Well, here it is. The final chapter.

I honestly can't tell you all how thankful I am for the support you have given me. I never thought that I would get as far as I did with this story, and I am so thankful I did. This was my first shot at a multi chapter story, after all, and I just can't believe I managed to complete it. You all helped, of course. So thank you thank you thank you!

I would give a bunch of shout outs, but I think that it's best If I just say thanks to everyone. If you have reviewed, followed, favored, or just plain read this darn thing, thank you so very much. I love you all :)

Replies to guests: (Sapphire2112) You have fallen in a true warrior fashion, my friend XD Thank you so much for all of your reviews. They mean so much, and I really am glad that you love my story that much. Thank you, Maya :)

(guess who) Thank you as usual for another nice review! Or in this case two XD Maybe I will make a sequel, who knows? Thanks for the idea btw XD I think for now though, this story will have to stand on its own. :D Hope you enjoy!

Thanks once again everyone! Remember to #Embracethecrazy! And have a wonderful day!

Here is the final installment of...Fast Times at Poke High..

They needed a vacation.

Honestly, after everything that they had been through it was the least the school could do for them. But unfortunately, the school decided that rules were rules, and although they had saved the pokeballs and showed valiant acts of courage, they would still have to follow them. So, the following day, they found themselves glued back to their seats in each class, listening to their teachers drone on and on about each new safety rule that was going to be added, and hating life. Their daily routine would stand. Only, that meant they had to constantly deal with everyone's eyes on them, and a barrage of question from both students and teachers alike, and also from the police.

Speaking of police, maybe one should explain what really happened after they beat Team Rocket.

After May and Drew (with the help of Conway) projected the footage of the battle room's for the whole school to see, well, things got a little out of hand. The grunts who had been with Principal Brown had all rushed over to try and prevent any one of the students or teachers from leaving, in hopes that they could buy the rest of the rockets time for escaping with the pokeballs. Unfortunately for those grunts, no one likes being trapped animals in a cage. The teachers and students charged out of the gymnasium taking down any grunt who tried getting in their way. This wasn't very hard considering the fact that with their numbers, they're escape felt more like a stampede than anything else. Somewhere along the line someone was smart enough to call the cops, and before they knew it, the town's Officer Jenny, and her crew were there in no time. They wasted no time putting handcuffs on anyone involved.

Still, the arrest that blew everyone away was the one that Lance had made. After crashing through the ceiling in an Ash and Misty fashion, the red headed dragon enthusiast had thrust out a flashy badge, and declared Principal Brown was to be put behind bars. As it turned out, Lance was working for the League, and was investigating a case involving a dangerous member of Team Rocket infiltrating a high school, along with a few lackies (aka. Jessie and James). Lance paraded around as a teacher, hoping to catch the thugs in the act. When he did, he had slapped a pair of handcuffs on the former principal's hands, before pulling him out the door to the soundtrack of his screams. He had yelled something along the lines of: This isn't over! One day, I will return, and Team Rocket will be BIGGER, and BADDER, and won't be a force to be reckoned with! You'll all see! I'll get a toupee, a snazzy suit- I'll change my name! Mark my words! This is not the last you'll hear of meeeeeeee...

They hadn't really been listening.

To be honest, they were more worried about the fact that their communications teacher had been an undercover detective the whole time. How had they not seen that coming? All of it was really messed up.

So then, why weren't they getting that vacation? Oh yeah, they had got medals of bravery instead, and that was pretty cool too, so it made up for it.

"Tell me again why you're here?" Misty asked Lance the moment she entered the classroom. The students all filtered into the room behind her, but her legs wouldn't budge.

Amusement flickered in Lance's eyes. He gave her a wide smile, before speaking smugly. "Well, even though I was only pretending to be a teacher here, I did assign you this project, so it would be a shame not to see it all the way through. After all, you did put in quite the amount of effort." Misty blew air out of her mouth in a huff, causing her bangs to fly up.

"So I guess that means we actually have to present the damn thing today?"

"You guessed right, Miss. Waterflower. But remember, as long as I'm your teacher, and that is only for the rest of the day, that kind of language is not permitted."

"Bummer."

