She flew through the forest with explosions behind her. She looked behind to see big tentacles and shadows trying to catch her and with last energy she let out a cry, creating huge light and disappearing in it. Her pursuers stopped with anger and looked at each other.

"She is gone again, which time she went to?"

"It appears that she has gone only a two months from now on. What do we plan next? She gets away always and only what we accomplished was stopping her going into past."

"Celebi is like Lucario or Ralts, they know when someone is good and bad before they see them, we need someone to capture, who will help us to trick her and I know just a person and lucky for us, that person is right now in Kalos, we need to just find him." and with this both creatures grinned and were gone for searching their new way.

-----------------------------------------------------------

"Frogadier use cut!"

"Bunnelby mud shot go."

As both boys figted each to train for Ash next gym fight with Korrina, both girls sat on the tree trunk and observed the perfomances from Aria and even found one with Dawn in which she lost, but could still see her experiences or found one in which one was Shauna and won her first key. Bonnie in the meantime petted

Bunnelby sent out balls of mud, which Frogadier cut in half with speed and made move on Bunnelby.

"Bunnelby double hit to counter cut." and with quick reaction, Bunnelby started to block each strike from cut.

"Frogadier trip Bunnelby's legs." this made Bunnelby surprised as his paws were in the air for a moment and then he was lying on the with incoming attack. Frogadier was about to strike when he suddendly threw his attack on nearby tree.

"Your pokemon has a quiet senses." someone spoke and suddenly shurikens flew out from the tree right at everyone.

"Get down!" Ash shouted as he was about to dug, when he noticed Clemont frozen in place and so he jumped to him took him down, but still feeling pain in his shoulder.

"Aaaah!" girls both shouted as they dug behind tree trunk, only hearing shurikens to hit the wood. Asto stood up to look to see man in black suit with red hood and red hands. He has on the face one scar his of the face. His eyes were surrounded in red paint. He had on his back sword and some shurikens by his side and daggers by his sides.

"Who are you and why do you attack us!?" Ash shouted pissed as the man laughed.

"Because I am man, who seeks people who know how to use a sword." he pulled out katana and made strikes and rotates in the air and pointed to Ash. "AND YOU! You are someone I see know how to use it and you are challenger."

"Then why do you attack us all?" Clemont asked as he looked behind him to look on girls. Both were still dug behind the fallen tree.

"To see how can he react, I must say, it is not something good, but I also wanted some new red. You see, this red paint around my eyes." he made a small chuckle. "This is not a paint." he made a big grin and then ran straight at the Clemont and Ash. Frogadier created another blade to block the man's blade, but he was almost by a ball of green energy. From a new tree came out Pokemon with grey body looking like clothes with red head and black star on the front with green stripes on sides. Frogadier jumped on the enemy pokemon, while Ash stood in front of Clemont.

"You want him, you have to get through me." Ash spoke with determination, the man smirk.

"My pleasure." he said with smirk and wanted to drawn katana right through him. Ash looked at the blade on the last moment, he caught the blade between his hands before it cut him. The man kicked the Ash into belly, making him fall on Clemont and both falling on ground. "Nice trick boy, let's see how you can do it against this." and it that moment, balls landed and exploded, creating smoke all around. When the ninja finally got out of the smoke, everyone was gone and growled to himself

Two weeks after the incident

Man in the ninja suit sat in silence with only lit up candles and meditating, when he suddenly stood up and drawing katana right at the new person in the room.

"Wow I guess I should have knocked." said the new person and the ninja raised his eyebrow as he took one candle raised it up to see boy, who he barely remembered, but it was the one he battled years ago and son of his good friend.

"Yeah you should have." he said as he put back his sword and clapped with his hands to switch on the lights. As ninja again saw the boy, he noticed many differences and it was not just that he grew up. Again his partner was on his shoulder, but the boy seemed incredibly tired and seemed to be very depressed. "What brings you here Ash? I am sure it is not for the gym battle." man said and Ash nodded.

"I need your help." and he was about to continue, when the door with loud slam, revealing woman with green hair into pony tail, tied with hairclip. She stood in the doors with pokeball in her hand. "Who is this!"

"Calm down Aya, it is just Ash Ketchum. You probably don't remember him, but he came here to fight with me a few years ago for gym badge." Koga spoke as she noticed Ash's face.

