The gang continued to have fun and enjoy their time in the area while it lasted. There was much playing, but chatting and bonding to do in so little time and they were determined to make the most of it all.

The days continued to be warm and sunny, with a cool, gentle breeze making it enjoyable and pleasant weather. This was much to the delight of everyone since they had to stay outside most of the time.

Ash continued to go check on Greninja every day thanks to the help of Clemont's Abra. He also came back with supplies when it was running low. Occasionally he would take Serena with him and she'd use the chance to make Poképuffs or buy other treats for the group.

She always made sure to get Sophie a little something as well to thank her for all her help. She was still keeping everyone supplied with berries and was always trying to be of use if possible. She even helped Clemont with one of his inventions once, but after it inevitably exploded she decided she was safer on the sidelines.

Otherwise, Sophie was slowly becoming used to the Trainers and their Pokémon being around all the time. She was a little more comfortable with being touched by the Trainers, though she still had a long way to go before she'd get anywhere beyond a quick pat on the head.

Max and May had to leave after a while to return to Hoenn, much to Bonnie's dismay especially. She and Max had spend their last day together, always hugging or holding hands and generally just being the best of friends as usual.

Not long after the Hoenn siblings left, Greninja's recovery time drew to a close. The XYZ gang enjoyed hearing Ash tell them about how Greninja was finally awake, was moving around a little, was able to be taken off the machines that were previously helping him, was able to walk on his own...

One day Sophie was sat with Squishy, something she enjoyed doing. She found Squishy very interesting, especially the fact that it absorbed sunlight to use as energy.

"It must be very hard to have to keep the order of Kalos," she was saying, impressed by one of Squishy's recollections of his work as the Legendary Order Pokémon. "It is," Squishy nodded very slightly. "It's a demanding task, but it's one that must be done."

"Would you give it up if you could?" Sophie asked curiously. "If I was unable to perform the tasks I must do, I'd have no choice but to pass on my work to someone more capable for the good of the Kalos region," Squishy said. "But as for right now? Not for the world."

Sophie nodded. "Well I haven't faced many near-death experiences lately, so I'd say you're doing a pretty good job."

"I'd be worried if I wasn't," Squishy's tone was mildly amused as it spoke. Sophie giggled.

Squishy lifted it's head up and looked behind them. "The boy and the girl are coming back. I can sense it." Sophie nodded and looked over.

Sure enough, Ash and Serena materialised, Clemont's Abra beside them. Serena was carrying a bag full of supplies for them all and Ash was carrying a bag of potions and medicines.

"Ash! Serena!" Bonnie yelled excitedly, running over to them. "Hey, Bonnie!" Serena smiled, then moved to her and Ash's tent. She put the bag inside, then zipped it up to make sure nobody snuck anything from it.

Instead of doing the same, Ash set his bag down on the grass where he was standing and knelt down beside it. "Is everything okay, Ash?" Clemont asked, concerned. "Yeah, check this out, everyone!" Ash nodded excitedly, a big grin on his face. Everyone crowded around eagerly to see what was going on.

Ash tossed a Pokéball into the air, causing a certain Water type to come out.

"Greninja!" Everyone yelled in shocked excitement. The Ninja Pokémon seemed happy to see them all. "Nin! Ninja!" He greeted.

Then he spotted Sophie and Squishy, the only two who hadn't come to see what the commotion was. "Greninja Nin!" He called to Squishy, waving. The Zygarde looked over, looking a little annoyed, but this all changed when it saw Greninja.

"Wolololololo!"

Squishy hopped over, Sophie following curiously. She didn't understand what the fuss was about this Greninja, but she hoped he'd be good fun to be around. "Wolololololo! Wolololo?" Squishy cocked its head at Greninja questioningly.

"Greninja!" Greninja nodded, forming a fist with his webbed hand. "Wololo," Squishy said, then headed back to it's spot on a rock by the lake where it could bask in the sunlight.

"Greninja needs to be careful, but he's allowed out for now," Ash warned. "He needs his rest and he can't run around too much. Okay, everyone?"

After he got rounds of confirmations, Greninja began talking to the other Pokémon, catching up with them all. It had been quite a time for him and he was very happy for the normalcy of the situation as well as the stimulation of fun conversation with friends.

"What's the big deal about this Greninja?" Sophie asked Chespin curiously since he was close by. Sophie had found that he was almost always near her.

"That's Ash's Greninja, he's got this weird power that lets him look a little more like Ash," Chespin explained, as usual not making Greninja look overly great just because they weren't Chespin himself. "It basically powers him up a load and Ash can see through his eyes and stuff."

"Wow, that's so cool!" Sophie said, impressed. "But why haven't I seen him before? Does he prefer his Pokéball?"

"Uh... he's actually needed emergency treatment at a Pokémon Centre for a while," Chespin shook his head. "A load of things happened and he only just got out. He's still not quite right, so we have to be careful with him."

"What?" Sophie looked at Greninja, cocking her head. "The poor guy. I'm gonna get him some berries. That'll make him feel better!"

Without waiting for Chespin's response, she ran off towards her berry grove.