Our home, the Ninja Village, was in great peril.

Divided by intestine conflicts, the reason for which was lost in time, we were on the brink of annihilation. Not even the bravest and strongest of our own could put a stop to the senseless slaughter.

People were calling for a savior, and a savior responded.

A Greninja, vassalled by a Staraptor and a Heatmor, arrived to bring the civil war to an end. It was unlike any other of its kind, in appearence and power.

Not even the best warriors and Pokémon of our home could match him and his mighty Water Shuriken. He was completely unrivaled, and yet kind; he struck down the evildoers and brought justice to the wronged, but never once harmed an innocent. Without spilling a drop of blood, the flames of war fizzled out within the night.

Accomplished his duty, the Greninja and his vassals remained for some time in the village. They sired several successors before they departed for another journey, with the promise of returning if our home would ever be in trouble again.

This was but one of the many tales this Greninja partook in, but that is a story for another day...

...

The young boy smiled as he closed the scroll and put it back where it belonged, making sure not to forget any of the security measures. He then stood up, dusting off his blue ninja garb and adjusting his hood as he stashed the copy he made in his chest pouch.

"Reading the Hero Greninja's tale again, Sanpei?"

Sanpei froze in place, turning around to see the oldest of his brothers leaning at the entrance, grinning at him.

"Ippei." Sanpei gulped, his pose stiffening.

Ippei stood up, walking closer to his sibling. "You do remember that you shouldn't be here, I hope."

"I know." Sanpei gulped as he bowed down. "I apologize."

"No problem, I've done worse at your age." Ippei chuckled, closing his eyes. "I think the chief still hasn't forgiven me for that time I defaced his personal statue years ago..."

Sanpei barely suppressed a chuckle of his own, before peering at the scroll he had just closed.

"You don't think that those stories are just fairy tales, right?" Sanpei turned back to Ippei, worried.

"I don't. If you want skepticism you should ask Nihei, he's the uninterested one."

"Right." Sanpei sighed, a smile flickering on his face.

Ippei folded his arms, turning serious. "You should prepare yourself. Today is your big day after all."

"Yeah." Sanpei nodded, peeking back at the scroll. "I just wanted to read the legend one last time first."

"I will let it slide, don't worry." Ippei patted his brother's shoulder. "Make sure you are ready for sunset."

"I shall." Sanpei bowed down once more. "See you later, brother."

Ippei replied in kind, and Sanpei walked out of the cave and back in the path towards the Village's main square.

Sanpei didn't spend much time in the Village's square before moving past it, closer to the gate to the outside world. Only trained ninja were allowed to leave their home, to accomplish tasks and just travel around. and today would've been his time to depart and complete his training.

As he sat on the edge of a familiar river surrounded by Pecha Berry trees, Sanpei palmed his new Poké Ball, studying it. The Ninja were quiet and preferred not to blend with Kalos' population more than necessary, but that device was one of the few modern commodities they allowed, handling them to properly own any Pokémon after age fifteen after raising them as wild Pokémon and equals on the path to Pokémon training. Sanpei was one such boy, having grown up with his Froakie ever since he was seven.

Sanpei took a deep breath, tossing the Ball skyward. "Froakie, come out."

His Froakie materialized with a backflip and landed on three points, staring down Sanpei. The boy folded his arms, pointing at three manikins set up a few feet away.

"Shoot Frubbles to the targets!" Sanpei shouted.

Froakie jumped high, taking the Frubbles from his bubbly scarf and throwing them in one swift motion.

Three bullseyes ensued. Sanpei and Froakie traded a grin.

"Alright." He turned to the river, preparing his hands. "Let's train ourselves to walk on water now."

Froakie nodded, and the two moved to the river, quickly running over the surface without ever sinking. The twosome kept training past it, moving to other ninja tricks without thinking of anything else.

After a hour of grueling training Sanpei and Froakie were now standing in front of the river, catching their breaths. As they did so, Froakie sent a glance at him. They both knew what for.

Sanpei took a deep breath, pumping his fists. "Okay. Let's try it."

Froakie nodded, and the two placed themselves in front of each other, holding a stare. Sanpei remembered all he read, closing his eyes as Froakie did the same.

Greninja. Unlike any other. Unrivaled, yet kind. Struck down the evildoers and brought justice to the wronged, but never once harmed an innocent.

They both focused on those key tenets, their minds working as one. They raised an arm at the same time, and they opened their eyes at once.

"Froakie, go!" Sanpei yelled.

There was no change. Froakie still looked like a Froakie. Sanpei sighed: this time, he was sure he had followed the scroll's words to the letter. And if that wasn't enough, then...

"Maybe we should just give up." Sanpei rubbed his forehead.

Froakie sat close to him, shaking his head and raising his fists. Sanpei chuckled briefly before turning to the sky. He sighed, closing his eyes.

