The Golden Water Shuriken—Ash had already figured out its secret.
Normally, Water Shuriken was considered a low-power move, but thanks to the special connection of Bond Phenomenon between him and Greninja, the move's strength skyrocketed to an overwhelming level.
The Golden Water Shuriken pushed that even further, raising its destructive power to explosive heights!
By compressing Water-type energy to the extreme, Greninja condensed it into the form of a shuriken, spinning violently in his grasp. Inside that shuriken, the water energy rotated at incredible speeds.
This relentless rotation generated an unmatched cutting force!
When that power broke past certain natural limits, even its color transformed—turning brilliant gold.
This was the path Ash and Greninja had trained toward together, perfecting their technique.
And while Greninja honed his new power, Ash's other Pokémon were also training like crazy, pushing their levels higher day after day.
From afar, Serena quietly watched Ash giving it his all. Inspired by his determination, she too began training hard with her three Pokémon partners.
Clemont was particularly thrilled—this year, the Kalos League Conference would be held in Lumiose City, his hometown. As Lumiose's Gym Leader, the thought of it filled him with pride.
Over the course of a single month, everyone's Pokémon grew rapidly, each level climbing steadily.
Salamence and Gyarados took the lead, powering up the fastest among them.
Charizard wasn't far behind.
Then came the battle-ready fliers—Talonflame, Noivern, Goodra, and more.
Most noteworthy of all, Lucario and Metagross had both broken through to level 70!
Meanwhile, Sceptile and Serperior had gotten… surprisingly close during this training period.
No one knew the exact details, especially since Serperior remained a little tsundere—proud and aloof toward Sceptile. Still, it was obvious: those two had truly become a pair.
And speaking of Charizard—do you remember Charizard Valley in Kanto, run by caretaker Liza?
When Ash had sent his Charizard back to Kanto, who could've guessed that it would end up at the Valley—spending its days with none other than Liza's own Charizard, a female also named Liza?
Liza herself had called Ash to tell him the news.
But seeing how powerful Ash's Charizard had become, she was happy—reassured even—to let her own Charizard spend time with him.
With only one week left before the Kalos League, Ash and his friends wrapped up their intense training!
Now it was finally time—time to head to the grandest stage of all.
The Kalos League Conference—the single most prestigious Pokémon tournament in the entire region. No other competition could compare.
Ash and his companions returned to Lumiose City. The League was only two days away.
First stop: the Lumiose Gym. Clemont gave his younger brother Clembot a full systems check to make sure nothing was wrong. After that, everyone rested at Clemont and Bonnie's home, gathering strength for tomorrow.
Because tomorrow… the Kalos League would begin.
Meanwhile, far away in Kanto…
Pallet Town.
At Ash's house, his mother Delia sat waiting with several familiar faces: Anabel, Sabrina, Misty, and May. Together, the five of them boarded a flight bound for Lumiose City to cheer Ash on.
And from Sinnoh, another old companion was coming—Dawn.
Dawn had come a long way on her path as a Pokémon Coordinator. Her dream remained the same: to one day surpass her mother, Johanna, and become a top Coordinator herself.
Though she was already famous and respected, Dawn wasn't satisfied yet. She kept striving, training harder, because she knew just how strong and ambitious that big boy—Ash—really was.
She couldn't fall behind. She wouldn't allow herself to be seen as just some pretty "flower vase girl."
Her catchphrase had changed too. Where it once was "No need to worry—though there's plenty to worry about," now it rang true: "No need to worry!"
Tomorrow was Ash's big day at the Kalos League. Dawn absolutely had to be there—to cheer him on in person.
Elsewhere in Kanto—Pewter City.
Inside the Pewter Gym…
"Lucy, hey… don't you think it's about time? If we keep stalling, we'll miss it! Ash's Kalos League—we can't skip it! After all, I was his coach once, hahahaha!"
The voice came from a tall, dark-skinned young man with squinty eyes and a spiky hairstyle.
It was none other than Brock.
And by his side was Lucy, the former Pike Queen of the Battle Frontier.
Over in Sinnoh, at the Pokémon League Headquarters…
Cynthia sat in her Champion's office. Beside her lounged another blonde beauty, hair flowing long and free—Lucian's fellow Elite Four member, Caitlin.
"Hehe, Cynthia, you really care about Ash, don't you?" Caitlin teased with a mischievous grin.
"You've made up your mind, huh? I get it though—he's impressive. Strong enough to be counted among Level 3 Legendary-Rank Trainers by now, maybe even stronger."
Caitlin's tone was half admiring, half curious.
"Yeah," Cynthia replied, stretching gracefully, her curves accentuating her poise. "He's fun to be around."
"But don't you get jealous?" Caitlin pressed. "He's got so many female friends around him…"
Cynthia's golden eyes glinted as she smiled faintly.
"In high society, things like that aren't unusual. And you—don't you still not have anyone you like? Why not… consider him?"
Caitlin froze, cheeks pink, her eyes darting away in panic.
Elsewhere in Unova—Nimbasa City.
And in Unova, Elesa—the glamorous Nimbasa Gym Leader—was watching the developments in Kalos as well. At her side was her assistant, Lyra.
No matter the region, no matter the distance—
All those who had once traveled with Ash, or crossed paths with him…
They were all watching.
Watching this year's Kalos League Conference.
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