Lance only smiled. Once everyone had taken their seats, the class was ready to begin. "So," he addressed his class, "who would like to go first?"

"What we are presenting today is more of a story than anything else," began Leaf as they faced the rest of the classroom. The eight of them stood up proudly at the front of the room, sending one another a comforting glance every once in a while. "You see, we wanted our presentation to be like this, because what we went through can't really be explained through a poster or powerpoint. What we learned is a lot more complex, I guess."

"The truth is, we learned something pretty valuable," Misty stated. "And I hate the fact that I'm admitting this, but thanks to this assignment I am going away with some pretty useful information. So kudos to you Lance." She gave the man a thumbs up. He smiled at her, and willed them to go on.

Drew was next. "When this project began, we were mostly strangers. Basically, that meant we wanted nothing to do with each other." He flipped his hair, and smiled knowingly.

"But as time went on, we actually became friends," declared Ash excitedly. He jumped up a little bit in joy.

Gary steadied the raven haired teen by placing a firm hand on his shoulder, before he spoke. "Yeah, tone it down there. We were almost friends. That's the key thing. We would have actually made it too, but we ran into a few bumps."

Dawn nodded wistfully, and took a step forward. "The truth is, we were insanely stupid. Because we had a chance to find people who we connected with through and through until the end. People who could have been there for each other."

"We should have been there for each other, and for a while we almost were," Leaf added. "But, guess what? We never saw it coming. In fact, it had never crossed our minds that something like that, could ever even happen to people like us. But we were just kids- dense, clueless, ignorant, kids who know nothing but our own backyards; trying, attempting, giving everything to get through life with barely a scratch on us."

Drew spoke again. "Truth be told, that was our first mistake, we thought it would be easy. This project, I mean."

"But," Paul interjected, before looking at Misty expectantly.

The redhead nodded. "But," she continued for him, a little sadly, "we couldn't see past our own insecurities, flaws and problems to see what was right in front of our eyes. We had ruined each other's lives."

"We were selfish, and stupid, and stubborn, and entirely bent on each other's self-destruction," said Leaf. "Through hating each other, we inadvertently ended up hurting ourselves."

"And yet, somewhere along the lines we were able to fix each other back up. And that's what friendship is, really, being able to not only pick up the pieces, but place them back together again," May told them.

"That's what we learned. How to fix the things we broke," Dawn said.

It was true. At the end of the day, they figured out how to put their lives back together again. Sure, they messed up, but they're only human. Mistakes happen, people make stupid decisions, but it's how they make up for them that really counts. And they did do that. They fixed things. They forgave one another. So at the end of the day, everything turned out alright.

It was good. It was really good. All of it was.

The eight of them took a deep breathe, before diving into the story.

"So, it all started on the first day of school..."

The first thing Drew did when he came home that day was plop himself on the couch. Honestly, everything that happened in the past few days was exhausting, both physically and mentally. Could you really blame a dude for wanting to sleep afterwards? Well, sleep probably wouldn't cut it. He wanted to hibernate.

So it was no wonder why he was so cranky when his father called for him to meet him up at his study.

Great, Drew thought with a scowl as he hoisted himself of the sofa, yet another thing for me to deal with. As if all of the shit I've been through isn't enough, now dads got to pull another one of his 'you're a failure' cards. Oh joy.

Drew was literally dreading the walk upstairs. His father would probably want to talk about what happened at school, no doubt to complain that it's all his damn friends' fault, and that it's what he gets for neglecting his studies by hanging out with them. Forget the fact that Drew saved the school, his father would find some way to make that seem like a bad thing. He would find some way to punish him.

Drew sighed, and begrudgingly turned the brass knob of the doorway. He entered the study where his father was waiting for him, sitting ever so calmly in his chair, as if it were a business meeting. Drew hated the kind of formality that hung in the air whenever they were alone together. It wasn't a father son vibe at all.

"Andrew," his father began, "take a seat." Drew did as he was told, and waited for the lecture that would ensue. "We have a lot to talk about."

"Oh," Drew said simply, biting back whatever sarcastic response was lingering on his lips.

