~EPILOGUE~

~RYLEE~

Looking around at the scenery, it all looked the exact same, which didn't help our circumstances. The droning chirp of Pokémon stayed at a consistently loud pitch, making it seem like they were following us. I peered over Cilan's shoulder and at his Town Map.

"Looks like we're lost," Cilan said.

"I'll say," I said. "We must've wandered off the path without noticing."

"There's a lake a mile eastward," Cilan said. "Let's rest there and regroup."

I nodded, and we turned and headed through the forest. In our excitement to explore the Kanto region, we wound up lost in this forest. With Simisage and Zoroark, transformed as Zorua, walking at our sides, we aimlessly trudged through the forest.

After another twenty minutes of walking, the trees parted, and we arrived at a large, glistening lake. The blue surface reflected the trees and sky like a mirror. Cilan set his backpack down, and we sat at the lake's edge.

"Are you hungry?" Cilan said.

"Very much," I said.

Cilan removed a plastic lunchbox from his bag. He opened it, revealing two deliciously packed sandwiches. He took both out and handed one to me.

"Thank you," I said. I unwrapped the sandwich quickly and began to eat. Cilan shifted so our shoulders and knees touched while we sat.

While we ate, a Qwilfish surfaced the top of the lake waters. "Look!" I said, pointing to the Pokémon.

"Interesting… I thought Qwilfish were native to Johto," Cilan said.

"Pokémon are inhabiting all over. It's fascinating to see them settle in places you wouldn't imagine." As I watched the Qwilfish swim, I noted the coloring was different than normal Qwilfish. Its scales looked awful shiny… but perhaps it was just the sun shining against the water on it.

Cilan finished his sandwich, reached into his backpack, and pulled out his fishing rod. He looked at me with a smile.

"Fishing time?" he said.

I sighed with a smile. "Sure," I said. He uncapped his fishing rod, pulled his arms back, and thrust the line out. His lure, strangely shaped like him, glided through the air and hit the water with a cute "pop."

"You know," I said, "have you ever thought that it was weird that you're using a lure shaped like you to catch Pokémon?"

"What about it?"

"Well, it's just… they're going to try and eat what you cast into the water. Why would you make it a person? Why not a berry? Something less… dark."

Cilan chuckled. "You know, I don't think I gave it much thought when I first made the lure. I don't think it's wise to instill that mindset in Pokémon—heaven help the poor person who encounters a Pokémon like that." I snickered. "I'll look into getting that changed."

There was a violent tug on the line, which nearly caught Cilan off guard. He gripped the pole tightly and yanked his fishing rod back. I watched the strain on the line as it moved back and forth quickly. Cilan dug his heels into the ground, but he still skidded towards the water. I reached for him and wrapped my arms around his torso to ground him. He gave the rod one last yank. A large shadow sprung out from the water.

A giant Gyarados emerged from the water and roared. Cilan and I sat frozen where we stood, me still holding onto him and he still gripping his fishing rod.

"That's not Qwilfish…" I said, my face paling.

Gyarados spit the lure out of its mouth. Its eyes scanned the area and settled on us.

"Okay, now I'm starting to really see the error of my lure ways," Cilan said.

Gyarados roared and unleashed a column of Hydro Pump. We scrambled to our feet and out of the way.

"Simisage," Cilan said, "power up a Solar Beam."

Simisage formed a ball of sun energy in its paws. As it built up, Simisage took aim. Gyarados fixated its eyes on Simisage and growled. It opened its mouth, and fire formed. My eyes widened. Gyarados shot Flamethrower, encasing Simisage in the column of fire. The fire dissipated, and Simisage was still standing. Its body was covered with soot and burned fur. Simisage lurched forward and collapsed face first into the soil.

"Simisage!" Cilan cried. He ran to his Pokémon's side and fell to his knees. I followed him and immediately summoned an orb of Heal Pulse. Simisage's green body was almost completely black. Some of the fur was just singed, but some patches had been burned off completely, revealing raw skin. I covered Simisage's body, but the injuries still looked grievous. Cilan looked distraught—even panicked. "We need to get to a Pokémon Center."

Our ears stung at Gyarados' high-pitched shriek. We snapped our heads in its direction, expecting another attack. Instead, we saw its body encased in a bright blue light. Its shrieks were one of agony. It opened its mouth and unleashed a colossal Hyper Beam, which shot down past us and destroyed all the greenery in its path either through direct contact or from the explosion that resulted after. The light disappeared, and Gyarados dove into the water and swam away.