"Sanpei!"

The sudden call snapped the young boy out of his thoughts, turning to see a familiar kid a bit younger than him but just as tall, wearing a dark blue ninja garb and waving his way, a Froakie at his side.

Sanpei smiled, folding his arms. "Satoshi. Did the morning lesson finish already?"

"Yeah! Master Hatake has been a jerk like always, but I put him in his place!" Satoshi grinned, taking off his hood and letting his spiky black hair flow in the wind, sitting closer to Sanpei as he punched the hair.

Sanpei laughed, lightly hitting Satoshi with his elbow. "You should respect your elders more, you know."

"Yeah, yeah." Satoshi scowled, rubbing his Z-shaped birthmarks. "We get it, you ninja history nut."

"It's our heritage, Satoshi: we'd be nothing without it, and as some of the last ninja clans we have to hold them up."

"You can sure be a bore at times." Satoshi yawned, staring at the water. "You want to be the village chief, don't you? You just need power to get there. No need to be so brainy about it."

"It's not about power." Sanpei's glance shifted to the two Froakie, now locked in an impromptu training session. "You have to be wise, just, cunning... and most importantly, be able to command others. And I don't have the skill nor the power to do so."

Satoshi observed the two Pokémon as well, frowning as Sanpei's Froakie was clearly having the upper hand. "Let me guess, you tried again to see if your Froakie could become the next Hero Greninja."

Sanpei clenched his fists, then sighed and nodded.

"I need to have the power if I want to become the chief." He stared at his hands. "Ippei has it, and Nihei is just as skilled. Me, I don't know."

"Oh, come on." Satoshi patted his back, a huge smile on his face. "If you put your head in it, you will succeed! Believe it!"

Sanpei didn't say anything, the only noise around them coming from the sparring Froakie twosome. Satoshi frowned briefly before standing, turning the other way.

"Well, looks like I have to become the village chief in your place then," he said with a mock sigh, shrugging.

Sanpei quirked an eyebrow. "You? You can't plan to save your life, and you know that."

"Who cares for that!" Satoshi's grin widened, pointing at himself with both thumbs. "My Shadow Clone technique is unmatched even by adults! I will become the strongest leader this village has ever had, you can bet on it!"

Sanpei laughed again, and Satoshi joined him. He had been an orphan most of his life after his mother passed away, but Satoshi always knew how to cheer people up. And that was far from his only talent: his Shadow Clone technique really was something else, seeming more like a very elaborate Double Team than a simple ninja trick.

"Point is, you are frankly a better ninja than me," Satoshi continued as he folded his arms. "If I can have a shot at becoming chief, you are twenty times more likely to make it."

"I'm not someone worthy of legends." Sanpei traced a finger on the ground.

Satoshi sighed again, grabbing his forehead. "You're impossible sometimes."

Sanpei would've replied to that if something more pressing didn't grab his attention. He rose quickly, his Froakie interrupting the training at the same time.

Satoshi turned serious. "What's wrong?"

"Intruders." Sanpei squinted his eyes ahead. "Someone has managed to break into our village."

He sprinted towards the entrance, his Froakie following in tow. Satoshi and his own Froakie segued right after.

The Ninja Village had managed to keep its existence hidden to Kalos due to the harsh mountain range and the vibrant forest surrounding it. Only people specifically looking for the village would be able to find it.

As such, the people breaching through the freshly smashed mountainside must've been aware of where they were going.

From the height of a nearby tree Sanpei and Satoshi glared downward, their twin Froakie ready to act if necessary. Under them, twenty five individuals wearing white armor were standing in five neat rowas, observing their surroundings without proceeding further.

"Who are those weirdos?" Satoshi scowled, folding his arms.

Sanpei sharpened his glare, his free hand moving over his kunai pouch. "They are wearing protections and seem to be awaiting instructions in order. Soldiers, most likely."

"Has the Kalos military decided to ask us to move or something?" Satoshi tilted his head.

"Hard to say. We should keep watching."

Another soldier wearing similar armor entered the village's grounds, standing apart from the underlings for his imposing physique and presence. He stopped in front of the rows, staring at each of the soldiers behind his visor.

"Peons," he began. "You all know what our mission is. Follow me and don't stray from your orders."

"Yes sir!" all soldiers replied in unison.

A sizable part of the 'Peons' left with their commander, while five of them remained to guard the exit.

Satoshi scowled, turning towards Sanpei. "What should we do?"

The older ninja rubbed his chin, studying the perimeter and the soldiers.

"We should incapacitate and interrogate the ones left behind." He tightened his grip on the branch, squinting his eyes. "I don't like leaving those guys free to walk towards the Village, however."

"Then you know already what the best solution is." Satoshi grinned, pointing at himself.