His father looked a lot more tired than he usually did. It was like somebody took a needle and pricked him, letting out all of the air he once had. He was deflated, to be perfectly honest. "Look, perhaps I didn't give you enough information regarding my proposition for you. You know, the one about you going to college and eventually taking over the business."

Drew scoffed. "I believe I am fully aware of your proposition, trust me."

"No, don't get snappy with me, Andrew. Let me explain. You weren't given all of the information. I didn't tell you why I chose you to take over. I didn't tell you why I wanted you to."

Drew leaned backwards in his chair, and contemplated what his father said. His father didn't really need to tell him why, Drew felt like he already knew the answer pretty well. It was obvious. "Well it's because I'm your son, right? You wanted another Hayden to run the business."

His father shook his head. "It's not just because you're my son, Drew-" Drew raised his eyebrows in surprise, it was the first time his father had called him by his nickname"- I only wanted you to take over, because you are the only one I see fit for the job." Drew stayed silent. His father gave a tired sigh. "I know I've been hard on you, and I know I've been fairly cruel, but I do the things I do for a reason. The real world isn't as much of a cushion as your school makes it out to be. I need you to be prepared for that. A man like you is capable of so much, and you have the potential to do so many things. That's why I wanted you to do this for me. I feel like when the time comes, you'll be the only one capable of such a thing. You're a smart boy. I can't stand the thought of you wasting your life away on anything else."

"But I-" Drew began, but was cut off.

"Please let me finish. Now, all of this being said, I have come to a lot of conclusions as of late. Mostly after that, ahem, interesting dinner with your friend May." Drew tensed up a bit at her name. He really didn't want his father to forbid him from seeing her or something cliché like that. "Her words have got me thinking, actually. And I think that what she said was...admittedly right."

Drew blinked. Did he hear his father right? He thought that the things May said were...true? "I'm sorry, but, what?" Drew asked his father to make sure he heard him correctly. He probably looked like a magikarp, with his mouth gaping open like that.

"I said your friend was right, Andrew. It was wrong of me to tell you that your passion was...stupid. I should never have told you that." His father folded his hands together on top of his desk. "I haven't been the best father to you. All I wanted was to prepare you for the real world, to give you a solid future. I thought that I was helping you, and that by doing this I would end up being a great father. But your friend opened my eyes. She's right. What kind of father would treat his son's interests like they were dirt?"

Drew was gaping still.

"So," his father took a deep breath, "that is why I'm telling you that you can become a coordinator, if you like. If that is what makes you happy, then, who am I to stop that from happening?"

Drew waited.

One minute passed.

Then two.

Then three, and when the fourth minute was about to come forth the words actually registered. His father was letting him coordinate. He could do it. He could follow his dream!

"You mean it!?" Drew said, his face beaming.

His father nodded. "Yes, but that doesn't mean you can neglect your studies! I expect you to put just as much effort into your schoolwork as you do into this passion of yours, understand?"

"Yes, yes sir, I do! Thank you dad! Thank you."

Before Drew left, his father had one last bit of information for him. "Oh, and son?"

Drew tilted his head to the side. "Yes?"

"Keep that May girl around. She's strong, and can stand up for her beliefs. She's good for you."

Drew smiled. "Will do."

Leaf stood with her hands buried deep in her coat pockets to help shield them from the cold. She had completely forgotten a pair of gloves, and was mentally cursing herself for being so stupid. Her green eyes scanned the horizon for any signs of her spiky haired companion. She had asked Gary to meet her at the park, and prayed to Arceus he would actually show.

"Come on Gary, hurry up already," she whispered to herself impatiently. Suddenly she felt something bump into her back, knocking her over a few spaces. Leaf twirled around, a glare etched onto her features. "What the-" she stopped herself short when she was met with a pair of mischievous looking eyes, and a big fat smirk.

It was Gary Oak, alright.

"Hey Leafy," he greeted her lazily, shoving his glove-covered hands (damn him) into the depths of his black winter coat.

She frowned at him. "Did you have to push me?"

"No, I didn't have to, but I wanted to."

"Why the hell would you want to do that?"

"Because I knew it would make you mad." His smirk, if it was even possible, grew wider. Leaf groaned.

