Epilogue and Author's Note

Last time on "Tale of a Legend"…

Volan released Mistral to spend the rest of her afterlife with her fellow spirits at the Celestial Tower, and flew back to Vertress City on Hydreigon. He soon found Professor Juniper, who told him about the fate that had fallen Genesect, as well as Petromyzon's mysterious disappearance. Hydreigon then asked to join Volan's team upon learning that he had nowhere else to go, and Volan and Thrin reunited with their mother and found out that they'd soon be moving to the Kalos region!

-.-.-.-.-.

A hacking cough suddenly pierced the silence that had fallen upon the room, startling Petromyzon Gurei. Volan cleared his throat, wincing at the sting that came from an entire day of just talking. Telling his story had taken him on a trip down memory lane so riveting that he hadn't even noticed his sore throat.

Bernice let out a loud yawn, the noise of which stirred up the other Pokemon that had gathered around the sofa to listen. Petro and Volan both reached out with their arms and stretched out the kinks that had developed in their backs. They'd simply been sitting down for too long.

"So…" Petro let out a half-yawn and tilted his head up to his father with an amused grin. "You named me after a grouchy lamprey?"

"That's what you got out of my epic tale?" Volan responded in disbelief. "The one message you took away from a heartfelt story full of lessons about friendship and trust is that I had a slightly misguided moment of inspiration when it came to deciding your name?"

"Oh, you admit you were misguided!" his son laughed.

The Pokemon joined in the laughter, much to Volan's embarrassment. But the moment passed, and soon he was laughing along with them.

"Petro, there was a reason I named you after that Pokemon," he explained, putting a hand on Petro's back. "He might have been reluctant and more than a little rude at times, but it was his return at Vertress City that made the biggest impression on me. He could've stayed safe in Chargestone Cave, but he traveled across Unova and risked his life to save me from Ghetsis, and he might not have even survived his injuries afterwards. He was probably the bravest Pokemon I've ever met. That's why I named you after him. He was a hero."

A loud, haughty sniff came from Bernice's direction. "Yeah, he was alright…"

Blushing, Petro smiled modestly and said, "Well, if that's not flattering I don't know what is…"

Suddenly, a confused look sprung to life in his eyes, wiping the elated expression right off. "Wait, hold on. There's something I still don't get."

"Yes?" Volan replied.

"You told me everything from the moment you first became a Trainer to when you saved Unova," the younger Gurei started, "but you never got to the part where you met your other Pokemon. Don't tell me there's more to the story."

From elsewhere in the house, there came the sound of the front door slamming shut, and moments later Petro's mother walked into the living room.

"Today was more exhausting than usual," Caitlin muttered, sitting down beside Volan. "I hope you enjoyed your day off. Is our Petro ready for his big day tomorrow?"

"I was just telling him about my first journey," Volan happily told her, wrapping an arm around her shoulders.

She smiled wryly. "You haven't filled his head with unnecessary expectations like stopping criminal organizations and meeting Legendary Pokemon, have you?"

"Of course not," he grinned at his wife. "Actually, he was just asking about where my Kalos Pokemon came from."

"Kalos," she answered. Her smile never went away.

"Ha ha, Mom," Petro sighed.

"That's a story for another day," admitted Volan. "I'm already tired from talking all day, and the last thing I want to do is keep talking into tomorrow morning. Maybe I'll tell you about Kalos another time, son."

Petro nodded, happy with that. "Alright, Dad. Now that you've told me about the adventures you had, I'm actually really excited to get going! I'm not nervous anymore!"

"We'll ask you again when your girlfriend comes to pick you up," Caitlin giggled.

"Mom, she's not my –" Petro tried to protest, then cut himself off and threw his hands up in premature defeat, knowing that resistance was futile when it came to his parents' teasing.

Caitlin only laughed harder. "Do you know what Pokemon you want as your Starter?"

"Pidove," he replied immediately.

A contented sort of sigh blew from Bernice's beak. She could rest easy knowing that her lifelong partner's little hatchling was going off into the world with good tastes in Pokemon.