Sanpei shook his head, raising a hand. "No, you know that's risky-"

"Risky is my second name!" Satoshi jumped off with his Froakie, rushing towards the Peons.

Sanpei muttered under his breath, and he and his Pokémon followed suit.

None of the Peons noticed the commotion, all keeping their guard up as they held their Poké Balls ready.

"Hey, losers!"

All the Peons bolted to attention, looking up to see Satoshi ontop of a tree, blowing a raspberry at them.

"Yes, you are losers!" He jumped off and pointed at them, grinning. "Coming here and expect to do what you want! You have no idea who you are dealing with, morons!"

The Peons frowned as they tossed their Poké Balls, and twelve Mightyena appeared around them. Three of them lurched forward at Satoshi, only for him to poof out of the way.

The Mightyena and the Peons turned around, confused. "Huh? Where did that guy end up?"

"He's there!" A Peon pointed at his left, where Satoshi was waving.

Two other Mightyena tried to bite him. He puffed away again.

"No, he's there!" Another Peon pointed at his right, Satoshi making rude gestures at them.

Four Mightyena sent Shadow Balls his way. None hit.

"So? That's the best you can do? Lame." Satoshi leaned on a tree, yawning. A Mightyena tried to tear his head off, but the boy disappeared again.

The central Peon growled, staring skyward. "Stop toying with us! Show yourself!"

"Come on, no need to get so jumpy." Satoshi stepped out from behind a tree, hands raised and giggling. "I'm here, happy now?"

The Peon pointed his way. "Mightyena, use-"

"I'd not do that if I were you."

That advice and something sharp and pointy at his throat made him stop.

With the corner of his eye the Peon could see another blue-clad boy holding him still with a kunai, two Froakie ready to hit him with Water Pulse and all his colleagues and the Mightyena unconscious, blocked by Frubbles, or both.

He gulped, raising his arms. "W-who are you?"

"Ninja from the village you want to invade." Sanpei pressed his kunai closer. "We are looking for information. And you will give them to us."

The Peon thought about pinning the boy to the ground. Him tightening his grip quickly changed his tune.

"What do you want to know?" The Peon looked the other way.

"Why did you attack our village? What is your mission?"

"W-we don't know much. We just know that we were here to get some Eggs and-"

"Eggs?" Satoshi paled, turning towards the village.

Sanpei widened his eyes, almost losing his hold before recovering it. Today would've also been the day the ninja trainees would've gotten their first Pokémon, one kind in particular being extremely prized.

"The descendants of the Hero Greninja..." He tightened his grip on the kunai, staring at the soldier. "I hope you have told us the truth."

He extended his fingers and jabbed the Peon on the throat; an aborted cough later, he fell down unconscious. A glare later, Sanpei walked closer to Satoshi.

"Bad situation, huh." Satoshi scratched his head. "What do we do?"

Sanpei frowned. "You have to ask? We are gonna stop them."

"They outnumber us, and my clones aren't that handy." Satoshi matched his frown, arms akimbo.

"It won't stop us." Sanpei jumped on a tree branch, turning back to his friend. "Send a clone to the village to inform them. We will try to stop the remaining soldiers."

"Well, that I can do." Satoshi gave him a thumbs up.

With a poof of smoke, another Satoshi appeared and ran forward while the original one jumped over Sanpei's branch, the two ninja boys following the soldiers' trail.

Neither of them noticed the man that just walked out of the exit, observing the defeated Peons around him.

"Puah. And this should be the best Cipher has to offer?" The man grinned, arms folded. "Good thing they have me on their team."

"Commander Exol, are we there yet?" a Peon asked, turning left and right as he approached their leader.

"According to our intel, not too much." Exol glared at the Peon from behind his visor. "Why? Are you scared?"

The Cipher underling faced the other way, gulping and sweating.

"N-not really." The Peon shivered, eyeing the trees all around them. "Just, this forest is giving me the creeps."

"That's good." Exol stomped past him. "Fear leads to caution. The best way to avoid an ambush."

"Really? Man, you must be really lousy at your job then."

Exol and his Peons instantly froze, Poké Ball at the ready. No one seemed to be around.

"Who's there?" Exol asked, frowning.

Satoshi walked out of a tree in front of them. "Just little old me."

"And me." He also popped out of a bush at their left.

And from behind a rock at their right, too. "Don't forget about me!"

"And I'm here too." Also from down a tree branch.

Eight other Satoshi popped out, and the Cipher members were surrounded by the grinning kids, each one with a Froakie at their side and all ready to attack them.

Exol observed them all, then tossed his Ball up. "SD0015, go."

A dead-eyed Mawile landed on the ground, staring at all the Satoshi. A shiver ran down the ninja's spine, feeling a wrong vibe oozing from it. He shook his head and tried not to mind him, looking back at Exol.

