Okay, so I know I said 2 more chapters, but I think this one might be the last. I like the way I ended this one and don't see how much further I could go, even with just one chapter. But don't worry. If this really is the last chapter, I'll have a new story up soon enough! For now, enjoy the final (hooray!) chapter of The Secret of Entei!

"E…Entei?" Misty stammered, her eyes narrowing in disbelief. Ash stared at the legendary Pokémon in awe for a moment before unleashing a low growl and getting mad.

"Hey!" Ash barked, "What's the big idea? Give us our little girl back!" Entei roared unhappily, causing Misty to flinch. Ash, however, was not about to back down. "You heard me. Give her back." This order elicited yet another growl from Entei.

"Eni," Michelle tugged at the Pokémon's tail. Entei turned around and looked at Michelle, patiently waiting for the child to speak again. "I miss Mama an' Dada. I wanna go back." Entei breathed out heavily and shook his head sadly.

"Entei, please?" Misty asked softly. She was just as anxious as Ash was, but she knew full well that yelling and screaming, more often than not, didn't get you what you wanted. Misty had learned that lesson enough as a kid.

All of a sudden, Entei's eyes were glowing a bright red, only for a second. Ash and Misty both blinked in confusion, withdrawing ever so slightly at the action.

"And why should I do that?"

Misty's eyes widened at the sound of the deep, formerly unheard voice. Then she gasped. It couldn't have been. "Ash…"

"He's using telepathy," Ash mumbled to her before looking back at the volcano Pokémon. "And you should give her back because she's our daughter! And I'll bet you have Aiden too."

"I do," Entei nodded, "but I won't return either to you."

"Why not?" Ash stormed.

"Because you are not suitable parents."

"Hey! We're perfectly suitable parents!" Misty bellowed, her patience finally snapping. At this point in life, Misty only got really upset if someone questioned her parenting skills or made a snide comment about her children.

"You are not," Entei glowered, "you hurt them in ways unimaginable to most children."

"We'd never do anything to hurt them!" Ash cried, "what do you think we did that upset them so badly?"

"You had an argument in front of them!" Entei nearly jumped at the Pokémon master, "a biting, awful argument. And it was about them."

"Does…does he mean the one we had after the press conference?" Misty shivered.

"Aiden and Michelle weren't around for that," Ash breathed.

"Yes they were," Entei turned back towards Michelle, "they were hiding nearby and heard it all."

"Is that true Shelly?" Misty stared at the little girl. Michelle, in turn, nodded slowly as sadness clouded over her deep emerald eyes. Misty's shoulders fell and she frowned deeply. How could she and Ash have let that happen?

"Michelle we're very sorry," Ash frowned, "we would never ever mean to hurt you or Aiden."

"And you didn't cause the argument sweetheart," Misty shook her head, "it as mine and Daddy's fault. You and Aiden didn't do anything."

"You believe us, don't you sweetheart?" Ash asked, almost breathlessly. It took a moment, but sure enough, Michelle responded with a tiny nod.

"Do you want to come with us?" Misty inquired hopefully. Again, Michelle nodded.

"I've already said she's not going with you," Entei stepped in front of Michelle, causing the little girl to whine.

"You have no right to control her," Ash narrowed his eyes, "I'll take her from you for all I care!" And with that, he ran forward, prompting a little gasp from both Misty and Michelle.

Huffing, Entei stomped his heavy paws on the ground, creating a rather large explosion. The clouds of thick smog and fire caused Ash to choke and jump back, his eyes wide with disbelief.

"That was lava plume," Misty noted quietly from behind him.

"Hey! Quit trying to attack me!" Ash barked as he moved closer to the legendary Pokémon yet again. Misty, meanwhile, looked shocked. Ash was absolutely insane. Of course he was determined to save their little daughter, and she wasn't about to get in his way. But still, he was putting his own life at risk in order to rescue the girl.

Snarling, Entei's eyes began to glow a fierce gold before unleashing a bright, rainbow colored beam at Ash from the yellow crest above his eyes. It was a direct hit, causing Ash to cry out in pain and fall to his knees.

"Ash!" Misty cried.

"Daddy!" Michelle wailed fearfully at the same time, her dark green eyes filling with tears.

"You'd be a fool to try and attack me again after being hit by extrasensory," Entei remarked darkly.

"W…watch me," Ash grimaced as he stood up, albeit slowly and clumsily.

"No Daddy!" Michelle shook her head vigorously.

"Ash, if you're really going to insist on doing this, why don't you use one of your Pokémon?" Misty yelled at him.

"Pika!" Pikachu, who was standing alertly by Misty's feet, agreed.

"No," Ash looked over his shoulder, "I need to get her back by myself. She's my daughter, isn't she?"

"She's mine too!" Misty fretted, "Why won't you just listen to me?"

"Pikapi…" Pikachu began to walk forward, glaring at Entei as sparks jumped from his cheeks.

"Pikachu, stop!" Ash scolded the electric type. Pikachu flicked his ears and sat up in surprise, while Michelle watched the scene in pure shock. She had never seen her father yell at Pikachu like that!

Turning back to Entei, Ash walked towards it yet again, a look of determination still plastered on his face. Clearly aggravated by Ash's resiliency, Entei opened his mouth and formed a bright pink orb of energy, sending it flying in Ash's direction.

"Ash, that's fire blast!" Misty screamed. She knew if Ash got hit by that, it could be the end of him. Michelle was frozen in fear, her body visibly shaking. When the orb was only inches away from Ash, however, he threw himself down on the ground, narrowly avoiding being hit by the fire attack.