"Inviting you here was a mistake," she told him pointedly. For some reason the jerk was completely unfazed by her insults. He seemed to be enjoying her heated glares. To think, this cheeky bastard was the same guy who mere days ago hated her guts.

Gary shrugged. "Say what you want, but I know deep down you wanted to hang out with me today more than anything in the world."

"You're dreaming."

He ignored her, choosing instead to change the subject. "So why am I here, anyway?"

Leaf smiled shyly, tucking a strand of brown hair behind her ear. "Well," she started a bit bashfully, "I owe you something." Gary raised his eyebrow. The grass beneath their feet rustled as she kicked something over to him. He looked down at the ground where a soccer ball sat right beside his feet.

"Huh?" he asked her, a bit confused.

"I told you we'd play sometime, right? So why not today?"

"...you were serious?"

"Of course!" She crossed her arms over her chest. "If you don't want to play then that's fine, but I-"

"No, I do want to play," Gary stopped her, an actual genuine smile gracing his features. "I think it's cute, how you actually take these things so seriously. But if I do recall correctly, we were going to invite Ashy boy to play too." His eyes flickered in amusement as her face flushed red.

"Well, yeah I guess we were going to invite him for old time sakes, but..." she trailed off.

"But you just really wanted some one on one time with yours truly?" He flashed her a grin.

She rolled her eyes. "Again, you're dreaming."

"You know you want me."

"Not in a million years."

"It's already happened once."

"That was for a dare."

"You were my girlfriend!"

"For about ten minutes before everything blew up!"

"So you're saying if none of that happened, we would still be together?"

"..."

"Your silence means yes."

"Ugh! Just shut up and kiss me already!"

He did, quite happily too. When they pulled apart, he rested his forehead against her own. "You know I'm sorry, about everything that happened, right?" he asked her, his gaze turning soft.

"Why are you the one apologizing? I'm the one who-"

"Leafy, you've said this plenty of times," he said, cutting her off, "let me be the one to apologize for a change."

They forgave each other finally, and it was well needed.

Dawn took a sip of her peppermint tea, relishing in the warmth of the rising steam. Across from her, sat Iris who was busy herself, nursing a cup of hot cocoa. The two of them had been sitting at a small cafe for an hour, talking about everything that had happened since the incident at the arena.

"So you mean to tell me your teacher was actually an undercover detective!?" Iris asked in disbelief, her eyes going wide.

Dawn nodded. "Yep," she said, "and he totally put Principal Brown behind bars. I would have been surprised too, but after everything that had happened, well, it didn't seem so crazy."

"You don't say." The dragon trainer leaned back in her chair, processing the information. "Well, I have to thank you guys. I mean, thanks to you we don't have to worry about Team Rocket infiltrating our arena anymore. We can get things back on track."

A smile fell across Dawn's features. "There's no need to thank us. Oh, and I'm so glad to hear that! Are you guys going to relocate?"

"Yeah, we have another warehouse already picked out. Ethan's cousin knows the owner of the lot, and hooked us up. The only problem will be getting more pokeballs. Paul managed to save some, and Team Rocket didn't take all of them, but we still don't have nearly as much as we used to." Her face fell, but she suddenly sobered up, as if she didn't want to put a damper on the mood. "But don't worry! It will all work out."

"Yeah, no need to worry!"

"Maybe you and your group could come visit some time. I'm sure your friend, Ash, would be thrilled."

Dawn laughed. "Yeah, he would be. But I think he'll be kind of mad we didn't tell him sooner. I think Paul might have kept this from him for a reason. I mean, Misty always tells me Ash has a history of destroying everything he touches. Paul probably didn't want him to burn the place down."

Iris shook her head. "What a kid." The she-dragon finished the last sip of her drink, before eyeing Dawn carefully. "Anyway, I've been meaning to ask you. When did you and Paul hook up?"

Dawn choked. "Wh-what! How did you? I never said..."

Iris burst out laughing. "Oh please, don't act so innocent! I'm not an idiot. It's pretty obvious."

Dawn ducked her head, her cheeks blazing. "Iris!" she hissed. "Stop laughing!"