"Tsk, you think that thing can beat me?" He forced a smirk and pointed his palm. "Froakie, Water Pulse!"

"SD0015, attack." Exol grinned.

A shockwave hit Satoshi and Froakie, dispelling the clones and sending the originals to the ground. Both the ninja and his Pokémon held their chests in pain, glaring at the Mawile. What kind of attack was that?

He tried to rise back up, only to see several Mightyena and the Mawile all aiming at him. He gulped.

"Surprise attacks don't work against Cipher." Exol smirked, inching closer. "What did you expect to do?"

Sanpei smirked back. "Making you lower your guard, you dumbasses."

Before Exol or the Peons could ask the Mawile, several Peons and Pokémon were downed by Frubbles. Exol and the other Peons turned the other way and saw Sanpei and his Froakie joining them, kunai and Water Pulse on the ready.

"We know all of your plan." Sanpei stepped closer, steeling himself. "We won't allow you to steal any of our Froakie Eggs."

Exol glance at both ninja. He didn't know what to expect, and after how the Unovan mission went it was better not to overuse SD0015. That left only one option.

Sharing a glance with two Peons, the Cipher Commander turned to Sanpei again.

"We will see." He cackled. "Smokescreen."

A Peon released his Poké Ball, and a Houndoom materialized, cloacking the area in black smoke; a pungent smell of burnt foam later, several fleeing steps could be heard.

Sanpei shielded his face, trying to look as he coughed. "Damn!"

"I'm gonna follow them!" Satoshi covered his mouth and dashed past the smoke with his Froakie.

"Wait!"

Sanpei tried to follow him, only to trip. He quickly sprung up, and as the smoke started clearing he saw the culprit: a Cipher Peon, leg still held up.

"Sorry, Commander Exol told me to deal with you." The Peon rubbed his neck, looking the other way.

Sanpei stared him down. "Then so be it."

The Peon raised both arms. "This doesn't have to end in a fight. Can you just surrender?"

"You come to our village, decide to steal our sacred Froakie, and then expect us to just stay put?" Sanpei held his kunai as Froakie readied his Frubbles. "We won't yield so easily!"

The Peon sighed, grabbing two Poké Ball. "Alright then. Sir Thorn, Selvaggia, deal with him."

A Servine with a scar and a Mandibuzz appeared at the Peon's sides before launching themselves at Sanpei and Froakie.

Sanpei parried a Leaf Blade with his kunai, blowing Sir Thorn back. He looked up and saw Selvaggia circling above them, talons ready.

Sanpei pointed skyward. "Ground her!"

Frubbles were thrown, matting Selvaggia's right wing and forcing her to land, readying her talons to strike all the same.

"Water Pulse!"

Froakie fired the watery sphere, blowing Selvaggia back and tumbling with Sir Thorn on the ground. A couple of Frubbles later, both Pokémon were glued in place.

Froakie giggled at their expense, while Sanpei squinted his eyes. That battle was being far too easy.

He turned back to the Peon, seeing him contemplating a Poké Ball before placing it away. Sanpei frowned.

"What exactly are you planning?"

"Absolutely nothing." He raised his arms again. "Just move on."

"I'm a ninja. I can see through your trickery." The boy took a stance again, Froakie readying another Water Pulse.

"There's no trick or anything. I don't care for what Cipher does." He clenched his fists, looking down. "I just wanted to be famous. I didn't want to become a criminal."

Sanpei widened his eyes, his words striking too close home. He quickly steadied himself, furrowing his brow. "What do you mean?"

"Do you expect me to tell you my tragic backstory or something?" The Peon laughed bitterly, eyeing his Pokémon. "Just know that I screwed up because I was too cocky, thinking that becoming the best would be easy, and now I'm a damn criminal. Whoever said that the road to hell was paved with good intentions was damn right."

Sanpei looked the other way, fists clenched. He took a deep breath as he turned back to the Peon. He ripped his helmet off, staring straight at his eyes; he looked like a normal kid, just a few years older than him, and yet seemed to have seen too much already.

The ninja closed his eyes. "Froakie, you know what to do."

Froakie nodded, tossing some Frubbles at the Peon and gluing him to the tree. He tried breaking free, with no avail.

Sanpei rose and walked away, adjusting his ninja garb as Froakie joined him. "I'm gonna leave you there. You are just a coward."

"You have no idea what happened to me!" the Peon shouted, baring his teeth.

"I don't, but you surelly must've had a better option than this." Sanpei glared. "If you didn't take it, you can only blame yourself for that."

The Peon paled, turning down. Sanpei glared at him some more before finally leaving the Cipher underling alone.

Jumping from a tree branch to another was almost natural for Sanpei and Froakie, natural enough to allow his mind to wander, much to his chagrin.