"I do remember, but what is he doing here?" sister asked as she put her pokeball next to the others and her daggers.

"What do you need Ash?" Koga asked as he looked at Ash. Ash looked to both of them uncertainly and Pikachu looked at him with same look. Ash nodded and Pikachu jumped off. Ash unzipped his hoodie and took it off and rolled his sleeve from his right shoulder. WIth this, Aya pulled out her daggers

Presence

"Who the hell was that?" Clemont shouted panting with Serena and Bonnie, who got to the deep forest. Ash looked at them all with worried and then down on Pikachu and Frogadier, who seemed ok.

"That was rogue ninja." their savior spoke from tree and jumped down to be revealed as their old friend.

"Sanpei!" everyone spoke happy and he looked at them happy, his new evolved partner came to greet his rival.

"Frogadier evolved into Greninja." Clemont spoke surprised, but Sanpei indicated them to be more quiet.

"Yes he evolved a few weeks ago. I see Frogadier too and I would like to talk more, but we need to get you all out of here before he finds you again." Sanpei view looked into all directions, searching for any new danger.

"Who was that?" Bonnie asked as she walked to Sanpei to look more into his face. Sanpei looked at her with a small surprise when to see curiosity instead of fear.

"He calls himself The Challenger, he is running around this forest, attacking anyone he think is worthy of sword fight, Pokemon or humans. I got the task to catch him and bring him to people from my village. I did not expected him to see Ash as someone who would he see as opponent." Ninja said and looked to raven hair trainer, who seemed in thoughts and then he noticed his shoulder. "Ash did he hit you?"

Everyone's eyes widened and looked at Ash's shoulder see fabric from jacket torn apart, showing skin under it. Serena was fastest of them, walking behind Ash to look on the arm.

"You are bleeding Ash." Serena said worried, dugging into her bag, while Ash looked over his shoulder.

"It is just a cut Serena, nothing really bad." Ash said calmly, but Serena rolled her eyes took out plasters.

"I am sorry Ash, it's my fault, I froze there when it all happened and-"Clemont said with worried, but Ash waved with his hand.

"I am fine Clemont, just a scratch, I have another jacket in my bag and you being fine means nothing really happened." Ash said with chill, while Serena put plasters on his shoulder. When she was done, Sanpei looked for moment on his shoulder to notice symbol on the shoulder, but before he could look closer, Ash turned around with vigilance. "How do we get out of here?"

"There is way up ahead that leads to way over river. Behind that river you should be safe." Sanpei pointed to road ahead.

"And how are we sure that we are gonna be safe there?" Ash asked with look on the way.

"By what I know, he hold his rule about not leaving this area until he kills 100 pokemon and 100 people." Sanpei paused for a moment.

"Let me guess, Ash is the last person he has to kill." Bonnie spoke with no hesitation and Sanpei nodded.

"Which won't happen so let's get going." Sanpei walked to the way they could go. Everyone followed Sanpei and in the meantime, everyones pokemon followed, Frogadier talking to Greninja and Pikachu sitting on Greninja happy to listen.

"That was awesome move you did there Ash." Clemont said with admiration, Ash scratched behind his head. "How did you know what to do?"

"I was just lucky." Ash said as he suddenly felt a hand on his shoulder. He looked to see Sanpei behind him.

"Guys could you go ahead? We will be right back at you. Greninja go with them, you too please Frogadier." Sanpei was about to say the same to Pikachu, but Ash showed him not too. Everyone looked at them confused, but decided to go. Ash looked around to look on Sanpei who had suspicion in his eyes.

"What do you want Sanpei?"

"You are hiding something Ash, show me what. I need to know what or I can't trust you."

"If I show you what, you won't trust me." this made Sanpei even more angry and without waiting, he took off Ash Jacket to see his shoulder without cloth and to see the emblem he noticed. With his eyes widened, he pulled out his sword and draw a sword to his throat.

"You are marked as doomed."

Back in the past

Aya and Koga spectated Ash's shoulder with warning look, Ash seemed more surprised than them, as he stood not moving next to them. With his shoulder with many cuts, there were scars that created a star looking like shuriken, that was broken half and the other half in pieces. On the not broken half was thin red line and in higher half was vertical red line and two red spots in corners of shuriken.