"Okay okay," she wiped a tear from her eye, "so are you going to give me the details or what?"

Dawn whispered to her.

...

"You guys made out behind a shed!?" Iris practically screamed, as if it were the most scandalous thing she had ever heard

"Iris shut up!"

"Leaf honey?" asked Leaf's mother as she was bringing out ingredients for their dinner that night. "Could you give me a hand with this?"

Leaf's eyes went wide as she entered the kitchen and saw her mother struggling with a few pans. "Mom!" she protested. "Be careful, you know that the doctor said you shouldn't be moving around so much!"

"Oh, hush, he doesn't know a thing! Besides, it's only been a week since the surgery, and I feel right as rain!"

"Mom, come on. I don't care what you say, you still need rest."

Her mother gave a sigh. "Oh, alright," she begrudgingly admitted defeat. She went to take a seat at the kitchen table. Just recently she had been in the hospital undergoing surgery for her illness. Even though she had already been going through countless treatments, they had finally found something that was working for her. She was beginning to get better, and Leaf thanked Arceus for that. Her mother meant to much to her, after all.

Leaf eyed her from the sink. "Mom, remember when you gave me that advice? About the whole...confessing what you've done wrong thing?"

"Yes, I remember. Did my advice help you honey?" Her mother's eyes were hopeful.

"Yeah." Leaf smiled. "Well, to be honest I might not have followed through with it in time. But I apologized, like you said. And...and I needed that push from you. Really I did, so...thanks mom."

"You're very welcome, dear. Now let's start on that spaghetti."

Ash took a deep breath of air, before sauntering into his household. He knew that Daniel would be there, and had to clear up a few things with the man. It was time Ash spoke with him, one on one, about how he really felt.

When Ash entered through the living room he found the man sitting on the couch, a cell phone in his hand. He looked to be texting someone. His mother was upstairs getting ready for their date. Daniel looked up, and met Ash's eyes.

"Oh," he said, putting his phone down and offering Ash a smile, "hello Ash."

"Hi," he wearily offered. Maybe he couldn't do this.

"What's up? I'm just waiting for your mother, she should be down soo-"

"Look, I'm going to make this quick," he blurted out, cutting Daniel off. Daniel seemed surprised, at first, but then he saw Ash's face, which held a steady resolve, and decided to listen patiently. "I'm going to be going on my journey at the end of the year, so I won't be around to take care of my mother. But you will be." he pointed a finger at the man. "So you have to promise me that you'll take good care of her! She's my mom, and I love her, so if you do anything to hurt her...anything to make her feel the same way when my father left us, then..then I'll hurt you! You got that!?"

Daniel blinked. "Er, yes Ash. I got that." Then, a smile broke out along his face. This was just Ash's way of letting him into his life. It was a total surprise for Daniel, considering Ash's attitude towards him since they first met, but a nice surprise. Delia had been worried, and didn't want her son to be unhappy about the marriage, so he was glad for this. Even though he had asked Ash many times to give him a chance, and even though the raven haired teen had said yes, it was different when Ash approached him himself. It was better, and actually felt real. "I promise you I will take care of Delia. I wouldn't dream of hurting her. You have my word."

"Good." Ash crossed his arms over his chest, and chewed the inside if his cheek. "Because I'm giving you my blessing to marry her. This time it's formal."

"Thank you, Ash." And it was meant.

Ash sighed, and tried to ease upon his scowl. "I'm sorry I've been...rude to you. It's clear that you care about my mom, and I just was angry is all. I didn't want another father figure in my life."

"No, I completely understand. And trust me, Ash, the last thing I wanted to do was make you feel as if you were obligated to call me dad." He tilted his head. "But, if I may ask, what made you change your mind about me?"

Ash shrugged. "Oh, you know..." he trailed off, elusively.

The truth was, he just felt like if he could give the seven of them a chance, he might as well give others a chance too.

"So we're all good, right?" Dawn asked them all a week after the incident. They were all currently filling up one of the lunch tables that scattered throughout the school canteen. The seven of them eyed her in confusion. She took a small sip of her milk, before continuing. "You know, we aren't going to blow up at each other anymore, or get in fights, or, like, keep secrets from each other. You know, are we good?"