That boy wanted to be great and fell into a bad path. All he wanted to do was to be a good leader that people could trust. Would his desire to be a hero lead him to a path he didn't like? Would it be a problem in the long run?

Sanpei shook his head. There was nothing to worry about: he knew the side of justice and just had to stick to it, nothing bad would come out of it.

Then, he stopped. What would he choose between two different kinds of justice? A situation where both options are good, or both are awful?

Sanpei gulped, sweat pouring down his face. He didn't know how to answer that question. He observed his hands, clenching them. Was his resolve really that weak?

"Sanpei!"

His train of thought stopped as he turned up, seeing Satoshi rushing at his side.

"Satoshi?" Sanpei blinked, tilting his head. "Where are the Cipher soldiers?"

"I've lost track of them, sorry." Satoshi sighed, turning around.

Sanpei blinked some more before steeling his gaze, looking up and focusing on his surroundings, absorbing every visual clue and smell he could obtain.

"Hm." Sanpei pointed ahead. "There."

"Really?" Satoshi raised an eyebrow.

Sanpei touched and analyzed the ground. "The leaves have been moved, there are faint steps on the ground, and the chemical smell of their armors is there. They are not too far."

"As expected of mister future chief." Satoshi grinned, giving him a thumbs up.

Sanpei widened his eyes, quickly turning down as thoughts swirled again.

Satoshi scratched his head, confused. "Sanpei?"

Sanpei took a deep breath, standing again and forcing a smile.

"It's nothing, don't worry." He faced the way to the village alongside his Pokémon. "Let's go on."

Satoshi and his Froakie followed suit, the younger boy never losing sight of Sanpei. He was no expert of behavior and the like, but he could tell Sanpei was very stressed and very upset over something. Something neither of them could afford at that moment.

He frowned and approached Sanpei, until he heard steps coming. Satoshi paled.

"Look out!" He tackled Sanpei, sending both tumbling on the ground as some poisonous sludge passed over them, landing on a rock further ahead and corroding it.

Sanpei froze, eyes widened. "What-"

"Sharp reflexes, kid. I thought that sludge would be enough to off you."

Behind the two boys was a tall man wearing Cipher's armor, with black hair and red eyes staring straight at them, wearing a huge grin; at his side, a Gliscor glided to the ground.

"Who are you?" Sanpei asked, rising back up and steeling himself.

"Cipher Commander Capriccio." He folded his arms as Gliscor's claws glowed purple. "That's all you need to know."

Sanpei grabbed his kunai, wordless. He shared a glance with Satoshi, and the boys faced Capriccio.

"Froakie, Double Team!"

"Let's go with Water Pulse!"

Sanpei's Froakie multiplied tenfold, all of him zooming towards Gliscor with a Water Pulse charged, Satoshi's Froakie joining in on the way.

After analyzing the attack pattern, Capriccio turned to his left. "Raticate, come out."

Out of a bush an overweight, black-furred Raticate lurched forward, biting down on Satoshi's Froakie. The ninja were startled, and Sanpei's Froakie halted his charge.

Capriccio pointed upwards. "Thunderbolt."

Up went the Froakie and the thunderbolt followed him, making it scream.

"Froakie!" Satoshi yelled, jumping under his Pokémon and catching it

"Flamethrower."

He only had time to pale before the Raticate burned him and his Froakie.

Satoshi yelled as he rolled over the ground, Froakie trying to extinguish the flames to little relief.

"Satoshi!" Sanpei yelled, before glaring at their opponent.

Capriccio and his Pokémon chuckled at their expense. Sanpei's glare sharpened, and he pointed ahead again.

"Jump over, Froakie!"

All of Sanpei's Froakie jumped several branches and entered various trees. Capriccio looked around, giving Sanpei a slow clapping.

"Clever, but not enough." Capriccio shrugged. "Raticate, Taunt it."

The Raticate crooked his fingers upwards, forcing Froakie to come in the offensive without any of his copies.

Sanpei tensed up, clenching his fists. "Water Pulse!"

"Ice Beam."

The sphere of water was overpowered by the freezing ray, and Froakie crashed on the floor as an ice statue.

Capriccio yawned, looking the other way. "So, that's all you can do? I expected better by a ninja-"

He was tackled on the ground and rolled over the floor, realizing too late that Sanpei was now over him with a kunai right at his throat.

As the surprise faded, his smile returned. "Impressive."

"Recall your Pokémon, now." Sanpei pressed his kunai on Capriccio's flesh.

The Cipher Commander shook his head. "No need for that."

Sanpei raised an eyebrow, and several rocks fell over him, sending him skidding through the grass and losing his kunai. Pained, Sanpei managed to peek behind him, seeing a Ferrothorn levitating to them and several Stealth Rocks above the clearing.