"I guess this isn't good thing." Ash said uncertainly, Aya with both daggers holding them at his throat, looking to Koga, who seemed as well unsure of the situation.

"Ash, what did you do." Koga spoke with all seriousness in his voice, with his mind thinking about the actual sitution. Ash looked at him with knowing this would end up in with walking away or very bad.

"They said it is punishment. I don't know what this is." Ash added as he stood motionless with the daggers pointing at him.

"What did they punish you for? Speak quickly, my arms are getting tired." Aya said and her daggers slowly fell on Ash's skin. Pikachu was slowly sparkling its cheecks, but was waiting for his trainer to tell him.

"I can't... talk about it." this made Aya more impatient and she made an eye contact with her brother, who seemed thinking.

"Tell me Ash, do you really not know what this emblem means?" Koga asked with new question and attitude. He was still on guard, but felt kind of need to know. This boy never seemed to be bad this way.

"No, that is why I came to you Koga. But if I knew this would happen, I wouldn't have come here. That doesn't matter. I need to know what this mean and what does this mean for me into future." Koga listened to trainers voice, he heard determination, but also felt that this wasn't on winning, this was for the rage. Koga looked at Aya, who looked at him with face 'Do no trust him'. After a while of silence, Koga closed his eyes and Aya after giving Ash glare, she pulled down the daggers. Ash sighed with relief Koga could finally look at him close. He had the same face as he saw years ago, only older and with one small cut on side of his face which was recovering and seemed not leave anything behind. As for his clothing he wore a jacket in higher half blue splitting into white in the middle and down with black jeans and red shoes, similar to the last he saw him, only with no cap. On his back, he had huge bag filled almost to tearing. As he placed the bag on the ground, he noticed him wincing in his hips and when he stood up again, he seemed to have harder to stand on his left leg.

"The mark you have is one of the worst marks that person, more of a time ninja gets. It's-" Koga sentence was ended by Aya.

"The symbol of doomed. Person who get this mark are taken as people who brings only fear, danger and treat."

"That wouldn't be far from true." Ash murmured to himself, but Koga heard his words and walked to im closer.

"The thing about doomed people is, that if they encounter other ninja, they are suppose to be killed. So tell us Ash, what did you do or we will have to act Ash." Koga said as he had his on his katana. Ash looked angry and fighting with himself about telling, but thenn sighed.

"People and pokemon died because of me."

Presence

They told him to be on guard always and he was, but this new information got him most. He saw Ash as a good guy and to see him this way, it made him angry. He felt like when he was young, when he first time met him Froakie. He seemed like very friendly pokemon that wanted to play and have fun, but then it showed up that Froakie was stealing food from them. He again felt cheated, but this time, it wasn't just food. This time it was thing that could put their village in danger. Even though, he couldn't make himself to do it, they were friends, Ash was friend.

"Why are you doomed Ash?" Sanpei asked as he has his katana still at Ash's throat, on which Sanpei couldn't read any emotion, it seemed that this whole friendly thing was just face he always has. As he was thinking, his feet were in the air and he dropped his katana. When he fell on the ground, he looked up to see Ash, who seemed angry and sad as he held his katana in his hands. He had the Katana on his stomach pressed, but not cutting, yet he felt the pressure and betrayed.

"I can't tell you that and I know what you have to do. But I can't let you do it either, you are too young to kill someone Sanpei." Ash's voice was totally different, from his always cheerful voice to voice that made Sanpei in a way freeze. Ash lifted the katana and put out his hand to help Sanpei back on his feet. Sanpei with sceptical look took Ash's hand lifted himself up. Ash then turned the katana with handrail to Sanpei. "Right now isn't a good time to think about this and we should get out of here." Ash said and Sanpei slowly took his katana and looked at Ash. "Don't tell others." Ash said with strict voice and turned away from Sanpei. He looked at him angry, but went after him

As everyone made it through the forest, there was only a small chat between Clemont, Bonnie and Serena. Both Sanpei and Ash were silent, Ash looking forward the road, but many times getting glare from Sanpei. Both ninja pokemon looked at each not sure of what happened between their trainers. As they got closer to the light from sun that wasn't block by trees, Bonnie grew more furious about the mood.

"OK! What happened between you two?" Bonnie asked turning to them with pouting. Ash looked at Sanpei and back at Bonnie.