What was that…? I thought. But I didn't want to ask out loud; there were more pressing matters at hand. "Come on," I said, resting a hand on Cilan's shoulder. I extended a hand and summoned a platform of Protect that lay underneath Simisage. I held Cilan's arm and stood both of us up.

Cilan seemed to have shut down. I had to lead him and Simisage through the forest. Cautious to follow the path, I watched the dirt path change to bricks and concrete. We crossed a bridge and into a small town.

Gyarados isn't capable of learning Flamethrower normally, I thought. And that Hyper Beam… I hardly see ones so intense like that.

As we crossed the bridge, I spotted posters hanging from the bridge's posts. I examined them while I passed. It was a wanted poster. Plastered in the center of the poster was a man's face. Underneath read, "Name: Amer. Wanted for illegal poaching. If spotted, please report to the police immediately. Do not approach."

We arrived at the Pokémon Center and hurried straight to the front desk, where Nurse Joy and Chansey, the Pokémon Center assistant in the Kanto region, stood. Nurse Joy saw us, and particularly Simisage, coming.

"What happened?!" Nurse Joy cried.

"Simisage was hit by a Gyarados' Flamethrower," I said.

"Flamethrower…? You're talking about the Gyarados from the lake, right?"

"Yes. You know it?"

Nurse Joy nodded. "I've treated many Pokémon whose Trainers have tried to match up to it. I'll gladly tell you more, but for now, we need to take care of Simisage. Chansey, let's go."

Chansey purred in agreement. It grabbed a stretcher, and I transported Simisage onto it.

"Follow us," Nurse Joy said.

Cilan watched Simisage with great concern. I reached out, took his hand, and we followed the two down the hallway. We stopped at the end of the hall and in front of the doors to the treatment room.

"Please wait here." Nurse Joy gestured to the bench on the other wall. "We'll come out when we're done."

Nurse Joy and Chansey entered the treatment room. When the doors closed, the sign above the door turned on. Cilan and I sat down on the bench. Cilan buried his face in his other hand.

"Hey," I said. "Don't beat yourself up. You had no way of knowing just how strong Gyarados was." I squeezed his hand. "Simisage is in good hands. Nurse Joy knows what she's doing."

"But Simisage has… oh…"

"What?" Seeing that Cilan wouldn't answer, I knitted my eyebrows and leaned in closer. "What's wrong?"

"Nothing…" Cilan shook his leg rapidly and kept his eyes to the floor.

We sat in silence. Time passed, and the treatment sign turned off. The chime of healing rang. Cilan sat up. The door opened, and we stood up as Nurse Joy stepped out of the room.

"The treatment was successful," she said with a smile. "If it rests for a while, Simisage will recover. Its fur may take time to return, but it will be all right."

Cilan sighed with relief. Much of his tension had relaxed, and the change was visible, but he still gripped my hand tightly. "Thank you, Nurse Joy."

"Now…" Nurse Joy folded her arms. "Would you mind telling me why you battled the Gyarados from the lake?"

With the flip of a switch, Nurse Joy's demeanor had changed from loving to stern. It wasn't often that I saw this side of her, and it was jarring.

"We got lost in the surrounding forest, so we came to the lake to take a break," I said. "Cilan wanted to do some fishing, and he accidentally fished the Gyarados out."

Nurse Joy nodded as she listened. "Well, you're lucky it was the Flamethrower that hit Simisage. Gyarados can also use a very powerful Hyper Beam; if Simisage had been hit by the Hyper Beam, its injuries would've been much more serious."

"We saw that Hyper Beam. It was powerful, all right," Cilan said.

"You did?"

"Yes, but it fired one off after Simisage collapsed. Its body started to glow right before."

Nurse Joy cupped her chin in her hand. "From all the stories I've been told, using a Hyper Beam after a battle is something I haven't heard, let alone that its body glowed."

"What are you going to do?" I said.

Nurse Joy shrugged. "Warn travelers and the citizens. Gyarados is just trying to protect itself from all the people trying to get to it. We can live peacefully with Gyarados."

I nodded. "I think that's a good idea."

The four of us returned to the foyer. The door opened, and a little girl with teal hair and green eyes entered the room. Her hair was tied back in a pink bow, and she wore a pink dress with a white short-sleeved jacket, black leggings, and pink shoes with white socks.