"Stealth Rock is always a gem." Capriccio chuckled as he got back on his feet, pointing his palm at Sanpei. "Ferrothorn, block him. Raticate, make sure he doesn't pull any sneaky moves."

Ferrothorn hovered over Sanpei and sunk its appendages in the ground, Raticate following shortly after. As Sanpei tried and failed to toss Ferrothorn backwards, Capriccio shifted his attention to the still pained and burnt Satoshi, the flames now dead and his Froakie too tired.

"I'd prefer not to kill you, especially since you can be an useful source of information." He grabbed the boy by the hair, grinning at his face. "So, would you be a darling and answer some questions?"

Satoshi mustered a defiant glance, blowing a raspberry at him. "Like hell I will!"

"Spunky, huh. Well, we can work on that-"

Capriccio went wide-eyed as he paid attention to Satoshi's face, to his hair, eyes, and birthmarks.

"No." His hands trembled and lost hold of Satoshi, letting the boy fall.

Satoshi frowned as he rubbed his head, staring at Capriccio in confusion.

"Impossible, you can't-" Capriccio's stare grew fiercer. "Sludge Bomb."

Gliscor opened his claw and fired the Sludge, blasting Satoshi and Froakie dead on. The boy screamed as the poison worked its way in.

"Satoshi!" Sanpei yelled, still trying to escape the Ferrothorn's grip.

"Spread some more."

Gliscor fired many other Sludge Bombs until Satoshi and his Pokémon were completely covered by it, barely moving outside all the poison.

"Good." Capriccio sighed in relief before regaining his composure and switching to Sanpei. "Now let's deal with you."

"Why you did that? He didn't deserve to be killed that way!" Sanpei glared straight at Capriccio.

"He shouldn't have existed." Capriccio returned the glare before grinning. "But don't worry, I'm a reasonable man. Your death will be quick and mostly painless."

He took Sanpei's lost kunai and aimed it at his chest. "Any last words?"

Sanpei's glance wavered for a second before frowning, staring down Capriccio. "Your plans won't succeed."

"Sure, sure." Sanpei grinned once more. "Goodbye, then."

Swiftly, Capriccio pierced Sanpei's heart; the boy went wide-eyed, and then went limp and lifeless.

Staring at him for a few seconds, Capriccio sighed again and left, his three Pokémon joining him.

Fifteen seconds later, with the Commander and his team now gone, Sanpei slowly opened his eyes and sat, observing the kunai poking over his chest.

He took it and sighed, seeing the kunai passing through his copy of the Hero Greninja's tale. Being a history nut had its perks, and being a good improviser did the rest.

Sanpei heard a shattering noise, and turned to see his Froakie free again, shivering.

"Are you alright, Froakie?" Sanpei stood on shaky legs, taking deep breaths.

When Froakie nodded at him, he turned to the village's direction. "Let's go then."

Sanpei and Froakie moved on, only to stop a few steps from it, in front of the pile of sludge the Gliscor made. Neither Satoshi nor his Froakie could be seen under it, and even if Satoshi had survivest the oddest accidents there was no way he could still be alive.

Holding back tears and sadness, Sanpei and his companion walked past the sludge. Then, he heard a wobbly sound.

Sanpei and Froakie turned around, seeing the sludge moving. And a voice come out of it.

"H-Help."

It was feeble and quiet, but he couldn't mistake it. Satoshi was still alive.

Sanpei rushed back to the pile of sludge, his Froakie blasting the poison away with a Water Pulse. Satoshi and Froakie were squirming in pain, their skin turning purple.

The ninja gulped, observing his friend before eyeing his previous path. Capriccio seemed strong, and he couldn't let him reach the village. Leaving Satoshi there, however, would've spelled certain death for him.

Sanpei gulped. Duty or his friend, no other options. And a ninja should always put duty first. Should.

He took a deep breath, and finally turned to Froakie.

"Use Water Gun, keep it up as much as possible." He turned back to Satoshi, setting his scroll on the ground and ripping part of it off.

Froakie quickly jumped over a tree branch, sending a shower of water all over Satoshi's body.

Sanpei grabbed Satoshi's garb and tore it open, exposing all his skin and the infected parts. The patches of poison were large and just kept expanding. Sanpei flinched for a moment before focusing, grabbing his scroll piece and using it to scrub his friend's body clean, starting with the chest.

Satoshi weakly opened his eyes. "S-Sanpei...?"

"Don't talk, you are too weak." Sanpei kept looking at the chest, working on the purplest patches.

"Leave m-me be." Satoshi squinted. "I'm done f-for."

"Don't you dare saying that!" Sanpei's glance turned fierce, scrubbing the poison faster. "I will save you!"

He kept going, scrubbing and cleaning even as his hands started to hurt. Satoshi fell unconscious as he went on, his uneven breaths keeping Sanpei on his toes.

