"Come on hit 'em!", "More to the right! No your other right!", "You've got this, don't let up!". These were among the many jeers, and cheers, being thrown from the crowd of Pokémon gathered around the nine participants, who were all trying their hardest to hit their elusive target. Greninja stood at the very heart of the frey, grinning ear to ear as he gracefully dodged attack after attack. He had fabricated this little endeavor on a whim and was thoroughly enjoying himself as his protégés tried to maim him.

What had started the whole game of hit the Greninja, was the premature return of the otter Pokémon, Rosemary, and her group of lumberjacks. They had finished their task faster than Greninja had expected, which had left him rather unprepared with her next assignment. Thinking quickly, and brashly, he had suggested her group play a little game with him that would determine whether or not they received an easier job for tomorrow. Rosemarie's team jumped at the chance for an easier assignment. They were incredibly sore and splintery from their hours of chopping down trees and were more than glad to play Greninja's game.

Having no objections to his suggested enterprise, Greninja explained the rules of the game. Rosemaries team was to choose three Pokémon to hit him with ranged attacks, they had ten minutes to do so. If they were unable to strike him within the allotted time limit, the participating Pokémon would have to swap out with three of their comrades from the spectating group and wait until their turn came back around.

Every three times they rotated Greninja would get a point, every time they got a hit on Greninja they would get a point. The game ended after either side got twenty points. After about an hour of playing Greninja's game, Vincent and his group stumbled upon them and joined in on the wager. A short while after that, Cravens group returned as well and insisted on playing too.

Greninja now had three teams of participants each one as ambitious as the last to win his game. Seeing how eager his students were he decided test them by pitting themselves against another in a higher stakes gamble. The winner would still be awarded an easier task, but now the team who winds up with the lowest score will have to devote three hours of their day tomorrow in a sparing practice against Greninja and the dynamic duo of darkness,(aka Ziva and Freya).

So far the teams were still within the single digits, the highest score belonging to Cravens' group,who had spent most of their day sparring and were more keenly aware of Greninja's foot positions and what they meant. Vincent and Rosemary caught onto what their rival group was doing and had their men follow their foes lead, letting their adversaries target the air first and copping the trajectory of their attacks.

After taking a few hits Greninja noticed the clever tactics his students were using, and smiled proudly at them. Their ability to not only create a good strategy, but also take notice of what others were doing and use their skills to help themselves was remarkable. Not wanting to let his students get the best of him, he began countering their observations with Double Team; making it seem as if he was in position to move one way when his real intent was in the opposite.

His pride in his pupils quickly turned into disappointment as they struggled to adapt with his sudden change of tactics. Cravens men had been completely knocked off their feet when they realized they couldn't  predict Greninja's movements anymore. They struggled to come up with any other plans of attack and stubbornly kept trying their current attack style, earning Greninja a few extra points in the process.

Five points later and Vincent's group is finally able to adapt to Greninja's Double Team tactic. Their previous hours spent spotting the difference between berry colors had gifted them ability to notice slight changes in tones and shades, which they used to figure out which Greninja was real and which were copies. Using this newfound technique Vincent's squad managed to knock off a few more hits on Greninja, making them the first team to reach double digits.

Like with Craven's groups tactic, the two other teams began following the lead of the group with the most effective tactic, and soon Greninja was forced into a second tactical maneuver. He now stood still in front of his assailants holding a single blade of white energy, so large he needed to use both hands to wield it. This new sword was as tall as him, and as thick and sturdy as a tree; it looked strong enough to take a barrage of attacks without so much as a scratch.

Vincent quickly became fluster with Greninja's broad sword and had his men fire at the frog from multiple angles, in a vain attempt to hit a weak spot in his defenses. Greninja simply adjusted the position of his sword and used the flat edge of the blade to take all of the hits. An explosion of smoke erupted around Greninja as the attacks made contact with his blade, but as the smoke began to dissipate it was obvious that neither he nor his blade had been harmed in the slightest.