"Nurse Joy!" The girl hurried to us.

"Hello, Ayumi," Nurse Joy said. "Is everything all right?"

Ayumi cradled a Pikachu in her arms. The tip of its tail curled inward, giving it the shape of a heart.

"My Pikachu is having trouble with using Thunderbolt," Ayumi said. "I think there's something wrong…"

"Hm…" She crouched to Ayumi's height. Pikachu's nose twitched as it sniffed Nurse Joy curiously. "I don't see anything wrong with it. Has it been acting strangely? Is Pikachu eating well?"

Ayumi nodded. "Everything is normal. It's just the Thunderbolt."

"May I?" Cilan said. Nurse Joy stood, and Cilan took her place. "It's nice to meet you, Ayumi. My name is Cilan, and this is Rylee." Ayumi looked between us and nodded shyly. "Can you tell me when Pikachu learned Thunderbolt?"

"About a week ago…"

"I see… I think it's normal that Pikachu is having difficulties with this new move. I think the problem is it hasn't mastered the move yet."

"Really?"

"He's right," I said. "You can't expect someone to be good at something if they haven't practiced. Pikachu is having trouble now, but if you have it try and use Thunderbolt again and again, it'll learn how to use it properly."

Ayumi gazed at Pikachu thoughtfully. Pikachu looked back at her and smiled.

"Will you help me?" Ayumi said.

"Of course!" Cilan stood up. "Pokémon Centers have training fields. Let's go to one and see what we can do."

Cilan stood on the opposite side of the field with his Stunfisk. I stood next to Ayumi, who observed nervously.

"Are you sure Stunfisk isn't going to get hurt?" Ayumi looked up at me with pleading eyes.

"Yes, it's going to be all right," I said. "Stunfisk is a Ground-type, which means Electric-type moves aren't effective. If it gets hit by Pikachu's Thunderbolt, it won't even scratch it."

"Okay…"

"Let's give it a try, Ayumi," Cilan called from the other side of the field. "Have Pikachu use Thunderbolt."

"O-Okay! Pikachu, use Thunderbolt!" Pikachu squared its feet on the ground. Its cheeks crackled with electricity, but no Thunderbolt was summoned. Ayumi looked deflated.

"Hey, relax," I said. "Take a deep breath."

I breathed deeply, and Ayumi followed suit. We exhaled at the same time. We did that a couple more times. Cilan watched silently.

"If you're relaxed, then Pikachu will relax. Your Pokémon can sense how you're feeling, and if you're not confident in yourself, they won't be confident in themselves either." Ayumi listened intently. "Let's give it another try, okay?"

Ayumi nodded and faced forward. She took one more deep breath. Her shoulders relaxed. "Pikachu, use Thunderbolt!"

Pikachu's cheeks crackled, and the electricity spread to its body. I perked up. Pikachu unleashed a Thunderbolt, albeit very small. It hit the spot in front of Stunfisk.

"Hey, it's working!" I said. "Let's keep going."

"Use Thunderbolt again!"

Pikachu used Thunderbolt one after the other. As it did, the electricity grew thicker and stronger. Finally, it released a large and powerful attack that hit Stunfisk. Stunfisk flopped around on the ground, but it had a goofy smile on its face.

"You did it!" I cried. Ayumi's face brightened.

"We did it!" Ayumi cried. Pikachu turned around and hurried to Ayumi. It jumped into her arms. "We really did it, Pikachu! You did a good job!"

"You did a good job, too," Cilan said as he approached us.

Ayumi smiled at both of us. "Thank you." We heard a high-pitched growl. Ayumi's face turned as pink as her dress, and she held Pikachu tight against her torso. "I'm sorry… I was so worried about Pikachu that I forgot to eat breakfast…"

Cilan chuckled. "It's all right. It's about time that we get hungry, too. Let's make something to eat, shall we?"

Back in the Pokémon Center, we went to their on-site kitchen. Cilan gathered ingredients from the fridge and cupboards, as well as the leftovers he had in his backpack, and started to make food. I stood with Ayumi, who played with Zoroark, Stunfisk, and Pikachu. "You really like Pokémon, don't you?"

Ayumi smiled and nodded. "My mom gave me my Pikachu, and it's my best friend." She looked at me. "How long have you had your Zorua?"

