Hi Everyone, Happy T-day! (And by that, I mean Thanksgiving, not Tree day) Hope you all had good dishes. And now, you get to enjoy this little bit, the final ANI episode of this little fic.

So, give a nice warm round of applause for the last, but most certainly not least, edition of Apples Not Included: Hoenn Chronicles. A beautiful fic simply for the fact that Rizu-san actually has humans exist in her story. ToF Hardly ever mentions the humans, and Anomaly certainly has the Pokemon playing the bigger role. xD

MY biggest obstacle to get over was Snuggles, but after him, everything else fell into place fine. Well, that and Greg... he doesn't really have a clear picture so I had to take liberty... Sorry Rizu, I hope you don't mind! Erm, feel free to look back everyone so you can remember how the last couple chapters went, sorry for the wait.

Four days. That was the complete time it took to cover the distance of vast, deep, blue, impassable ocean. No trainer claimed the unwilling stow away, thus Charlie was left on his own to wander. (After he escaped the evil caging stronghold of the human) He spent two of those four days hiding. At first all he knew was that he had been captured and held prisoner on this morbid sick, desolate… place. Only after the third day did he learn that this was a 'cruise ship.' To this day Charlie would never understand the necessity of plush red carpet. It was rather hindering to those who were trip-prone. Though even this dark, Mewforsaken (for some reason he shuddered at that word, and vowed that never again would he use that word, for a reason he could not understand) holding had some useful information. The second day he came out of hiding, he learned that it was only the smaller humans that one had to avoid. Squealing hurt his ears, and getting picked up and petted all the time was annoying. And he learned that silently begging led to some tasty treats.

When the ship finally came to a standstill, it was bright and early, a brand-new day for a brand-new land. (Though Charlie was not really aware that this was a new continent. In fact when the ship first landed he was actually lost below deck as the passengers filed off. Eventually he found his way back, so it was not all hopeless.) When he first saw the open door, completely unguarded, he did not believe it at first. Then slowly, carefully, cautiously, the little mouse crawled to peek around the edge of the door into the light. Blinding white bathed his tainted body and purified his dark eyes to the brink of tears.

"Land!" He cried joyously as he broke into the bright, cheery, invigorating, welcoming rays. "Freedom!" Scurry scurry went his teeny tiny feet and away he flew down the aluminum ramp.

Actually it was quite cloudy, but Charlie did not care. The road called to him with open arms and in pure ecstasy he jumped and flipped and danced and scampered in circles. Yes, land! His excitement bubbled over into a kneel, and he kissed the hot black asphalt. After blowing and spitting the dust from his lips, he joyously looked around him. Hope and determination helped him make it back to the funny mountains with invisible walls and upside down fires and odd black ground! After his exuberant celebration he stopped and looked on to the path ahead of him and started his on his way. Now he just needed to go…

He stopped; and looked around. It was only as he saw the pedestrian crowd that accumulated from his antics before that he realized he had been so concerned with escape that he had no idea how he had gotten there in the first place. Secretive whispers and coos made him grow uneasy. All this attention was disconcerting…

"Hey, unblock traffic, people!"

A trill made several people in the crowd turn in time to see a human on top of a skinny metal-wheel monster peddling right for the center of the walkway.

"YUWAH!"

The crowd parted instantly to avoid a crash, and away Charlie fled across the familiar cement squares of the sidewalk within the city. Panic coursed through him and made him forget to dive to the side to evade the danger.

"Move it, rat!" the human on the monster ordered.

Charlie whined as his natural quick Pichu abilities kept him just far enough ahead to keep from being flattened. Just barely; if he did not get away now, there would be free Pichu pancakes for all these people to enjoy. The agitated human was not slowing down, and Charlie grew increasingly more desperate from the enclosing wheels. He swore his tail could sense the hot rubber spinning closer. A single glimpse of his salvation came after what felt like hours of a chase (which was actually about three minutes.) There was a break on the walking side of the pedestrian human wall, and in blind desperation, he leaped. In the miracle that was convenient coincidence, the doors opened for passage, and he tumbled in. The bicycle sped on as the glass doors behind Charlie closed in a barrier. He heaved and panted in excursion.