Vincent somehow convinced Craven to join him in his multi angle attack strategy and they soon had founded a form of an alliance. Vincent's group struck from three spots on one side of Greninja while Craven's team fired from three positions opposite Vincents'. The six attacks posed a real threat to Greninja but he managed to escape the danger with a unique maneuver. Holding his sword by the flat end of it blade he began spinning it around him like one of those spinning sign advertisement people you see on street corners.

All six attacks either bounce off the blade or were shredded by the whirring wall of white. After repelling all impending threats, Greninja stabbed his blade into the ground and leaned against it as he caught his breath. He'd been defending practically nonstop for hours now and was starting to feel fatigued.

The assaulting teams weren't in too much better state either; they may have had more reprieve than Greninja, but they lacked the endurance he'd been building upon his entire life. What they lacked in endurance though they made up for in their numbers and ingenuity.

One Pokémon among the mass assembled was more ingenious than the rest, for she had been observing both her fellow teams as well as Greninja since the game had started. Rosemary was keenly aware of the different defensive tactics Greninja had used and literally burst out laughing when she realized what he'd been doing.

Everyone stopped what they were doing to stare at Rosemary for her absurd outburst.

"Is everything alright, Rosemary?" Greninja asked, each word seemed to cost him a need for an extra breath.

Rosemary stifled her laughter but retained a smile that continued to laugh for her. "Everything is better than alright, Greninja. Cause I've figured out this game you're playing."

"You have, have you..." Greninja stood up behind his sword, letting it cast a shadow of defeat across his face.

"Yeah, I have. I know-" 

Greninja moved out from the darkness of his blade, letting his pupils see a childish smile living on his lips. "Darn, I'd thought I'd been pretty clever."

"Hey, wait a second let me finish!"

"Oh, sorry."

"Anyways, I know that you were really just testing us to see how we'd use what we did today in a combat scenario. You made the first test one of anticipation and prediction, the same things Craven's group had been doing all morning. Your second test was to find which you was real and which were just diversions, similar to Vincent's groups job of gathering the right berries and avoiding the wrong ones."

Craven's and Vincent's widened in apprehension as Rosemary's logic broke through their thick skulls.

"Hold up a sec, Rosemary." Vincent said bluntly. "So my test was to determine whether a target is a threat or not?"

"More or less."

"And Cravens test was to assess their ability to gauge their opponents movements and reacting accordingly?"

"Yes."

"So what was your test supposed to asses?"

Rosemary's smile grew even brighter at Vincent's question. "Greninja, may we?"

Across from her Greninja matched her grin in full, and held his sword more firmly than he had moments ago. "Hit me with your best shot!"

Rosemary turned to the three teammates she had on point and gave them the instructions they needed. When they were ready she turned back to Greninja and gave the order, "Fire away."

A flamethrower, Hyper Beam, and Thunderbolt all arched towards a singular point on Greninja's blade. The three moves seemed to move like an Axe chopping at a tree, each one a different swing chipping at the wood until the whole thing gave way to their assault.

"My test was to demonstrate the power of teamwork, and the follow through of an attack."

No sooner did her words escape her lips than did Greninja's sword give way to the trifecta move set, letting a thunderbolt hit him square in the chest. A small puff of smoke blew up around the collision between Greninja and the attack. When it cleared everyone could see the Ninja Frog laying flat on his back, unconscious and rushed over to assist him.

Cristina was the first to reach him and began examining him for any serious sign of injury. A sigh of relief escaped her as she discovered Greninja had simply felt the mercy of nine consecutive hours of combat and had only collapsed out of weariness. Scolding him for being so reckless she had Greninja's students help her carry his limp body back to her house to get some much needed rest.

Once they had him situated in her home, Cristina sent Greninja's disciples to their own houses; granting them what little rest they could acquire, before they resumed their training in the swiftly approaching morning. As everyone went their separate ways they each carried a burden of weariness and an oppressing feeling that they were forgetting something, but not knowing who, or what, it was. Both these problems weighed down the Pokémon and forced them into a restless sleep, all the while not knowing what grave consequence their lapse in memory would cost them.