They all shrugged.

"Yeah," Misty said, looking at everyone for their approval, "I'd say we're good."

"I mean, we never really did say those apologies."

The eight of them eyed each other again.

"Eh," Gary said, lazily wrapping an arm around Leaf, "I don't think it matters anymore."

Leaf playfully pushed him off of her. He pouted while she stuck her tongue out at him. "You know, I think we all get it by now," she agreed.

May smiled. "I'm glad," she said, softly, "that we're good. Aren't you guys?"

"Yeah, we are."

The thing about their group was, they didn't really match. No really, they didn't. And it was fucking weird. How the heck were they able to work, and get along? How did they find things they were all interested in? How could they stand one another?

Okay, it was simple really. They didn't get along. They fought a ton, and they argued, and bickered, and shook the floor with their screams, but at the same time, they understood one another. Hell, they respected one another. So at the end of the day they could eventually swallow their pride, and forgive each other, because, well...it's what they did. And it wasn't impossible to find things that they all enjoyed doing. When they got together, it wasn't like they were having an unpleasant time. Seriously, all it took was a trip to the pizza joint, or to the movies, or to go battle, or play soccer, or listen to music, because fuck man, they were just teenagers. They weren't totally against the idea of just hanging out. As for the standing one another, well, that was pretty hard. They all secretly hated each other's guts, only it wasn't a secret, and they openly shared this.

So, yeah, they were weird. But, it worked for them, in the end. They found stuff in each other that they could relate to: heartache, and family trouble, and the pressures of being human. Whatever it was, they saw it. Something just felt right when they were together. It was cool, alright?

Admittedly, it was a little odd when they all found out that they were all dating one another.

"Seriously, how the hell did this happen!? When did this happen!?"

It took a lot of explaining to do, and a whole lot of blushing, but whatever. It just meant they would be able to have double dates...err, quadruple dates.

So to be perfectly honest, they were great friends. Really great friends. And even though they'd never admit it, they were glad that Lance had assigned them that project. They really were.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

Five months later...

The sun hung low in the sky, its color bleeding into in its surroundings, and painting the expanse with vibrant yellows, soothing oranges, and seductive pinks. Even the clouds seemed to be retreating, as if they too were about to settle down for the night. Hours ago there had been a soundtrack of cheers, and tears, applause, and words of congratulations, laughs, spirits, and heartbeats in sync. However, those exuberant noises soon died down, as soon as the graduating class of Poke High threw their caps into the air, and said their farewells.

They had done it, and now there was nothing stopping them from going on their journeys.

Their group, however, had decided to leave first thing the next day. As anxious as they were to get moving, they had their own farewells to make. Which is why they all met in front of the familiar pizza place they came to know and love: Garchomp's. Still, the wave of nostalgia only made it that much harder.

They were all in a circle in front of the entrance. Ash's head was cast downwards, his trusty baseball cap casting a shadow over his eyes, which, they could only assume held tears. In his arms was a snoozing ball of yellow fur. The school had let them each take a pokemon, some from the school itself, and others brought over from the local lab. He chose the pikachu he had battled Principal Brown with. Beside him, Misty was trying her best not to burst out into tears herself, choosing instead to look down at her shoes, studying the splatters of mud and dirt that caked them, the once bright yellow laces turned dark. May, on the other hand, was openly crying. Despite this, she managed to have a kind of sad smile on her face, like she was happy all of them were there together, that they had accomplished everything, but didn't want it to end. Next to her was Drew, who held May close, pressing her body against his chest for his comfort as well as hers. Next to him was Gary. The spiky haired teen's jaw was clenched tightly, as well as his fists, and he was choosing to look anywhere but at their eyes. Leaf rubbed the side of her arm and kept taking big gulps of air, because if she didn't everything would spill out instead. Dawn was shedding tears, but the others couldn't see because she kept her face pressed into Paul's torso. Finally, Paul was frowning. He kept his gaze on the top of Dawn's head, and his hands in his pocket.

They were silent for a long time.