"Whoa, look at the little guy."

"The poor thing…"

"Did you ever see a Pichu jump so high?"

"What a jerk!."

"Yeah, too bad he's already taken."

Charlie glanced up, then down at his dubbed collar. Already the choking thing was slipping off. Actually it was surprising it was still even on. A pair of flashy white and neon green sneakers nearby caught his eye, and he walked up to them. He nudged the blue jean leg with his paw. Curious brown eyes looked down in surprise, and Charlie lifted the blue ribbon to indicate it, which caused a trio of darkly dressed trainers in the corner to whisper.

"Aw, how come that guy gets all the Pokémon?" One of the boys asked.

"Yeah, they just walk right up to him, lucky bastard," muttered the other.

"What was his name?" The small soft voice of the girl asked.

"Greg, I think."

"Greg…" the girl cast her black eyes to him, and her voice dropped an octave. "Forever more let his name bear the weight of the pernicious curse."

Charlie could not repress the chills running down his spine. This human probably could not hear the murmurs, but he could.

"You want me to tie it for you?" the human he could only assume was named Greg asked.

Charlie nodded. The human knelt, and the Pichu noticed how shiny his silver hair was. His long bangs looked awful fun to play with. He also wondered why this human had a pair of goggles over his forehead. Cursed short attention span made the curious critter divert his attention again to the stretched and smoothed satin thread. His eyes refused to move away as the long fingers deftly unwrapped and smoothed out the loose ribbon ends. His little rear wriggled and his hind legs crouched in preperation… no! Now was not the time. From his reserve Charlie pulled in every ounce of willpower he had to not jump and catch the ribbon. The helpful stranger moved to wrap it back around the small neck right before a robin-egg blue blur jumped up to grab at the navy strip. Charlie leaped back reflexively as a four stumpy-legged creature with large rabbit ears jumped up at the navy ribbon. A moment of speculation recognized it as a Nidoran, though at first he thought it was a girl, but now he wondered if it was a boy…

"No, Snuggles, bad!" Greg pulled the ribbon away and tried to hold the Pokémon back. "Ow, pull in your horn!"

But pulling away the ribbon only made the Nidoran hop more zealously. The little Pichu grew uneasy at the Jealous and heart struck eyes on the little battle of wills right next to him. The studded belt he could see under the red shirt that rose with the stretching arms disquieted him too. Charlie placed one paw behind him, and then another, then another, with his eyes trained on the leaping creature and his ears trained on the click of the Nidoran's claws against the linoleum. Snuggles ceased jumping, and turned to look at the ball of yellow fluff moving in a curious manner. Charlie froze and stared at the creature only just bigger than himself staring as though scrutinizing an alien. The human that had been battling with the Nidoran let out a sigh of relief. Then the triangle hearing tools for Charlie twitched. Snuggles glanced up, Greg groaned at what he knew was coming, Charlie squeaked, then ran when Snuggles chased after him.

"Wah!" little Charlie cried, "someone help me!"

"Wait, Snuggles, stop!" the human Charlie now decided officially to be male shot to his feet and chased after.

Greg still held the ribbon though made a grab for Snuggles, who in turn jumped forward and simultaneously snapped at the black furred lighting bolt, making Charlie pull forward and crunch his tail to avoid it being snatched. The two Pokémon dashed under the chairs of shockingly unaware humans and Pokémon, much to the amusement of those who were watching. Those trainers and partners who were intelligent enough to move away before getting crashed into snickered, or just plain howled at the spectacle. Greg was mortified when the two darted between the legs of standing spectators, especially a pretty brunette with an orange sweater and short green skirt.

"Why does this always happen to me?" the girl cried.

Greg was too hurried and scared to ask. Shrieks sounded through the center with the poor boy tumbling out hurried apologies with his efforts still on just catching up to the critters causing the ruckus.