"We are fine Bonnie. We are just trying to pay atteniton to our surrounding." Ash said and looked at Sanpei, which made Sanpei angry even more, but for this time, he decided to play along.

"Yes Bonnie, we need to leave this forest and we are here." Sanpei said and walked to exit from forest to see big log over a huge canyon with river on the bottom. Bonnie wasn't still happy with this, but she followed them.

"Wait, you want us to go over this?" Clemont asked surprised as he looked down the giant gap and then at the log.

"Yes, it is the fastest way out of this area. With Frogadier frubbles, we will have it easier." everyone looked at him with sceptical, but then looked at each other and nodded. Frogadie jumped up and threw his bubbles close to each other and also some one the log sides to make it more stable. "Don't worry, it is enough strong to hold us."

Clemont slowly crossed the log with many squeks and made it other side. Bonnie jumped over it with fun and energy, not feeling any fear but making Clemont even more worried. When Ash turned around to help Serena on the log, he saw her completely frozen.

"A-ash, I know we agreed to it, b-but I am not sure if I-" Serena's words stopped as she felt Ash's hand on her shoulder and Ash only had warming smile.

"I noticed already before about your fear of heights, but you will be fine. Just don't look down, look to Bonnie and Clemont and think about how you are gonna train for the perfomance." Serena was about to speak, but Ash cut her off again. "Do you trust Sanpei? Do you trust me?"

Serena found herself once more lost in his words and eyes and felt a new determination. "Yes, I trust you." and with this, Ash put off his hand and Serena slowly made her way. As she was in the middle, her eyes were falling down, but remembered what Ash told her.

"They trust you, I do too, although you right now don't trust me." Ash said as he made way across and Sanpei looked at him angry, he looked like that his reaction about the symbol is overreacting, but he had reason for it. He was suppose to kill him or couldn't let him go away, yet Ash didn't want to explain him anything, trying to do something about his fate, but he acted like that thing didn't exist. He thinks he don't trust him and he is right, he couldn't

Greninja jumped across and Sanpei was making his way, when suddenly the log in front of him exploded and he started to fall. He jumped on the log and almost jumped to others that were yelling at him to jump and almost made it, but didn't reach enough, when his hand was caught by other hand. It was Ash. HE threw his ba

"Hold on!" messy hair trainer spoke and hold with his hands his ninja friend, but then the ground has colapsed and both of them started to fall. Greninja and Frogadier were fast to react and Greninja used his tongue scarf and Frogadie creating rope of his frubbles, catching both boys.

But the celebration was ended, when from the other side, from where they came from, flew out green glowing ball, hitting both bubbles and tongue, making Greninja to flinch and Frogadier to fall back on Bonnie and making both boys fell into the river.

"ASH! SANPEI!" everyone shouted, Serena with small tears in her eyes with looking down and then looking on other side to see the man responsible for it. He had big grin and looking down into river.

"That would be done." he said as he clapped with his hands, but his brow raised, when he saw both boys back on surface. "Looks like I have work to do." these words made everyone to look down to see Ash, holding Sanpei from behind and waving at them and shouting someting, but they couldn't hear him.

"Ash we are going to find you!" Clemont shouted and looked on the other side, to see nothing on other side, but then they noticed the sunset began.

"We need go guys quickly, we need to find them before that madman finds them." Bonnie shouted, but she was suddenly lifted of from ground, but it wasn't much.

"No Bonnnie, it is getting late, it's too dangerous." Clemont said as he was holding Bonnie, but he noticed how harder it was. "It looks like I have to adjust more stronger Aipom arm, anyway, we are not going today." Clemont said, but got only yelling from both girls.

"We need to come for him Clemont, Ash would come for us even in rain and thunderstorm, we can't leave him only because of the dark Clemont." honey blond hair girl shouted at gym leader, who sighed and waved with his hands to both girls, to his luck or unluck, both frog pokemon were shouting at each other and Pikachu looked at them with no words. Both pokemon almost draw their sharp attacks, when Pikachu let out his electric attack, knocking out both pokemon. Clemont thanked him and turned to both girls.

"Serena and Bonnie, I know you want to go find him, I want too, but think about what would Ash want?" Clemont asked with hoping to calm down both girls. Pikachu jupmed on Clemont and nodded with him. "See, even Pikachu agrees with me. We will come for him next morning when the sun is up." Serena and Bonnie looked at each other and sighed.