"Professor Bianca only offers the traditional three," Volan smirked. "Personally, I think the one that'd suit you most… ow ow ow, what, dearest?!"

Withdrawing her hand from where it had lightly tugged his ear, Caitlin leaned over to give him a kiss on the cheek. "This is our son's decision," she reminded him. "We'll be proud of him and sad to see him go no matter what Pokemon he chooses."

At that, Volan merely leaned his head to the side so that it made contact with hers, silently letting her know that he wholeheartedly agreed with her wise words. Petromyzon settled himself on his other side, privately savoring the feeling of his dad's shirt against his skin. It would be the last time in a long while that they'd be together like this. The Pokemon looked on with a mixture of pride and sadness, as all of them – Bernice, Rickie, Petrie, and all the rest – knew the truth as well.

Starting tomorrow, the family would no longer be whole, and wouldn't be again for many months.

A knock came at the door, breaking the tender moment.

"That's Aunt Thrin with the new running shoes she promised me!" Petro exclaimed, leaping off the couch and bolting out of the room.

"Remember, press the B button while walking to activate them!" Volan called after him.

"Screw you too, Dad!" came the distant reply.

Silence descended with the teenager's absence, apart from the relatively quiet sound of the door swinging closed as he stepped outside to greet Thrin. The atmosphere grew strangely dark, as if there was something unspeakable left unresolved that would remain floating in the air until it was addressed.

"Are we really going to tell him?" whispered Caitlin, a shudder passing through her. "About what happened in Kalos, I mean?"

"We'll have to, eventually," Volan replied grimly. "It feels wrong to keep it hidden from him, now that he's nearly grown. He needs to know the truth, Caitlin."

"I know that," she told him, frowning disapprovingly. "But all the same, do you think he can handle it? Sometimes, I… I-I look back on those days and wonder how I was able to, even after all these years."

But Volan's eyes held a light of confidence, a sentiment shared by the Pokemon that were still gathered around to hear. They knew Petro, they knew he was strong. Underneath that uncomfortable exterior and constant complaints about the way other kids mocked him about his unusual name, Petromyzon was just as much a White Hero as Volan had once been.

So he and Caitlin would push their worries aside and send him off on his long-anticipated journey across the region, exactly as every other boy and girl did when they reached that age.

Tomorrow, a new tale of a legend would be written.

-.-.-.-.-.

A Word from the Author:

Well, dear readers… this is it. The end of my greatest work of art so far. The end of "Pokemon Black & White: Tale of a Legend".

(Actually, in the back of my head I'm going HELL YESS IT'S FINALLY DONE WOOOOHOOOOO!)

For a long time, I toyed with the idea of writing a story based on my favorite Pokemon game. I finalized the decision after reading "Pokemon Black and White: Tony's Journey" by Coli Chibi. Thanks to you, my friend, I've been able to write a fanfiction that loosely follows the events of Black and White while still being an entirely different adventure. Kudos to you, good sir.

Another fanfiction that I would like to mention, one that has provided inspiration for me throughout the entire writing process, is "The Extended Unova Pokemon Guide" by The Gentleman Xerneas. This story portrays Pokemon in a realistic sense, making them more like real animals than kid-friendly monsters. Examples of inspiration I took from this amazing fanfic are: giving Ghetsis a Beheeyem, giving Cofagrigus the ability to turn people into Yamask, and Frillish being notorious man-eaters. Thanks for giving me such fascinating tidbits to add to my head-canon!

"Brave New World" by Ri 2 deserves a small mention as well, not only for being a great story, but also for helping me choose Misdreavus for Volan's final team. I'd highly recommend it for hardcore Pokemon fans or those of you who've played "Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door", but be warned – there is a LOT of graphic violence, foul language, and other such things. I'm surprised it doesn't have an M rating.

And finally, "Pokemon Black & White: Excelsior!" by TrainerNaps. What you've written is awesome so far, and good luck with the rest of the story.