"Please slow down…" he huffed, "people aren't meant to run this fast!"

The race turned down the healing wing, even as Greg begged them to not go that way. Newly released patients and trainers jumped back before becoming a halting catalyst for a crash and watched with bewilderment. Seeing the oncoming dead end, Charlie strengthened his resolve and darted on, even when Greg felt mixed relief and unease. With a determined jump Charlie flew a good foot high onto the wall, then jumped off the wall to fly over Snuggles. The Nidoran followed the movement with his eyes even as he kept up the chase. This resulted in him scrambling in a turn only for his rear to smash into the wall. The human ceased running and tried to stumble into a stop before crashing into the wall as well, and this innocent little Pichu squeaked while trying to avoid the big clumsy green sneakers. It was a miracle, but he avoided being squashed. Human hands had enough instinctual sense at least to shoot out onto the wall to stop his momentum. Snuggled recovered quickly and simply shot through Greg's spread legs to continue the chase.

"For crying out loud." Greg bashed his own head against the wall in frustration. Why was he the one trying to calm the erupting scene of chaos? He turned to follow. "This has got to stop!"

Charlie bumped into another Pokémon as they rounded a corner on the desk, which in turn made Snuggles crash into him, which in turn had Greg trip over the huddled bodies, which in turn had them rolling onto the laminate flooring. The human half twisted his body to at least fall on his side instead of his face, though his arm felt the blow when his elbow took the brunt of his fall. Well over a dozen pairs of eyes blinked and stared in mild confusion, amusement and wariness. Two watched in satisfaction, and the third and smallest merely watched with calculation while the human hissed in pain and rubbed his elbow, the Pichu on his side worked to yank the lower half of his body out from under, the dark blue creature flailed its legs about since it was suffocating, and the Nidoran… was not moving from under the human's legs.

"It begins." She murmured.

There was a distinctive high-pitched squeak of protest from under the pile of sore entertainers, and Greg instantly snapped up in alarm, letting Charlie pop out. He twisted and stretched his arm to reach under himself to retrieve the unfortunate casualty. She stopped flailing and gasped for air as soon as she was lifted.

"Mudkip! Mudkip, I'm so sorry, are you alright?"

Charlie shook his head to regain himself and turned to see the human teen cradling the Mudkip against his breast. The young kit blinked and stared at the orange-cheeked, robin-blue-bellied, head-finned Pokémon rubbing her side with her paw, with colored human eyes looking critically at her. The creature cast her round black eyes up to him and nodded her head to affirm his question, even if she was a little sore..

"I'm so glad that you're alright," his eyes softened and his smile conveyed pure relief for a moment before it dissipated from his lack of energy, "I don't know what I'd do if you were hurt." He sighed in exhaustion. "You mean a lot to me, Mudkip."

Mudkip's stunned eyes widened at the admittance and watered in her stirring emotion.

"Greg…"

The guilty joy she felt from the concern prevented her from finding the right words. Instead she reached up and licked at his chin. This brought his smile right back. Thankfully, he was focused only on Mudkip, otherwise the poor boy would have blushed profusely at the audience raptly watching the scene with aww. Lightly he pet the side of her head, and winced. Confusedly looking at his hand where a small red scratch burned awakened the throbbing pain of another and with a surprised yelp his legs jerked.

"Greg, what's wrong?" Mudkip wondered.

Snuggles underneath moved and snored lightly, but everyone else watched as he twisted and shifted until the other side of his leg was visible. Collective shocked and horrified gasps resounded through the center as hot dark red bled into the denim from the crimson shining through the frayed fabric.

"Damn it," Greg hissed while releasing Mudkip.

Instantly the uninjured hand clutched onto his leg in attempt to slow the murdering pulse, but it did not stop the occasional faint pump of blood spilling forth. Judging from the angry festering wounds, there was not much time left. Mudkip looked up to him and placed her paw on his uninjured thigh with worried eyes, to ask for his own health and safety. A single trembling hand reached out to pet her in reassurance while the other remained holding onto his wound.