Past

Ash sat on the pillows, with Pikachu sleeping on him and petting him, while Koga and Aya watched him. "Do you really trust him?" Aya asked still unconvinced by his story. "He broke in here, got around our Voltorbs with saying he needs to know about the symbol."

"Yes, I do sister. Mitzana was known for what he could do for his village and family and his wounds are showing that they are from stabbing weapons and his words aren't showing any type of lies, but there is something more that happened." Koga said last thing to Aya, as she planned to protest to him, but he went to Ash. Ash heard the steps and looked up to him.

"I told you everything Koga." Ash already reacted, only confirm his thoughts.

"You are bad at lying Ash." Koga said and kneeled. "Who did you kill?"

Presence

A few hours later

Sanpei woke up with big headache and pain in his shoulder. His clothes clothes off, only in shirt and black stockings. As he was lying on against the tree, he noticed his other clothes on the branch and warm in front of him. As he looked on his shoulder, he noticed a few green leaves on his shoulder, that left behid some orange petals.

"That is moony medical, it should help you heal that shoulder." someone spoke from opposite to him. He lifted his head, to see Ash on other side, poking into fire with stick only in his black T-shirt and shorts. The rest of the clothes were on the tree drying.

"Ash, where are we?" Sanpei asked as he looked around only to see dark, trees and some pokemon watching them from bushes, hiding in the moment when Sanpei's look fell on them.

"Not sure. The river was very fast and it took me some time to get us out of it. So I would say like two hours from our last location, when we were with others." Ash said as he still watched the flame.

"How did it happened Ash?"

"The Challenger attacked us and-" but Ash's words were interrupted by Sanpei.

"Not this Ash, I mean how did you become doomed? How did you get The symbol of doomed? For the entire time I know you showed me, how you help people, how you care for everyone, I trusted you entire time. But then I get this information about someone who can't be trusted. I am suppose to kill you or bring you with me to my village where you would be judged Ash. About your life! I don't want to decide about your life."

"Then don't do it Sanpei." Ash spoke with his view into flame.

"I can't Ash. I am loyal to my village, to our leader. If I did, I would have no idea how it would turn out." Sanpei said ash he thought about actual problem.

"I get it Sanpei, so I will let you decide. But I need you to promise what asked you for." Ash finally lifted his eyes from the fire to look at Sanpei.

"They will find out at some point, but the problem is-" Sanpei chuckled to him. "I don't even know why are you doomed Ash?" Sanpei asked with the most thing that pissed him of today, the unanswered question. When he got information about Froakie's stealing that time, he wanted to know why so he could know if that is going to be just the time he remembered when someone betrayed him only for being selfish. Then he learned about Froakie's father that time dying. That was what made them both to grow closer to each other, he missed his father and Froakie's was leaving too.

"Then I am gonna make sure they won't. They don't need to know and I need you not to tell them, I don't want them to know." Ash said as he almost threw out from the fire a wood.

"The problem is, I don't know why should I trust you." Sanpei's words hit the nail he wanted, because Ash's face changed into more calm.

Ash sighed and closed his eyes. "It happened year and nine months, I count every day from that moment, yet I am not able to talk about it without breaking at some point. But I am gonna tell you at least this." Ash voice was fulll of sadness. Sanpei only saw that his mind was in different place. "There was village in Unova. It was friendly, in its way. Their leader was Tagato Mitzana. He was a leader, who would do anything for their village. But there was something he would do anything more then his village, someone, his son." Sanpei eyes widened with these information, because this was heard across whole world for every ninja. He never said anything about it, only that he should have died in bigger glory.

"Hanzo Mitzana." Sanpei spoke and Ash nodded. He opened his eyes looking up the dark eyes.

"My friend was kidnapped and before they could kidnapped me, Hanzo saved me that time from them. As I got into that village, I wanted to do anything to save a friend and so I begged Tagato to help me, but he wouldn't. He said it was too dangerous, he refused, but his son wanted to help me, even with some of his friends and so I agreed, but Tagato didn't know about it." Ash stopped for a moment and took deap breath, taking in those nightmares, he wanted to bury. "The kidnappers knew I would come for my friend, they wanted me to come and so the whole saving ended up in bloodshed. They left me alive, but murdered everyone."