Ironically, my biggest ongoing source of inspiration for "Tale of a Legend" has been the Pokemon anime. The most obvious example is the prehistoric portal that Volan and Thrin traveled through in Chapter 44. I say 'ironically' because I think Ash's adventures in Unova were an enormous disappointment to me, especially after how good the Diamond and Pearl seasons were. However, I ended up using the anime for inspiration in my efforts to make Volan's journey less like a rewrite of BW. The appearances of Stephan, Trip, Don George, Burgundy, Georgia, and Ash and Co. were all taken straight from the TV show. Hopefully, I can use Ash's XY adventures to great effect in the sequel to "Tale of a Legend".

Now, with that out of the way, I have a few things to say about the characters themselves…

Volantes Gurei, originally just "Volan", was first created as the protagonist of a Pokemon fanfic that I never published. But when I was inspired to write "Tale of a Legend", I realized that Volan could make a comeback. I altered his name, gave him a new personality, and planned the first steps of his journey before officially giving him a story all his own.

Early in the creation process, I imagined Volan as just another version of me, a self-insert if you will. But after creating other OCs like that in the past – the one named "Cotton" is a particularly cringe-worthy example – I decided that Volan desperately needed a unique personality to set him apart from my more second-rate characters. From there on, he has evolved into an interesting character that is similar, but not identical, to me as a person. (Specifically, I'm friendlier, single, and less badass.)

Thrin Gurei has been with Volan since the beginning. She was first created upon getting a request from my younger sister to give her a role in the story. At fifteen years old to Volan's sixteen-and-a-half, the age gap is smaller than the one between my sister and I, but Thrin is still very similar to the girl I have the pleasure (and I use that term loosely) of sharing a life with. Early on, I planned for her to become the Black Hero that would oppose Volan.

A bit into the story, I wanted Volan to have a best friend. That way, it would be easier for him to make the planned transition from ice-locked glacier to happy ray of sunshine. After much thought, I decided to at last take something from the anime and drop Steven – I mean, Stephan – into the fray. He's a great character with admirable strength and spirit, always the optimist and the first to leap into a battle. Basically, he's what I've always imagined a competent Ash to be like (at least, until Ash actually became competent in XY). I thought he would be the perfect candidate for Volan's eventual friend, despite their less-than-similar personalities.

Then, I wanted a rival to make Volan strive to improve his abilities along every step of his journey. For obvious reasons, I settled on a certain pea-haired imbecile after watching some more of the anime.

Bianca was someone I decided to add to Volan's group much later in the story. With Thrin's disappearance coming up soon, I wanted to have a person that would keep Volan's and Stephan's attitudes positive even in the darkest of times. It was either her or Cheren, and having already established Cheren as somewhat of an egotist, well…

Ever since his creation, Volan's passion has been centered on Caitlin of the Elite Four. Around the time I created him, my own feelings were directed at a young lady who is very similar to the maiden. Both are kind, thoughtful, calm, smart, and encouraging girls with beauty to match. While I eventually got over my feelings and formed a great friendship with the object of my affections, Volan's crush on Caitlin has been set in stone ever since. In fact, their meeting in the Nacrene City library is a direct call-back to their first meeting in the fanfiction I never published. Now that they're finally dating, here's hoping their relationship is happy and long-lasting.

Bernice, getting her name from Bert's pet pigeon on "Sesame Street", had only been decided as Volan's Starter right before I published this story. At first, I wanted his Starter to be an Archen, but something changed my mind. Pidove are immensely common in Unova, and so I thought it would be more likely for Volan to acquire one instead of an Archen, or a Woobat, or a Starly (both of the latter two were also considered). Despite being a Pokemon breed that's a dime a dozen, I knew right from the start that I made the right decision in choosing Bernice to be a Pidove. Volan and Bernice are as close as they come, willing to do anything for the other, and I doubt many Pokemon would treat Volan the same as Bernice does.

After all this time I've spent writing, I realize now that I've developed a liking for pigeons and pheasants.