"I'm fine Mudkip, really. Don't-" a clipped whine stopped his reassurance and his hand clenched over his heart as a particularly painful throb burned through his veins.

"Greg, Greg no! Keep yourself together!" She begged.

An obviously pained grimace that was supposed to be a smile made Charlie's eyes tear. The Pokémon could tell he was done for when he grunted again and his head nodded forward.

"No!" Charlie couldn't help but call out desperately to keep his attention, "Greg!"

A single lethal sway that was far too strong for this poisoned victim's weakening balance threw him to the floor. Shocked shrieks and gasps went ignored and unnoticed as both Mudkip and Charlie flew forward and valiantly shook Greg's prone shoulders, even as tears blurred their vision.

"Greg- Greg no! You gotta open your eyes!" The littlest Pichu begged.

And the youth did, only the bare minimum in order to see his closest starter Pokémon's tear-stained face.

"Don't cry, Mudkip…" The expression was distant and clouded with pain as long fingers trembled to reach up and touch the wet cheeks. "You gotta take care of yourself… you'll do that, right?"

Mudkip nodded eagerly. "Yes, yes, I will, just get up and get better!"

Greg lightly donned a placating hand under the gills of her cheek as he smiled sadly. He let his eyes drift shut.

"Take care of yourself," the hand weakened and fell away, "Mudkip…"

Shocked eyes stared as the hand bounced off the floor, for there was not even a breath of movement.

"It is done." A faint voice whispered.

"NO-O-O!" Mudkip wailed to the heavens. With frustrated sobs she flung herself onto the prone trainer's limp body. "Why?" Pokémon's legendary grief poured into her tears and her cries, "Why was he cursed to live out a stupid dramatic death cliché? Now I'll never be taken seriously!"

The trio from the corner stared on.

"You must have really hated him." The boy raised a brow.

"Yeah, a dramatic death is your strongest curse." Agreed the other.

The faint smile of amusement never wavered from the girl's lips. "The Mudkip's pain… is so delicious to watch. I must see more…"

Snuggles yawned and wriggled from under Greg's legs. No one turned to him at first as he popped out and rolled over onto his feet.

"That was fun, can we do it again?"

"You! This is all your fault!" Mudkip turned and slapped him with her tail fin. Gasping through her sobs, she cried: "if you hadn't started chasing that Pichu, Greg wouldn't have gotten stabbed and would never have become delirious enough to actually express his dormant protective nature for me and…" she stopped as she considered this sequence of events. "Wait…"

"Excuse me."

A looming shadow cast over all three Pokémon and the single fainted human. The slowly the critters looked up to the friendly and sweet faced Nurse hovering by them.

"If I treat your trainer one last time-" her eyebrow twitched with restrained anger, "Will you promise to never return to this Pokémon Center?"

Mudkip had no choice but to nod mutely as the stretcher arrived to assist the poisoned Greg. She did not know how she was going to explain this to Alexa when she returned. Though she hoped the young Pichu who had brought about this regretful yet plot filler catastrophe and valiantly attempted to help her with Greg would stay to assist her again.

Well, another day's chaotic chase put to rest. Another fine case for Charlie the Pichu to close and record and be done with. Now was his chance. If he had any hope for escaping into a normal life, to get away from this insanity, it had to be now. Turning away from the scene of property carnage, the maturing kit rubbed his eyes to wipe away the evidence of emotional grief.

Rite of flight, Aid me one last time…

Mudkip turned just as the Pichu inhaled and propped up on his back legs in preparation.

"Wait! Where are you going?"

The Pichu stopped and whirled about at the cry. "I must leave. The fates call me out onto another adventure yet."

"But why? I need your help, here, with me."

"But my help is done." Black button eyes cast to the ground sadly. "There's nothing more I can do."

"You can stay here," Mudkip murmured.

Charlie only turned.

"Stay Pichu, stay!" She pleaded, though in vain. "They have no legal claim,
No shadow of a shame
Will fall upon thy name.
Stay, Pichu, stay!"