Ash mind was now in the scene, where he saw Hanzo, young blond hair ninja, bleeding from his mouth right in front of him hearing 'Tell father...' and only colapsing on the ground. Ash eyes opened to see Sanpei in the same position, still listening.

"When Tagato heard about it, he went mad. Every other parent, whose sons died that day, blamed me. I didn't defend myself." Ash said with a small chuckle, that wasn't for anything funny, he just wanted to breath out all the emotion, the only funny thing is, that this all wasn't even half of the story.

"Why not? You wanted to save your friend, I would do also anything to save mine and you didn't know about that trap. It wasn't your fault." Sanpei defended Ash, surprising himself with these words.

"Yeah, it was. I screwed up everything that day and I agreed to this thing." Ash tapped on his shoulder, which surprised Sanpei.

"Why? Why would you?" Ash took deap breath and his next words were so silent nobody could almost hear.

"Because my friend died too, because of me. I killed one of the enemies, because of my rage. I got the symbol because of my own fault. Sons of that village died because of me. I thought it would just be enough punishment, although, I did not know it would mean for every ninja to fear me." and then he murmured something to himself, which even Sanpei couldn't hear.

"And the way, how you grabbed that katana before? Where did you learn that?" Sanpei's question made Ash finally smile.

"Brother and sister from Kanto, they are both gym leaders, they thought me. They were the only one I could think of how to help me and after how it turned out, I was feeling likevnobody could. They trained me with the sword, katana and-" Ash chuckled and looked at his shoulder. " how to deflect shurikens and throwing daggers with hand fan."

"And the thing with stopping katana?"

"You mean Tome rareta ninjasuku no geijutsu? The brother thought me more about how to defend against blade then work with it."

"That is very good to know." a new voice spoke, which made Ash to jump on his feet and Sanpei to stand up in alarm, and draw a katana, but had trouble to stand, with his head still in pain and stinging pain in shoulder. The man lauged under his hood. "So Ash." he said to trainer, who stood steady and ready to fight. "I am gonna give you an option."

"What option?" Ash asked ready to jump on him.

"I can fight with you, kill you and then kill him OR you will tell me, who are those mysterious siblings, where to find them and I take him. Choice is yours."

Meanwhile in a few kilometres away, Bonnie creeped out from her and Serena's tent to get to Ash's bag and found his pokeballs. "Ok, now which one it is?" she opened one pokeball, that almost made her squeak. Because it was huge mountain, that was breathing and almost breaking tree. Bonnie quickly hid the huge pokemon back and tried another one. But before she could try, it it was Riolu, who csme out. He felt something was wrong and almost woke up everyone, before Bonnie put her hands on his mouth.

"Shh, Ash got lost, I need to find pokeball with Fletchling, could you help me?" this new information made Riolu quickly act, taking the pokeball and revealing flying pokemon, who seemed tired. "Fletchling, I need your help." Fletchling looked at both of them, confused by the dark and girl with his trainer was traveling the one opening his pokeball. "Ash and Sanpei has fallen into the river, I need you try to find them please." Bonnie whispered and pointed to huge canyon. "We agreed to go in the morning, but Ash is being follow by some maniac, who wants to kill him and I can't leave, but I can't leave others, could try to find them?" Bonnie whispered, which didn't take more convincing, hearing their trainer in danger and Fletchling took off and Riolu tried to find Ash with their connection.

"So what do you think?" The challenger asked, as he had his katana placed on his shoulder. Ash looked behind at Sanpei, who wasn't in enough state to fight him.

"What I think?" Ash asked, as he came to Sanpei and took his katana without waiting for permission and turned back to him. "I think I will choose third option."

"And that is?" evil ninja asked with slight laugh by his action.

"I defeat you and capture you." Ash said and ran straight at him

"So be it. Aah!" and both katanas clashed and making both of the fighters to jump away. The Challenger smirked and threw a two of his daggers right at Ash, who made small flip back to dodge them and then with the katana stir up the dust from ground, making Ash almost unseen, but the man smirked and used his hood to throw on toward the dust, to reveal nobody. Then he felt cut on his back, to look behind to see the boy with a blood on the blade.