"A very long time, ever since I was your age. I loved my Zorua so much that it evolved into Zoroark." While playing with the other Pokémon, Zoroark glowed magenta and she grew into her actual form. Ayumi gaped at her.

"Wow! That's so cool! Zoroark can change forms?"

"Mm-hm. It can transform into any Pokémon it wants using illusions. It comes in handy," I said. "But no matter what form she takes on, Zoroark will always be my best friend."

Pikachu climbed up Zoroark's back and onto her head, squealing happily. Ayumi giggled, and I chuckled at the adorable sight.

Food was ready, so we sat down and ate. When we finished, Ayumi went back to playing with the Pokémon while Cilan and I washed the dishes. I glanced at Cilan many times, who remained very quiet. His eyebrows were knitted as he dried a plate and put it on a rack.

"Is something troubling you?" I said.

Cilan pulled out of his deep train of thought and looked at me as if just noticing my presence. He returned his eyes to the sink. "Yeah… I'm just, um… worried about Simisage. I've been thinking about it constantly."

"Simisage just needs to rest. I'm sure it'll wake up soon and feel better than ever," I said. I studied his face as I dried my hands on my dish towel. I rested my right hand on his back and my left on his forearm. "But are you okay?"

"Yes… Like I said, I'm thinking about a lot of things."

"Like what?"

Cilan blushed, lingering his eyes on the hand resting on his arm. "I… guess I've also been, um, thinking about… u-us."

I raised my eyebrow. "Do I need to be concerned?"

Cilan straightened his posture. He took my hand, kissed it, and held it against his heart while giving me his best, assuring smile. "No. Everything's fine, I promise."

Before I could press for more information, we heard a loud explosion coming from outside. Cilan and I looked at each other, and we set the dishes down and hurried out of the kitchen.

"Nurse Joy!" At least a dozen Trainers flooded into the foyer. Nearly all of them carried Pokémon.

"What happened?!" she cried at the sight of the injured Pokémon.

"The Gyarados is here in the city! It came from the lake and is on a tirade!"

Nurse Joy's face paled. "Why is it here…?" she asked in a hushed whisper. She snapped out of her panic and put on a brave face. "Chansey! Let's get to work!"

I moved past the distressed Trainers and peered out the windows. My eyes widened at the powerful Hyper Beams shooting across the sky. I saw the top of Gyarados' head appearing over buildings.

"It's bad out there," I said as Cilan and Ayumi caught up with me. I turned and crouched to Ayumi's height. "Ayumi, you need to stay here. It's too dangerous for you to go outside."

"But… my parents are probably really worried about me," she said.

"There should be a phone here. Call your parents and let them know where you are. Then stay put."

Ayumi nodded. Holding Pikachu tightly, she entered the throng of Trainers. I looked at Cilan.

"We should go," he said, beating me to it. I nodded.

We headed outside and followed Gyarados' bobbing head. We met it in the plaza, where the canal connected to a large fountain. Officer Jenny sealed up the waterway, trapping Gyarados in the small section of water. It tried to force its way through the sealed doors by attacking it with Flamethrower. When that didn't work, it started to gather a Hyper Beam.

"Gyarados, stop!" Cilan called.

Gyarados stopped its Hyper Beam and it slowly turned to us.

"You're putting a lot of people in danger," I said. "You need to stop this and return to the lake. We can help you. There's no need to fight."

Gyarados stood still in the water and stared at us. It seemed to be considering the proposal.

"Officer Jenny," I said as the officer stared cautiously at the giant Pokémon. She shifted her eyes quickly between me and Gyarados, "I think Gyarados wants to work with us."

"How can you tell?" Officer Jenny said. Her Growlithe stood at her side, growling. Its fur bristled.

"It's not attacking us. And it will stay that way if we stay calm and don't do anything rash," Cilan said.

Gyarados kept staring at us. After a few more moments, it submerged. Officer Jenny relaxed a little.

"You told it we would help take it back to the lake? How do you suppose we do that?" she said, folding her arms.

"Let's go back to the Pokémon Center. Nurse Joy could help us," I said.

Nurse Joy had her hands full with treating Pokémon. We waited for there to be a lull before we pulled her aside. We told her of cornering Gyarados and how we needed to figure out how to get it out. She went into a back room and came out with a map of the area. She rolled it out on a table for all of us to see.

"If we want to take Gyarados back to the lake, we need to get it to move there," Nurse Joy said. Cilan cupped his chin in his hand.