I added Grunge the Garbodor into the story after I wrote the chapter he appeared in. Originally, he was a female Seviper named Whisper. One day, though, I was feeling oddly partial to the hulking pile of stinky trash, and decided to add one to Volan's team on a whim. Grunge's origin as Hugh's Pokemon was just one of many ways for me to combine the worlds of BW and BW2 into one grand adventure, and to justify how Volan got his hands on such a powerful Pokemon so early in the story. And anyway, Garbodor (and its pre-evolution Trubbish) gets so much needless hate from the fandom – I thought it would be good to give it a little love for a change.

I've always loved the Tympole line, and Rickie was one of the very first Pokemon I chose for Volan's final team. His name is a reference to the Richter scale – indeed, his name was actually going to be Richter before I changed it. While Richter is perfect for a burly Seismitoad, Rickie is a name that somewhat suits all three stages. Seismitoad is an extremely useful Pokemon that I frequently train in BW, so giving one to Volan made him a bit more relatable to me.

Rudy's name comes from that of the great white Baryonyx in "Ice Age 3: Dawn of the Dinosaurs". His missing tooth and even a few of his lines reference the giant dinosaur as well. He was an interesting Pokemon even before I planned out his backstory. Defiantly, he left his Trainer after enduring particularly harsh abuse from him. Additionally, giving him a less-than-friendly history with Bernice made him a fascinating member of the team with a unique character. I hope the fully-evolved Krookodile gets the chance for payback on his old Trainer in the future – and forms a rivalry with a mentally-challenged Buizel, because that would be hilarious.

Then there's Petromyzon (the genus name for real-world lampreys). Yep, Petromyzon. Not every Pokemon wants to be caught, which isn't exactly a lesson that Volan needed to learn, but it's an important one all the same. Still, thanks to Petro's last-minute surprise comeback to help his former Trainer fight off Ghetsis' Hydreigon, he's left quite a big impression on him. Petro might have been pretty sour, but he still had it in him to rush in and save Volan's life. When Volan gave his son that unusual name, it was as a reminder of, and memorial to, the reluctant yet brave Eelektrik. I can only imagine Caitlin's reaction to that suggestion, though…

Then there's Petrie. He had a spot reserved especially for him throughout the entire team selection process. Archen and Archeops, raptors in both senses of the term, are tied for my all-time favorite Pokemon in the franchise. Petrie was, at first, going to be Volan's Starter, and would go by the name of Pteryx. Later, though, I thought it would be much more fun to have him carry the legacy of that loveable little Pteranodon from the "Land Before Time" series. Like his namesake, Petrie is the optimistic comic relief of Volan's team, always eager and quick to offer his encouragement.

As far as Mistral is concerned, adding her to the group was a tough decision. At first, I wanted Volan to have a Litwick. But then, when I read "Brave New World" (see above), I decided to scrap that and go with one of my favorite Ghost-types. She's actually the adopted daughter of the original White Hero, and purposely left her home on Route 7 to help Volan with his destiny. But now that that's all done and over with, her desire to stay with the spirits of Celestial Tower is stronger than her desire to remain on Volan's team. While it's always sad to see a parting between Trainer and Pokemon, we can rest assured that the Mismagius is happy and will always have her own place in Volan's heart.

Ulna, sharing her name with a type of bone, is a really cool Pokemon that I wanted Volan to catch ever since using her in my seventh or eighth run of Pokemon Black. Mandibuzz isn't a particularly great Pokemon, but I really enjoyed using it, and since I like experimenting with my teams by filling them with unusual Pokemon, I also gave one to Volan.

Sapphire… some of you have seen her before in a previous story of mine. Easily the one villain I've enjoyed writing for the most, Sapphire was crafty, flirty, sadistic, and evil through and through – despite having a soft spot for a handsome male Frillish. While the new Sapphire is more proud than bloodthirsty, she still retains her mean streak and her interest in every good-looking male that crosses her path. The fact that her species was once Volan's worst fear helped establish her as an unlikely ally. She never evolved because I can't help but feel that her personality would be out of character for a regal Jellicent. And, as my second-favorite Pokemon ever, Volan was guaranteed to catch a Frillish one way or another.

