Sceptile, who had not been able to mega-evolve over a year ago. 

Slowly, a white aura formed around Gyarados, who charged forwards at the dropped Sceptile, picking up Ash's Pokemon and heading straight at the wall of the cave. Gyarados slammed Sceptile straight into the wall, also falling onto the ground. Sceptile fainted, ending the battle. 

"Gyarados, return. Good battle," Parker returned his Pokemon.

"Sceptile, nice try. Please return," Ash did the same and then looked at Parker with a smile. "Good battle,"

"It was pretty fast, not going to lie. However, it was fun. Good final battle, eh?" Parker returned the smile.

Final battle...huh. Feels weird to even think about it, nevermind say it out loud. Can I really leave my friends behind and start again with...completely different yet the same people? It is surely going to feel weird...No, Ash, you can not start having doubts now. Serena is the most important thing in my life. Even if it is a parallel world, I will do anything to be with her. 

"So, Ash?" Gary folded his arms and raised an eyebrow at Ash, who turned to face his former rival and a good friend. "Ready to say goodbye?"

Ash took a deep breath and let out a big sigh. He took the time to stare at each and every person once more, before smiling a little. 

"Ready," he replied, with a small nod. 

Ash turned around and took a step into the cave. His first step towards being with Serena again. Everyone followed, preparing to say goodbye to their friend, whom they had travelled with for so long. 

Ash prepared himself for the end of another journey.

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Final chapter coming soon.

Stay tuned.