"We made it, didn't we?" asked May suddenly, her voice wavering. Tears were still falling down her cheeks, catching in the light from the slowly retreating sun. They seemed to sparkle. "We survived," she choked out again.

"Of course we did," Drew told her in a soothing voice. Then the green haired coordinator faced the rest of them. "Right guys?"

Misty shot her head up, her eyes glassy. "Yeah...we did," she agreed. For some reason, just saying those words filled her heart with happiness. She felt so much lighter.

Ash slowly tilted his head up as well. Each of them followed suit, finally able to reach each other's eyes.

"We did it together!" Dawn practically screamed. She was bawling harder, but she managed to plant a smile on her face as she did so.

One by one they slowly reached out for one another, until they were wrapped up into one giant group hug. Not even Paul had the heart to complain.

"I'm going to miss you guys," cried Ash, burying his head into Misty's neck.

"Me too," Dawn and May cried together.

"Great," Misty said, "now you're making me cry." But she was long passed that.

It was like every event leading up to this moment crashed upon them all at once. Memories flashed through them. Their first meeting in the library, their game of Never Have I Ever, the beach trip, the trust fall exercises, the party, breaking up and making up, defeating Principal Brown, all of it hit them like a truck.

"Because...because...you're a part of our group! And this is a team! You can't just walk out of here because Gary made you mad. We have to learn to get along with each other!"

It didn't matter anymore, that they were splitting up.

"It made me think that maybe this was supposed to happen ya know? We were all meant to have met. I felt something with all of them."

It didn't matter that they were all going in different directions all at once.

"I've seen it. There's a spark between all of you. Heck, If I didn't know better, I'd say this group was even friends. Just don't mess it up, okay?"

Because they weren't saying goodbye forever.

"It's clear that we can't stand each other's company, so why don't we just stop? Give up? Fuck it? It's what you all want right?"

And they had their memories with them.

"You mixed a group of individuals who had nothing in common. We never, not even from the start, wanted anything to do with each other. So, we were bound for failure. We tried playing your game, Lance, and you know what we got for it? Nothing. We fought, okay? It's over."

So even if they were leaving the next day,

"But how can you ever be great pokemon trainers if you can't even get through this?"

It was going to be okay.

"We were all bound to get hurt, but in the end wasn't it worth it?"

They were going to be okay.

"And yet, somewhere along the lines we were able to fix each other back up."

Right?

"I'm glad that we're good. Aren't you guys?"

They all pulled away at the same time, staring at one another with teary eyes, and bright smiles. The next day, they knew, Paul and Dawn would book it to Sinnoh, May and Drew to Hoenn, which Ash and Misty were sad about, because the three of them wouldn't become pirates together or whatever fantasy they had when they were in Middle school, but that was okay because they were going to make their marks throughout Kanto, and Leaf and Gary had decided to do some field work throughout all the regions, starting their own careers as researchers and journalists. But in that moment, standing together by the entrance of Garchomp's, none of it mattered. Because they were together, and they were going to enjoy the rest of the day they had with each other.

They would make it last.

Wordlessly, their group pushed their way through the doors of the restaurant.

"Hey," came a familiar voice when they entered, "come sit down and tell us what pokemon you got!" They caught a glimpse of Iris's bright purple hair, and her waving hand. She smiled, and patted the seats next to her. The table was also being shared with Conway and Brianna.

"Yeah get over here!" Brianna yelled.

Conway smirked. "It's about time you all showed," he said with a cheeky smile.

Their group looked at each other, catching the amusement shared on each of their faces, before letting out a much needed laugh. "You got it," they all agreed.

"Did you guys order pizza without me!?"

"Calm down, Ash, there's plenty to go around."

"Not with April's appetite..."

"No one asked you or your green hair, Drew!"

"Such kids..."

"More like idiots."

"Hey! Pass the parmesan will ya?"

"Eww, who the fuck ordered Anchovies?"

"I forgot how bad the pizza here was."

"You guys wanna play Never Have I Ever?"

In the background, Dash began a new set. He strummed a bit on his guitar, before sending the crowd a toothy smile. "This one goes out to all you new graduates out there! One journey may have ended, but it's not your last!"

It wasn't their last. It was only the beginning.