Sanpei frowned; even after all his hard work, too much of the poison stuck to Satoshi's body. He needed to treat the poison that got in his system as well now, and he had no time and no way to do it.

He scowled, scanning the clearing: he was sure there were Pecha Berry trees around there, but he couldn't stop treating Satoshi. He bit his lip and resumed scrubbing, hoping for the best.

Sanpei then felt someone poking his leg, turning at his side to see Satoshi's Froakie staring at him, his skin purple-tinted and standing on shaky legs.

"What is it?" Sanpei tilted his head.

The Froakie ripped off a piece of the scroll and started scrubbing himself, and Sanpei understood, smiling and giving him a nod.

"Thank you," Sanpei said as he jumped away, quickly making his way to the river and taking all the Pecha Berries he could.

Berries gathered, Sanpei went back to his friend and put them all in his mouth slowly, helping him swallow them before getting back to scrubbing, the patches receding much faster now. He allowed himself to sigh in relief before continuing.

Sanpei kept treating his friend until he finally managed to scrub away most of the poison, the scroll all used up. Satoshi was making shallow breaths, but finally stopped squirming as he weakly opened his eyes again.

Sanpei tensed up. "Satoshi?"

"Hmmm..." Satoshi rubbed his head, covering himself as he pouted. "You big d-dummy. I told you not to save me."

"Oh, shut it. I would've never left you to die." Sanpei smiled, lightly punching his shoulder.

Sanpei smiled back. "Yeah, I know."

They giggled at once alongside their two Froakie, until Sanpei heard steps coming their way. He grabbed Satoshi and they hid behind a rock, the two boys and their Froakie peeking behind it. Many Cipher Peons passed through right after, chased away by all the other ninja.

"Looks like my clone did his job well." Satoshi grinned. "Never underestimate the power of the Ninja village!"

As Sanpei saw all the other villagers he turned his head down, frowning. He should've gone help them, and yet...

"Sanpei! Satoshi! Are you here?"

Sanpei perked his head up, seeing two familiar figures approaching.

"Ippei! Nihei!" he said, standing up and waving his arms as his brothers reached them.

"We were worried for you." Ippei eyed the two boys before settling on the naked and hurt Satoshi. "What happened?"

Sanpei turned to Satoshi as well, his expression darkening. "We ran into one of those 'Cipher' soldiers earlier, and he sprayed Satoshi with several Sludge Bombs. I took care of the worst, but-"

"Understood." Nihei took Satoshi on his arms. "Let's go to the infirmary at once."

Ippei and Sanpei agreed, and the foursome moved to the Ninja village together.

"Well, those guys weren't such a threat." Satoshi scowled as he observed the village's plaza while sitting on the infirmary bed, bandages and medications all over his body. "Only a bunch of the villagers and they ran away screaming."

"It was still better not to underestimate them." Sanpei folded his arms, eyeing his friend. "How are you feeling, though?"

"I'm good now." Satoshi smiled, rubbing his chest. "I will just feel like vomiting for a while, then I will be better than ever."

Sanpei glanced away. "I'm glad. Sorry for what happened."

"Dude, you didn't expect a psycho to come out." Satoshi held a hand forward. "It's okay."

"If you say." Sanpei shook his head as he walked to the door, opening it. "I need to go prepare myself now. See you later."

"See ya."

As Sanpei closed the door behind him he finally let go of a long sigh, sliding on the floor and grabbing his forehead, letting this thoughtsrun wild. That idea thankfully ended up being pretty shortlived as a familiar voice reached him.

"You sure choose an eventful day to leave."

Looking up, Sanpei could see his eldest brother walking his way.

"Ippei." Sanpei faced away from him.

His brother sat at his side. "So, what's on your mind?"

Sanpei remained silent for a few seconds. Only after a heavy sigh did he meet Ippei's glance, gulping.

"Did I do the right thing?" He clenched his fists. "Choosing Satoshi over the village, I mean."

"Why would that not be right?" Ippei turned stern.

"A chief wouldn't have prioritized a single person over the entire village." Sanpei faced Ippei. "You wouldn't have done that, right?"

Ippei stared, then nodded. "Yeah, you are right."

Sanpei bit his lip. He knew it, and that meant-

"However, you aren't the chief." Ippei smiled. "You are just a young ninja who wanted to do the right thing, and you did it."

Sanpei went wide-eyed, turning back to his older brother. "But-"

"But nothing. You have all the time to wise up and improve on leadership. And even if you will become chief, no one says you have to act exactly like me."

"I don't want to doom the village." Sanpei frowned, staring at his fists. "I want to be a good example."

Ippei shook his head, staring at the open window and focusing on the soft breeze coming from it.

"Say, do you believe the Hero Greninja saved our village because he wanted to be remembered?" He faced Sanpei again, grinning.