"Nay, Mudkip nay!" He turned away, unable to look straight into her begging eyes. "Tonight I quit these walls,
The thought my soul appalls,
But when stern Duty calls,
I must obey."

The desperate soprano rushed to him. "Stay, Pichu, stay!"

The heart torn tenor clasped her paws with his own. "Nay, Mudkip, nay!"

"They have no claim-"

"But Duty's name-"

"No shadow of a shame-"

"The thought my soul appalls-"

"Will fall upon thy name-"

"But when stern duty calls-"

"Stay Fredrick stay!"

Charlie stared. "My name is Charlie."

"Oh." Mudkip blinked, brought out of the curse of obscure musicals. "I knew watching dancing pirates would do something to my head."

The girl snarled. "Damn it, there goes my dramatic parting lovers …"

She pulled out her paws from him and sat back normally. "Well, see ya."

"Yeah, bye."

Charlie followed suit, and even added a little human wave as he sat back on his haunches and prepared his now much needed escape. He was already going mad.

The spirit of Speedy Gonzalez aided him in his time of need, and let him escape lightning quick. The windows had to be opened as soon as he left to air out all the dust he left behind. Onto the roads he traveled, away from the metal-wheeled monster, away from the humans, away from the dramatic curses, away from the strange mountains, into the woods again he flew. He finally stopped when all seemed quiet and still. And collapsed. Why did this keep happening to him?!

"Hey-"

Charlie jumped and whirled around to see yet another blue face, though with curious blue eyes, large ears and a white ruffle around the head.

"How'd you get all they way out here?" the female Vaporeon asked in confusion, "Wait, don't tell me, Mewtwo got to you, I know, but teleporting you all the way out to Hoenn seems extreme, even for him. I always thought he had too big of a stick stuck up his arse."

Charlie did not answer, too confused by the words to make sense of anything. Crescent's ear flicked, and the blue eyes brightened with excitement. She turned off the dirt path and hid in the foliage confines of a bush.

"Quick, hide, here they come!"

Charlie did not want to know who 'they' were, or what they were doing, but was quickly learning that these encounters seemed inevitable in his life and it was best just to go with them. A loud thud caught his attention and he glanced to see what might have been one of the most terrifying sights of his adventures yet. He could vaguely remember a green lizard from several days ago, one that had shaken him rather violently, so he could recognize the Treecko; even when the body jumped and jerked unnaturally high in midair. Wait, that other creature looked familiar too… yeah, she was really nice. Quiet and pretty and nice.

"So, think I've gotten cuter, huh?" the creature hissed between his teeth, "Think I'm even prettier without the bandages?"

Charlie's eyes widened. He took it back- he took it back! The Treecko, whatever its reply would have been, was too dazed to even answer. His eyes and head swirled with destroyed equilibrium. With no visible arms or other type of support the body turned and descended slowly. It paused in front of the Kirlia face down. The long white stick arms held onto a square bottle with an orange nuzzle with more human writing Charlie could not read.

"Well, let me demonstrate just how much cuter I am now."

Precariously the bottle tipped over. Though this poor kit was too concerned with watching their silhouetted forms against the darkened cloudy sky, the shadows of the prone Treecko and alien being before him cast their ominous production on the large tree trunk beside him. The bottle glazed across the back as a deep masculine chuckle flittered through. Charlie's eyes widened in horror as the perpetrator's head threw back to guffaw at the gray storm. A flash of lighting and a peal of thunder broke through the churning storm clouds just as the Treecko rotated upright- feet first. Charlie ducked his little head down as the victim sailed and thumped onto the arbor directly beside him with enough force to shake a few leaves loose from the branches. Kirlia psychically chucked the bottle of glue into a bush, narrowly missing the yellow mouse shaking in plain sight. Though Kirlia saw only green and red- no room for dandelion yellow. His maniacal grin and glowing ruby eyes were enough to terrify anybody watching, not just a paranoid Pichu.