"How can we do that?" Officer Jenny said. "The only way we can is through the water, and even though we've gotten it to calm down, I don't think it will be eager to work with us and move upstream."

Cilan's eyes lit up. "We can pull Gyarados." He held up a finger and hurried out of the room. Nurse Joy and Officer Jenny looked at me, but I could only shrug. Cilan returned. He held out his hand, which had his fishing rod. "If we use my fishing rod, we can steer Gyarados out of the city and back to the lake."

"Will that work?" Nurse Joy said.

"I don't know," Cilan chuckled, "but do we have any other ideas?"

Officer Jenny sighed. "I guess not… Let's hope it works."

We headed back to the plaza and watched from the operator tower next to the gates. The water was calm; no bubbles or ripples of any kind disturbed the surface.

"Let's begin," Officer Jenny said. She lowered the gates. We climbed into a policeboat, and Jenny started it. She drove us through the waterway and into the plaza. Cilan cast his reel into the water. I watched the lure fall through the air.

"Ah—you changed the lure," I said as I watched the Sitrus berry lure plop into the water. Cilan smiled.

A large shadow loomed close to the surface, and it only took a few seconds before the line tightened. Gyarados burst from the water. Officer Jenny hurried to a cannon at the end of the boat. She activated it, and it shot out a net that encased Gyarados. Gyarados thrashed around. Cilan hurried to Officer Jenny and took her place at the cannon. Jenny went back to the front, revved the boat, and took us down the canal.

"Be careful!" I said, spitting my hair out of my mouth as it whipped in my face.

"I will!" Cilan gripped the cannon tightly as Gyarados continued to thrash in the net. "It's all right, Gyarados! We're taking you back to the lake!"

"It looks like it's working," Officer Jenny called. I nodded in agreement and looked at Gyarados.

I noticed something glisten in the water. A Qwilfish emerged from the water, and it was swimming towards us at an alarmingly fast rate. As I squinted to see it more clearly, I gasped; it was the same Qwilfish from the lake! It leaped from the water. What I thought was a trick of the light before was its actual body. Its body was mechanical, and it glistened in the sun. It sprouted wings and flew above Gyarados. It opened a hatch from its stomach and shot the glowing blue energy from before. It hit Gyarados, and Gyarados roared in pain.

Another speedboat cruised to our side. A man with olive hair steered the boat. He wore dark sunglasses and a dark purple suit.

"Hey…" I said. I pointed at the man. "He's the guy on the wanted poster I saw."

Officer Jenny snapped her head in that direction and locked eyes with the man. "Amer!" she cried.

"Officer Jenny," Amer said with a smile, "a pleasure to see you again. Thanks for capturing the Gyarados for me. It's going to fetch a very heavy price."

The glowing energy stopped, and the robot Qwilfish cut the rope attached to the net off. The sudden imbalance caused our boat to spin in wild circles before coming to an abrupt stop. Amer attached a hook to the net and laughed boisterously as he drove away.

"Hey! Get back here!" Officer Jenny cried, trying several times to turn the boat back on.

"Rylee," Cilan called. "go after him. We'll catch up."

I nodded. I jumped off the speedboat and shot my arm out, creating a platform of Protect.

"You be careful this time!" Cilan said. I smiled and took off down the water. I flew out of the city's canal and into the forest's river. Amer's boat and Gyarados got closer in my view.

"Stop, Amer!" I called. Amer glanced over his shoulder and scowled.

"Get off my back, stupid kid!" He pressed a button on his cellphone, and his Qwilfish shot spikes at me. I dodged them, but they flew into Gyarados' tail. Gyarados let out an ear-shattering shriek of pain. It used Flamethrower and tore itself away from the net. Amer pressed another button, and his Qwilfish shot more energy at Gyarados. The giant Water-type thrashed in agony.

"No more! I've had enough!" I shot my arms out and encased Qwilfish with Protect. I thrust my arms into an X, and the Protect suddenly shrunk, crushing the machine in a matter of seconds. I threw my arms at Amer, dispelling the Protect and throwing scrap pieces at him. Before Amer could react, Gyarados roared. Its body glowed red, matching its blood-thirsty eyes.

My eyes widened. Outrage!

Gyarados thrashed around, spraying the land with Flamethrower. It launched fire at Amer's boat, sending him flying to the river's edge and causing his boat to explode. He recovered and sprinted down the path. Officer Jenny and Cilan came closer. Noticing Amer trying to escape, Cilan called out Crustle. It landed on top of Amer and pinned him to the ground.