Volcarona is one of my favorite Bug-types (alongside the likes of Yanmega, Scolipede, and Venomoth), so I had Sol the Larvesta join forces with Volan as his final Pokemon. For those of you who aren't already aware, his name is the Latin word for "sun".

I feel like Hydreigon should get a mention as well. Despite what you might think, I didn't intend to make it look like Volan was taking him in to replace Mistral. I originally intended for Hydreigon to be sent off to a rehabilitation center, or find a new home elsewhere, but I thought giving him to Volan would open some interesting opportunities in the sequel. I've been planning Mistral's departure for a while now, whereas the decision to have Hydreigon join Volan was a much more recent thing.

All of Thrin's Pokemon – Oliver, Luna, Valkyrie, Jet, Plastron, and Blanca – were requested by my little sister, but their individual personalities and a couple of the names are of my own creation. Oliver had always been enthusiastic, but ended up becoming quite the ham in his final form (ha ha). Luna is the more serene one of the group, while Valkyrie was the most entertaining for me to write due to her uncontrollable lust for battle. Jet went from depressed, to eternally loyal, to sinister and mischievous over the course of the story as part of his life cycle (or afterlife cycle?). Plastron was much the same as Petrie, an innocent new life brought into an unfamiliar world, and while Blanca was never shown all that much, she's pretty much the sunny little sister of Thrin's team.

Professor Scatterly, Lester, Cole, and Lola are all characters from the "Fossil Fighters" franchise. They're some of my favorite characters, so I thought it'd be great to have them appear as supporters. The professor is really funny and the BB trio are awesome villains with a kickass music theme, so why not? I don't know about you, but there's nothing wrong with a bit of crossing over between games.

Speaking of crossing over, Pterano, Rinkus, and Sierra are all based on the villainous pterosaurs from the seventh "Land Before Time" movie. I only wanted them to make a cameo at best, but somehow, they ended up returning again and again throughout the story. The way they refer to Reshiram's stone as the "Stone of Cold Fire" is also a reference to the movie. While I like to think that I got Pterano's humble end-of-movie personality mostly right, the original Rinkus and Sierra were a little scarier than how I portray them in this story.

Skyla was never meant to appear-show as often-much as she did, but I loved her too much to give her anything less than a large role in the story. Her strange-odd method of speak-talking comes from the BIONICLE series, where there's a whole tribe-group of characters that talk like that. The name of Skyla's role model, Lewa Nuva, is another direct reference. In fact, the tale-story she tells in the middle of the Battle of Vertress is almost identical to the one Lewa himself tells in the last-final book.

Tony Miller and Will Grey are OCs from a pair of my fellow authors – Coli Chibi, whom I've already mentioned, and TrainerNaps. Anna Maruko, the reluctant commentator of the Pokemon World Tournament, also belongs to Coli Chibi. Thanks a million, you guys.

Additionally, there are a number of my favorite quotes from both the BIONICLE and "Wings of Fire" series that I've used in this story. I can't remember exactly how many, and I'm not re-reading all 170+ chapters to find out. I'm just mentioning it as a bit of trivia for you.

And that's that, readers. "Pokemon Black & White: Tale of a Legend" is easily the best fanfiction I've ever written, and I can't wait to see if the sequel manages to surpass it. I've had a lot of fun writing every word of this story's hundred-and-seventy-two chapters.

If I had to give credit to this story's success, I'd say about half the praise goes to me – and the other half to my loyal readers. At this point in time, at the moment I've posted this epilogue, "Tale of a Legend" has acquired 1112 reviews, 182 favorites, 165 follows, and 132,617 views. I'm blown away, readers. You've all been amazing, speaking words of encouragement and answering my Chapter Questions whenever a new chapter was posted. I couldn't have written such a great story without you.

Stay tuned, everyone. The much-anticipated sequel – "Pokemon X & Y: Flight of a Legend" – shall be up on this site very soon! And just for you, here's a taste of what's to come!