"Yes," unabashed joy dripped from the hiss, "maybe a few hours in the rain to clear your head is just what you-"

"Kir…lias…"

The insane glare from the ruby eyes dissipated instantly at the name from the Treeko's lips. With a… K? Not a G?

"…yeah Jack?"

The still slightly dizzy Jack blinked and grinned at the wavering vision of two lovely Kirlias. Well, it was curious exactly what they were doing upside down, but he was willing to forgive an odd quirk or two.

"Care fer a night out'n the town ladies?"

A stone collided with his head and he instantly conked out. The glow of Kirlia's eyes returned.

"Stupid idiotic Treecko!"

Oh sure, he was just gonna let him get away with lying out in the cold rain for a few hours, but no, that was far too tame a punishment! Several rocks rose in preparation for the punishing volley until the Vaporeon that had told Charlie to hide before popped her head out and grinned at Kirlia.

"Maybe I could help."

Homicidal rage disappeared from his countenance to be replaced by recognition, then mere curiosity.

"How?"

"Watch and learn my young apprentice. Sometimes subtlety is the best course of action."

The rock that had cracked against Jack's head glowed faintly before it telekinetically rose and scratched into the tree. The only sharp edge of the stone carefully carved into the bark, though the letters still were elongated and jagged. Kirlia scrutinized fruitlessly, for he did not read human. As his concentration wavered the rocks dropped one by one to the floor, except for the one carving. The first word ran around the trunk, so the rock went under the word for the second part. When it was finished, Crescent looked pleased, and Kirlia cocked his head to the side in question.

"…Kirlia? Jack?" The three actually conscious Pokémon turned at the sound of the voice,"… Crescent?"

Houndour plodded up to the trio in confusion. Ah that was right, Kirlia thought, the pooch had seen them head off into the woods, and Alexa was probably looking for them. The young pup stared at the sight, trying to put two and two together… to create fish. He glanced uncertainly between the two.

"Um…?"

"Go ahead, ask." Crescent shrugged, "I think you could figure it out if you tried hard enough though."

The dark type nodded uncertainly, and glanced at the incapacitated Treecko and the trembling Pichu. Charlie remained petrified with terror. Ripping growls and jolting teeth…

The tiny rodent turned and darted into the bush behind him, directly next to the glue bottle. Kirlia and Crescent had already followed Houndour's eye line and glimpsed the yellow fur ball retreating into the small greenery.

Crescent figured out the problem instantly and sighed. So the poor little guy was still spooked.

Kirlia's mind went on another track. Oh no- a witness! Kirlia floated just a bit and silently approached the shaking bush. No doubt a spy sent to catch his dastardly deed in the-

"JACK!"

Ah cake.

Kirlia dropped from the air and Crescent dove into the bushes again while Houndour was innocent enough to remain as he was. The awaited Pokémon trainer finally arrived on the scene and stopped just behind Houndour as she examined the scene before her. Charlie peeked out first to see black shiny buckled boots and black denim pants. With growing terror he tilted his head back to see neon green hair kept down with a black cap, but relaxed as he saw it was a girl. Not to be egotistical, but he did seem to have a certain charm with the female populace. That meant she would not kill him, which was a good thing. She wiped her disheveled green bangs from her face and huffed to catch her breath as she took in the sight. Kirlia turned to face Alexa's shocked expression as she realized that yes, her starter Pokémon was indeed stuck upside down to a tree, then confused as she tried to make out the jagged message across the tree bark, then horrified as she did so. Jack was slowly gaining consciousness, though not self-awareness and the still wet glue was starting to unstick. Alexa looked at her psychic Pokémon and indicated the Treecko, whose leg was slowly peeling off the tree.

"Kirlia, what happened?"

Kirlia considered the chances of him getting away with this. He looked at her, turned his gaze to Jack, returned his attention back to her, then shrugged. Crescent had to stop herself from giggling madly. Little Charlie just whimpered and backed into the leaves. A single drop of water fell onto the girl's nose and after a glance at the dark storm sky Alexa grabbed onto the dazed Treecko and pulled him off. She cradled him close, not caring if the sticky white paste got on her clothes.