Gyarados continued its mindless rampage. Officer Jenny, Cilan, and I climbed onto the bridge. I called Aegislash back into its Poké Ball.

"Gyarados, stop!" Cilan called. "There's no need to be angry anymore! We're not going to hurt you."

Gyarados shot a column of Flamethrower at us. We ducked down as the flames hit the side of the bridge and arched over us. The heat hit my skin, creating an immediate sweat. We looked up at Gyarados, who loomed ominously over us. It roared, but several explosions pelted its face. It screeched and recoiled.

Cilan's eyes widened, and he sat up. Simisage hurried onto the bridge. Its fur was still black and charred, but it looked healthy.

"Simisage!" Cilan climbed to his feet and embraced his partner. "I'm so glad that you're okay. I was worried about you."

Gyarados fired all its moves in succession: Flamethrower, Hydro Pump, and finally Hyper Beam. We ducked at the sight of the Hyper Beam. It hit the middle of the bridge, taking out the entire chunk.

"I don't know if Gyarados is going to hear us in this stage," Officer Jenny said.

Cilan scowled and stood up. He turned to Gyarados, stretching his arms out to the side.

"Gyarados, calm down!" he called. I tensed, but I realized Gyarados hesitated, as if it was still able to hear Cilan. "I know you're angry. Someone hurt you and tried to take you away from your home. I would feel the same way if someone did that to me. But we caught that person. They're going to be punished for what they did, and they won't be able to hurt you or other Pokémon anymore. You can be at peace now."

I finally stood up. "Gyarados, let's return to the lake together. You won't be bothered anymore. You can live happily!" I managed a small, warm smile. "Everything's all right. You're safe now."

Gyarados remained silent. A log floated down the river and bumped Gyarados' tail. It roared and fired off a Hyper Beam. Cilan wrapped his arms around my waist and yanked us away. The Hyper Beam zoom right through where we once stood. We hit the ground. "Are you all right?"

"Yeah…" I said, and we stood. "Gyarados heard us. But it's still in a lot of pain." I pointed at Gyarados' tail, which was covered with many wounds from Amer's attack. "I can heal it if I can get close enough."

Cilan smiled. "Leave that to me." He looked to Simisage. "Use Grass Whistle."

Simisage sifted through the tuft of fur on its head and plucked a small bundle that hadn't been singed. It took a deep breath and played a soothing melody with the fur. It carried into Gyarados' ears; it bowed its head and fell asleep. My eyes started to droop. I shook my head and hurried off the bridge. I pressed my hands together and took a deep breath. Warmth spread from my chest to my fingertips, and I slowly pulled my hands apart. As I did, an orb of Heal Pulse formed, glowing orange and pink. I clapped my hands together, smashed the orb, and cupped the glowing particles in the hand. I walked over to Gyarados' drooping tail and sprinkled it over the wounds. I watched them close and heal partially. Cilan joined my side with a Potion in hand. He sprayed the rest of the afflicted area, healing the wound completely.

"There," Cilan said. I sighed in relief and stroked the giant Water-type's scales.

When Gyarados awoke, it was much more cooperative. We led it back to the lake.

"I'm glad you're back to your home, Gyarados," Cilan said. "Now you can live peacefully."

"Be careful with that Hyper Beam, okay? It packs a punch that no one wants delivered to them," I said.

Gyarados nodded. "Thank you," it said. It slowly submerged.

"I want to thank you both for your help," Officer Jenny said. "Gyarados and other Pokémon can rest now that there's one less person out there who wants to harm them."

"You're very welcome, Officer Jenny," Cilan said. "It always brings warmth to my heart to know both our worlds are a little safer."

Officer Jenny extended her hand and shook ours. She saluted us and went back to the town. We waved as she walked away.

"I'm glad we were able to help," I said.

"Me, too," Cilan said. "I'm glad that everything wasn't ruined in Gyarados' fire."

"What do you mean?"

"Um… well…"

"Are you finally going to tell me what's been going through that head of yours?" I tapped Cilan's forehead.

Cilan gulped. "I don't know… at least, I don't know right now…"

"Cilan, what is going on? Are you breaking up with me or something?"