He turned to him, pissed, and rolled with his katana to slash for Ash's side to get it blocked by Ash sliding the sword into ground, stucking the sword in it and blocking the sword. The challenger quickly used his sword to slice for his other shoulder, but Ash made a small flip with the stucked sword to kick him in his face, sliding him on his feet back. He felt a warm thing under his nose, he ran with his hand under his nose, to see red fluid on his hand and became more pissed.

"You made it good so far, but I am getting pretty pissed and when I am pissed-" the man suddenly disappeared in blink of an eye and was right behind Ash. "I am fast." Ash's eyes tried to find him, but when he thought about seeing him, he wasn't there. "I am aggressive." he felt a punches on his back, kicks on his feet when he was turned in other way. "I am not playing nicely." And with this, Ash's back were slashed across, making Ash to grunt and his black shirt to change into red, but before he could do anything his shoulder was also slashed.

"Ash!" Sanpei shouted as he watched his friend to slashed everywhere he could have been hurt.

As he felt each new cut, he felt a new thing, water on his nose. It was starting to rain, heavy rain. Even The Challenger stopped for a moment. Ash closed his eyes and let the rain flow over his wounds and think about many things to keep of from getting in rage, one thought making him confused, but most relaxed.

He opened his eyes and like reborned, slashing behind him to almost hitting man with hood, which he blocked with his sword from above. Ash quickly slided the sword to go for his feet, making the enemy jump and suddenly loosing balance as he was punched into face, falling on his back, but jumping quickly back on his feet and again dissapearing. Ash closed his eyes as he waited, getting cut on his shoulder.

'Opponent has always way how to continue their next attack, it is about to know, which it is going to be.'

As he tried listen to his surroundings, he heard the drops on leafs, making same pace as clocks and he knew. And with this he slided on ground, dodging the blade, making The challenger's eyes widen and getting cut on both of his ankles, making him scream in pain and falling on the ground with yelling. He tried to stood up, only to hear his knees crack or even unmovable.

"What the fuck did you do to me!?" he yelled as he only felt instant pain with his tries to stand up. Ash put down his sword with heavy breathing.

"You want to kill people, I don't want to. How do I make you stop?" Ash asked as he sat on the ground with heavy breathing. "Crazy how much... how much people need tendons." and with this smirk he has fallen on his back.

---------------------------------------

Ash woke up in something what was warm, when he suddenly realized he is back in the tent. As he was thinking about another nightmare, he felt a sudden pain in his back. He looked on his shoulder to see bandages and he noticed that there was something on him. He looked in front of him to see sleeping pokemon with wings with upper body red, gray belly, black wings on the end orange and long black tail-feathers.

His mind was even more confuse, when he felt a warm from the pokemon and as he was about to say something, he noticed that Riolu was by his side too, who suddenly woke up and looked at his trainer with so much joy, jumping right at him, startling the flying pokemon and making laugh at Riolu's reaction.

"Calm down Riolu, I am fine." with his voice, the tent opened and Sanpei looked inside into the tent. "Hey Sanpei, how long was I out?"

"Since yesterday and now is coming up a lunch, you can count from now then. Serena was a few minutes ago here to change those bandages." Ash chuckled as he felt his belly out food and over Serena's reaction everytime he hurts himself.

"And The Challenger?" Ash asked as he realized that the new pokemon in his tent is his Fletchling.

"He is tied at the tree here behind."

"Aren't you scared he would escape?" Ash asked as he remembered how he could battle. Sanpei on other hand slightly laughed.

"You cut his tendons, if he got out of those ropes, he won't make it far. My brother is suppose to come today to take him." Sanpei after this went silence after this, which Ash knew what he was thinking and placed hand on his shoulder.

"I won't block you from it, if you feel to tell him, I will come with you to face my justice, there is something I didn't tell you about it so if I will have to, I am at least gonna say it." Ash voice didn't sound with fear or hope, it was just full of trust. Before they could talk more, tent opened once more to reveal Bonnie.

"Serena, Clemont! Ash is awake!"

As they ate, Ash listened many times from Serena about his crazy idea, almost getting himself killed and after listening Bonnie's idea of letting his pokemon out from night and Fletchling's evolution during fight against Accelgor, outspeeding it. What wasn't mention was that who defeated The challenger.