"Absolutely not!" Sanpei glared at him. "He saved our village because it was the right thing-"

"Exactly." Ippei nodded. "Heroes don't live to be remembered fondly. It's how they live that makes them heroes worthy to be remembered."

"You might not be ready, but I know you will be a great chief one day." He rubbed Sanpei's head, grinning. "I hope I will be there to see it."

Sanpei rubbed his neck, blushing and looking down. "Thanks."

"You are welcome." Ippei patted his brother's back. "Now go prepare yourself. It's still your day."

Sanpei gave a warm smile. "Alright."

He stood up and walked away as Ippei observed, smiling proudly.

Sunset came by quickly, and Sanpei was now facing a large gathering of every ninja in the village, from the elders to the trainees, all cheering on him and wishing him good luck on his quest. He was barely fighting off the urge to blush and look the other way, wuth the same happening to his Froakie.

"Well, that's it." Ippei folded his arms, staring down at his brother. "Are you ready?"

Sanpei steeled, nodding in tandem with Froakie.

"For the sake of clarity, we will say it again." The village chief stepped in. "Your quest will be long and you will face many trials on the way."

"I'm aware of that."

"Do you still wish to go on?"

"I do."

The chief smiled, stroking his goatee. "Then best of luck, Sanpei. We will await your triumphant return."

Sanpei looked straight at him, moving to Ippei, Nihei and then Satoshi, all giving him supporting glances while their Pokémon waved. Sanpei smiled and waved back at them, adjusting his backpack as he and Froakie turned around, towards the fake rock that hid the village away from Kalos.

"Thank you," he said, meeting his brothers and Satoshi's eyes one last time.

The rock closed behind him, and Satoshi let out a sigh.

"Man, the next days are gonna be totally boring without him around." He pouted, scowling at the rock.

"They will." Ippei placed his hands akimbo, looking skyward. "But if you need something to do in your free time, you can tell me of some notable things Sanpei did."

"What for?" Satoshi tilted his head.

"I think it's time to start listing them, you never know." Ippei chuckled, turning back to Satoshi.

The boy grinned, shrugging. "Heh, alright then."

Ippei and Satoshi shared a laugh together, then left for the village with everyone else, ready to write out the first chapter of Sanpei's heroic saga.

Capriccio kept tapping his fingers on the desk as he stared at the screen's static, clenching his free hand. After several agonizing seconds Nascour's figure lit up the monitor, staring straight at him.

"Commander Capriccio. We were awaiting your update." He crossed his arms. "I presume the Kalosian mission is over?"

Capriccio nodded. "It is."

"What result?" Nascour's glare sharpened.

Capriccio closed his eyes, sighing and rubbing his forehead. Then, he grinned.

"Success, of course." He produced a pendrive, waving it at the screen. "While the Peons kept those ninja busy, my unit took care of infiltrating the village and take pictures of all the scrolls we needed. All the informations on the Bond Phenomenon are ours now."

He placed the pendrive away, crossing his fingers in a pyramid-like fashion. "We didn't get to steal any of their Froakie Eggs, but this should be enough. I've already sent a copy to Lovrina and Ein."

Nascour checked him for a while longer, until a rare smile appeared on the overseer's face.

"Astounding work, I'm impressed." He closed his eyes. "I believe you earned your promotion to Admin."

"Heh, thank you." Capriccio's grin widened. "So, do you have another mission that would require my talents?"

"We do." Nascour's red eyes pierced into Capriccio. "Are you familiar with the Alola region?"

"Sure, it's the one from where that Raticate you gave me came from." Capriccio quirked an eyebrow. "What about it?"

"We are setting up an important operation there. Your planning skills would be invaluable, particularly in improving our intel of the area. A previous scouting party was defeated by a 'Kahuna Guzma', and I'd rather make sure we don't suffer for that mission's failure."

Capriccio leaned on the chair, taking a deep breath as he smiled again. "I'm in. Give me all the required informations and I'll begin obtaining all the data we need for a full scale operation."

"I shall. Don't disappoint us."

Nascour closed the communications, and Capriccio chuckled. He was finally an Admin, the position he deserved, after another flawless plan. And ontop of that, he was basically going to enjoy a paid vacation in Alola, the region so lame it didn't even have a League of its own. That day couldn't be better.

The one discording note reared its ugly head quickly as he remembered the mission. Specifically, the boy's face. Red eyes, dark hair, z-shaped birthmarks. He was one of them.

Capriccio rubbed his forehead, frowning. He had buried him under several layers of Sludge Bomb, no way he could still be alive. And with him, another part of his bloodline was gone forever. There couldn't be anyone else. There wouldn't be anyone else.

And if there were, Capriccio of the Seven Brothers would have made sure to rectify that.