"What?! No, no!" Cilan's cheeks glowed pink. He bit his lip. "I've… been… thinking about the opposite, actually…"

I stared at him blankly. Cilan took a step back. He breathed deeply and smiled.

"Rylee, I love you. I've learned so much from you, and I know there's more to be taught. And… even if it takes forever to do that… with you, I'd gladly accept."

I furrowed my eyebrows and searched Cilan's face. His eyes and hands shook; whatever he was thinking about, he was nervous about putting it into action. He reached his hand to the side. Simisage, standing at his feet, reached into the tuft of grass on the top of his head, pulled out a small object, and slipped it into Cilan's hand. He brought his hand up and opened it, revealing the object.

A small, black, ring box.

I stared at the object for a few moments before my brain comprehended what it was. I gasped and looked up at Cilan. I followed his eyes as he lowered himself to the ground and rested on one knee. He opened the box, revealing a beautiful ring. The band was made of multiple, embellished, thinner bands that intertwined together like streams of water. They met together at the top, underneath a small diamond.

"Rylee Runyon..." Cilan said. "Will you marry me?"

My whole body went numb. A mixture of emotions crashed inside me. Was this a good idea? Would I be able to make this big of a commitment? Would he? My heart raced so quickly, I worried it would pop out of my chest. I opened my mouth, but no words, sound, or air came out. I was frozen, petrified.

But then, those feelings flushed out of me, overwhelmed by something newer and more pleasant: the same stomach-fluttering sensation of flying high in the sky. Cilan waited patiently, but I noticed how he trembled; he was as scared as I was. Perhaps this was something with an outcome that none of us could foresee, something my powers couldn't touch.

But the loving look in his grass green eyes filled my heart with warmth. Out of all the girls in the world, he wants me. He loves me.

And I love him, too.

Having found the air in my lungs again, I took a deep breath.

"Yes," I said. "Yes!"

Cilan's eyes lit up, filled with relief and joy. He laughed, stood up, and swept me into his arms. We embraced until I found it difficult to breathe from the tightness of our arms and the overwhelming joy swelling in my chest. We pulled away and looked at each other with bright smiles. Cilan took my hand and gently slid the ring on. Simisage and Zoroark sat off to the side, watching us with big smiles.

"I love you," Cilan said.

I leaned in, cupping his face in my hands, and kissed him. He returned it, falling deeper into the kiss, as he held my waist. I experienced a similar rollercoaster of emotions to when we had to say goodbye to each other in Unova two years ago. But in this moment, we weren't facing the end. Today was the mark of a new beginning.

I pulled away and regained my breath. "I don't know if I'll ever be able to express how much I love you," I said.

Cilan smiled. "Me neither... but we have plenty of time to figure that out."

My cheeks grew bright pink, and we leaned in again. I remembered also the excitement and hope I felt when my Unova journey first began. Those feelings livened up once more in this moment. A new adventure was about to begin, and, finally believing the words the mythical Wish Pokémon, Jirachi, told me many years ago, I knew an eternal goodbye would never escape from my lips.

I could hardly wait.

Nestled between a quaint, brick house and an expansive forest, a small, unmarked slab of stone sits humbly. Tiny daisies springing from the ground brush their soft petals against the sides. The air is soft and silent.

Gentle footsteps draw nearer to the stone. The footsteps stop. The daisies seem to turn their heads towards the being, curious to see who it is.

A tiny, thin, white hand reaches out and touches the rock.

To be continued...

AUTHOR'S NOTE:

It's been a long time coming... definitely a lot longer than it should have. Thank you all for being patient with me during this last cluster of chapters. I had a lot of bouts with lack of motivation, but I'm very satisfied to have pushed through and finished what I started. I'm satisfied with how the story turned out, and I hope you guys are, too.

Now, I'm going to rest from fan fiction. I've wanted to write my own works for a while now, but I wanted to finish Silent Knight before I did that. Now that I'm done, I can put this to bed for the time being. Don't interpret this as "I will never write or share fan fiction again," because that's incorrect. I love writing fan fiction, and I get ideas every now and then. But by this time next year, I will be graduated from college and married, so I want to invest more time on my future. When will I be back? Who knows, so I ask that you not ask. It's time to test your patience once more.

Again, I'm very thankful to you all who have stuck around, as well as newcomers to my stories. I'm sure it must have been frustrating to wait so long for chapters to come out, and I apologize. Now we can all happily move on. Don't forget how awesome you are.

Until I write again... Stay tuned!