"I am probably never gonna get to that answer am I?" someone suddenly spoke, which alarmed Ash and others, but Sanpei stayed calm. From the tree jumped an older man than others with hair into pony tail in blue ninja robe with armor on chest with red belt and protective plates on arms.

"Hi Ippei, you got here faster than I thought." Ash after these words calmed down, as he sat back on, as Sanpei's brother approach them.

"I am Ippei, Sanpei's brother." as they all introduced, Ippei's eye caught the the trainer, who seemed harder to move his arms. "Nice to meet you. So Sanpei, tell me, how did it ended up with The Challenger? I noticed him on the way and he seemed not able to fight. What did you do to him?" Ippei asked as he looked at his younger brother, who rolled his eye on Ash, who shrugged.

"Ash was the one who neutralized him." Sanpei said as he pointed to Ash who just nervously grinned, not because of his secret, but next reaction after this was over.

"Really?" Ippei asked as he approached Ash, who nodded. "I must thank you for our village Ash, we don't want to have ninjas around here in Kalos who only spreads fear." this comment almost made both boys freeze, but both kept calm.

"You see brother..." Sanpei paused for moment, to look at Ash, who indicated him with his face, that it is fine. "Without Ash, I think I wouldn't have capture him. All credits are to Ash." this made Ippei pleasantly surprised.

"If that's so, you are most welcome in our village Ash, you everyone too." Ippei spoke to everyone.

"Thanks!" Everyone said, Ash looked at Ash and made a closed his eyes as a thanks.

"Sanpei come, I have some things to do and I would need your help. On our way, we can hand over The Challenger." Ippei said as he slowly walked to The Challenger, who was with his face away, but it was no illusion, he was just ignoring everything. "I was very pleased to meet you. Let's go Sanpei." Ippei grabbed The Challenger, who whined by the pain in his legs, but Ippei ignored it.

"It looks like we won't see each other again for some time. I am waiting for our next meeting guys." Sanpei said and before leaving, he walked to Ash only for him to hear. "I trust you Ash, with my life, you showed me so trust me when I tell you, that you should trust them. They trust you, they will understand."

"I will think about it. Good luck Sanpei, thanks again, I owe you."

"I owe you for The Challenger. We are even." Sanpei hold his hand and Ash took it both made man handshake.

"See you guys!" Sanpei shouted as he ran after his brother.

"Bye Sanpei!" group said last good bye to their ninja friend and sighed after their hard adventure.

Past

"So Ash, what do you plan after this?" Koga asked, as they both planned to go sleep.

"I need some answers and to get stronger Koga, which is what I wanted to ask you one thing." Koga looked at him with raised eyebrow but Ash didn't return.

"And that is?"

"I want you not to talk about this with anybody. I don't want anyone to be here. No Brock or Misty." Koga seemed surprised by his question, but decided to say yes.

"Ok, but I am gonna do one more thing for you Ash." this surprised Ash as he twitched his head to Koga. "I want you to learn how to use Ninja techniques." this made Aya, who listened behind door almos scream, but stayed quiet.

"Why would you want to do that?" Ash asked confused by these sudden actions.

"Me and your father were good friends and he couldn't get over you sometimes, if he knew you have this on your shoulders, he would wanted you to learn how to defend, because if only one ninja would see you with this, he will attack you." Koga said and walked away, leaving Ash, who finally had after two weeks a small smile on his face. "We will start in 7 morning."

"Thank you Koga." Ash said and Koga walked past his sister, who seemed very dissentingly about her brother idea.

"You trust him so much? Red was maybe his father, but he could become a different person and you want to teach him, after he told you not to tell anyone he is here?" Aya said with anger, but Koga on other hand thought different.

"I believe Aya, that if I didn't, he would be consumed by his rage and anger. You may not agree with me and I know you don't trust him, but I want you also in a way help him."

"No way Koga, I love you brother, but this is everything against our rules we follow."

"You are right, but we should also follow our own rules and those are help people in need and he needs help." and with this Koga walked away, leaving Aya angry.

Presence

"Do you really trust him?" Ippei asked Sanpei, as they handed The Challenger to other ninjas.

"Yes I do trust him. Why do you ask?" Sanpei said as he nervously feeling he knew.

"It is just the way I see him, but the future will show us, until now, if you trust him, so do I." Ippei said and stroke his brother on the head, making a small fun between younger brother and older one.