"In response to a challenge, Volan aims to scour Kalos with only the help of Flying Pokemon. But as he heads toward the League, the future looks uncertain. A past war, an ultimate weapon, a girl with a dark past, and something ominous lurking inside of him… Volan must team up with his friends and save Kalos from the greatest threat it has ever faced – himself. The sequel to 'Tale of a Legend'."

New friends! New rivals! New villains! New Pokemon partners! New crossover characters! If you thought "Tale of a Legend" was good, then you readers haven't seen ANYTHING yet!

Fare thee well,

Cottonmouth25

-.-.-.-.-.

Where Are They Now?

The Gurei family is moving to Kalos.

Volan's and Thrin's Pokemon teams are coming with them.

Mistral is living at Celestial Tower again.

Stephan's future is unknown.

Bianca is working with Professor Juniper.

Cheren is training with the current Asperita City Gym Leader.

Caitlin is still in the Unovan Elite Four.

Life will go on as normal for Tony, Trip, Iris, and the other Trainers that were present at the Battle of Vertress.

Will, Professor Scatterly, and the Barebones trio will be sticking together.

Ash will be off to Kanto.

The Champion, Elite Four, and Gym Leaders will be busy overseeing repairs and restoration of Vertress City, Lacunosa Town, and Opelucid City.

Reshiram is slumbering at Celestial Tower.

Zekrom has left Unova with N, with Thrin's permission.

Kyurem has vanished.

Ghetsis is gone.

Ghetsis' Hydreigon is now reformed and part of Volan's team.

Victini and Meloetta are a couple.

The Sacred Swordsmen, plus Keldeo, are presumably continuing to do their duties.

Landorus is going to keep babysitting Tornadus and Thundurus.

Genesect is comatose and needs to be repaired extensively by Professor Juniper.

Petromyzon's fate is unknown.

Gwen, Rood, Pterano and his partners, and the ex-Plasmas will begin to lead ordinary lives.

-.-.-.-.-.

Volan's Final Team:
Bernice (Unfezant, female)
Ability: Big Pecks
Attacks: Heat Wave, Air Slash, Sky Attack, Façade

Grunge (Garbodor, male)
Ability: Weak Armor
Attacks: Body Slam, Sludge Bomb, Solarbeam, Gunk Shot

Rickie (Seismitoad, male)
Ability: Poison Touch
Attacks: Drain Punch, Hyper Voice, Hydro Pump, Dig

Rudy (Krookodile, male)
Ability: Moxie
Attacks: Thunder Fang, Sandstorm, Smack Down, Earthquake

Petrie (Archen, male)
Ability: Defeatist
Attacks: Acrobatics, Dragon Claw, Thrash, Rock Slide

Ulna (Mandibuzz, female)
Ability: Overcoat
Attacks: Feint Attack, Brave Bird, Bone Rush, Rock Tomb

Sapphire (Frillish, female)
Ability: Water Absorb
Attacks: Ice Beam, Water Spout, Attract, Sludge Wave

Sol (Volcarona, male)
Ability: Flame Body
Attacks: Quiver Dance, Fiery Dance, Hurricane, Silver Wind

Hydreigon (Hydreigon, male)
Ability: Levitate
Attacks: Tri Attack, Draco Meteor, Fire Blast, Dark Pulse

Thrin's Final Team:
Oliver (Emboar, male)
Ability: Blaze
Attacks: Arm Thrust, Heat Crash, Flamethrower, Poison Jab

Luna (Musharna, female)
Ability: Synchronize
Attacks: Psybeam, Charge Beam, Reflect, Shadow Ball

Valkyrie (Scolipede, female)
Ability: Poison Point
Attacks: Steamroller, Poison Jab, Rock Climb, Protect

Jet (Cofagrigus, male)
Ability: Mummy
Attacks: Shadow Ball, Hyper Beam, Will-o-Wisp, Destiny Bond

Plastron (Carracosta, male)
Ability: Solid Rock
Attacks: Aqua Tail, Iron Head, Shell Smash, Wide Guard

Blanca (Vanilluxe, female)
Ability: Ice Body
Attacks: Mirror Coat, Hail, Blizzard, Flash Cannon