"Crap, we need to get you cleaned up and out of here fast." She spotted something in the bush, and Kirlia fidgeted uncomfortably. "Hello, what's this?"

Great, she saw the bottle, now she'd make the connection and start yelling at him. She bent down to pick up the item.

"What're you doing in there little guy?"

Little guy? Kirlia blinked and looked back, only to see the tiny little Pichu scooped up by his trainer. Wide black eyes glistened up at Alexa disarmingly. And even this usually strong willed female could help but soften at the tiny little baby in her palm. Her own blue eyes widened and sparkled with instinctual female adoration. She did not even notice the several raindrops that plopped onto her.

He's so… cute!

Except an apple that was not visible before fell from the carved tree and clonked onto the rodent's head. The four witnesses winced as the apple knocked him out and made him fall from the trainer's hand to the floor.

"Erm, whoops." Alexa blinked nervously, as she looked him over. "I think he's just lost…"

A Vaporeon emerging almost regally from behind the tree caught her attention. He or she plodded over to the unconscious Pichu and nudged him with its head. With a dismayed expression it licked the unconscious face daintily before looking up with oddly familiar blue eyes to Alexa.

"You're taking care of him?"

The Vaporeon nodded. Jack blinked and moaned.

"Whoa… major headache." The green one muttered.

A distracting peal of thunder caught everyone's attention as the rain became more consistent.

"Oh no, we gotta get you back quick." She glared at the tree message and shook with rage. "And when I find whoever did this… they will so pay! Come on guys, hurry."

And the raging teen turned and jogged back to the center. Young puppy eyes glanced at the Pichu curiously before loyally following Alexa back to the center. Kirlia glanced at the tree then at Crescent.

"What does it say?"

"It reads: Free Food."

Kirlia's questioning turned to awe and admiration at the sheer brilliance. "Master, teach me your ways."

"I shall find you again my young apprentice," the legendary ancestor of all Pokémon promised. "But for now, you must fulfill your duty as a true and loyal Pokémon. Only when you have learned the ways of trust and of lies, will you be able to become a true master of trickery."

Kirlia nodded, with his arms held at his sides and his feet firmly planted on the dirt floor.

"I understand Master."

"Now go."

The young student clasped his arms together at chest level and bowed before turning and running to join his trainer, as was his duty.

Crescent looked after the retreating back of Kirlia and sighed as he glanced at little Charlie, Charlie the Pichu, Charlie the adventurer, as he fell into a comatose rest after his taxing journey.

"You've had quite the adventure, huh?"

Charlie had no response, seeing as he was incapacitated.

"Man, if you tried to tell anyone half of what you've done and seen, I don't think anyone would believe you."

Still nothing.

"I suppose it would be best for you to go to a place away from all this bone headedness. Not a single normal person there. Guess I'm no exception…"

Mew wasn't really expecting an answer, by the way.

"Probably just me leaving you alone to recover on your own would be the best bet…" he grew serious for a moment as he went deep in thought. His eyes brightened at his sudden flash of genius. "How's Johto sound?"

To answer your question, 2+2= fish when you draw one of the twos backwards overlapping the other one. Old joke I had to throw in.

So yes, that is technically the final chapter, since all the fics were addressed and accounted for. *bows* If it's not too much trouble, I'd like the other two authors to review, just so that I know how I did by their standards. The epilogue I'll add after I've gotten moved and settled will just be Charlie psychotic break. (He actually just returns home, over unusual circumstances. But that certainly caught your attention, didn't it?)

And yes, I did notice that for the Apples Not Included: In a Nutshell I brought in apples every chapter. I'm sorry, it had to be done.

And much apologies for the fact that it took so long. I had this written for a while, but getting on and editing was another thing entirely. Not enough energy to wake up early enough to do it. *shakes head* But aren't you all glad it's over and done with now? Hope you enjoyed my story. Happy Holidays everyone! *waves*