"Stop!" Michelle screamed, running towards Entei. She grabbed at his long white tail, holding onto it tightly as the tears fell from her eyes and down her cheeks.

"Hm?" Entei looked back at the young girl, "What're you doing, Michelle?"

"You huwt my Daddy!" She yelled, giving the volcano Pokémon's appendage a good tug, "stop it Eni!"

"But…" Entei began.

"No!" Michelle interrupted, "I wove him! An' he woves me! Stop it!"

"Don't you see Entei?" Ash asked as he picked himself back up, "Michelle knows I love her, and that I would never do anything to hurt her. Right sweetie?"

"Yes Daddy," Michelle ran towards him. Entei leaned down to try and stop her, but she was quickly able to avoid the legendary Pokémon and reach her father. Ash gathered the toddler in his arms, relieved to be holding her once again. He hugged her tightly, breathing in her sweet scent that was so similar to Misty's. She squirmed ever so slightly in his hold, but Ash didn't mind. At this point, he was trying to fight the urge to cry tears of joy. He refused to cry in front of the twins because he didn't want to scare them. Fortunately, as Michelle pulled away, Ash had been able to compose himself and was able to give the child a happy smile.

"I missed you Daddy," Michelle murmured fondly.

"I missed you too," Ash kissed her forehead, "I was so worried about you, princess. And your brother too. Where is he, baby?"

"He's napping," Michelle replied, "by the tree."

"The tree?" Ash raised an eyebrow.

"I'll take you there," Entei suddenly spoke up. Ash looked incredulously over Michelle's head at the beast, mistrust still flowing through his body.

"Why should I believe you?" Ash stormed.

"Ash, shush!" Misty pressed her foot against his back. Gazing at Entei, she continued, "That'd be very kind of you. Thank you very much." Entei nodded and turned around, bounding gracefully over the land's small hills.

"Why do you trust him?" Ash breathed as he stood up to his full height, Michelle still in his arms.

"He let Michelle come back to us, didn't he?" Misty asked calmly, "I think we have to."

Ash thought for a moment, but the urge to see his son was just too great. "Fine."

"Thank you," Misty smiled nimbly before holding her arms out, "now give me my little girl." Ash chuckled and handed the child over, causing Michelle to giggle happily.

"Oh, my baby," Misty cooed, giving Michelle a tight hug as she and Ash followed after Entei.

"Isn't it pwetty hewe Mama?" Michelle asked with a wide grin.

"Yes," Misty replied breathlessly as she looked around, "it is. But I wish you and Aiden hadn't run off like this."

"We didn't," Michelle shook her head, "Eni took us."

"He took you?" Misty raised an eyebrow. In turn, Michelle nodded feverously.

"He was at the window one night," Michelle explained, "an' Aiden an' me went wif him."

"Why would you do that, sweetie? You know you're not supposed to do things like that."

"Yeah. But Aiden wanted to."

Misty sighed and looked ahead as she followed after Ash. She assumed she would never understand the logic of young children, so she decided to simply stop asking and just go along with Michelle's answer.

"Down Mommy!" Michelle's voice broke through again as she tugged at her mother's sleeve. Misty looked down at the young girl and took notice of the very serious expression that had formed on the child's face. Without another word, Misty put her daughter on the floor and watched the little red head race towards a large hill.

"What do you think is over there?" Ash asked Misty.

"Well, there's a giant tree on top of that hill," Misty mused, "and Michelle kept saying something about Aiden being underneath a tree. So she must be going to Aiden!"

"Ha, right!" Ash smiled and nodded. "You're always so smart, Mist."

The gym leader blushed heavily at the compliment and continued walking towards the hill. Ash picked up the pace to get next to her, his grin broadening with every step he took. If Misty was right, every step brought them closer to Aiden, which meant they were one step closer to reuniting their family.

"Aiden!" Michelle yelled, finally perching herself underneath the shade of the enormous oak tree. Her brother was still fast asleep, his head resting on his folded arms as he snored lightly. "Aiden, up." She poked at his nose. Still no response.

"AIDEN!" Michelle screeched, slapping the boy's side.

"OW!" Aiden wailed, jumping up as he rubbed the now sore spot. "SHELLY!"

"Michelle, don't hit your brother!" Misty called in shock, "that's very mean!"

"Well, what do you know," Ash rubbed the back of his neck, "she takes after her mother."

"What does THAT mean?" Misty stormed as she took a threatening step towards Ash, who in turn chuckled nervously.

"Heh. Nothing Mist. It means nothing."

"Why you wake me up?" Aiden grumbled.

"Mama an' Dada awe hewe," Michelle grinned brightly, "fow us!"

"Why?" Aiden yelled, folding his arms.

"'Cause they wove us," Michelle answered in a small voice.

"No they don't," Aiden scowled.

"Aiden," Entei's deep voice suddenly emerged. He appeared from behind the tree, his red eyes locking onto Aiden. "Your parents truly do care for both you and your sister. The reason you think they don't is all a misunderstanding."

"They don't wove us!" Aiden cried forcefully, "they don't!"

"Yes they do," Entei moved closer to the boy, "you believe me, now don't you?" Aiden huffed and quickly shook his head.

"A…Aiden…" Misty tried as she walked up the hill. Aiden gasped quietly and backed away, right into Entei's thick front legs. "Entei is right, you know."

"Yeah, we didn't mean to do all that yelling in front of you and your sister," Ash frowned next to her, "we're really sorry you saw that. You and Michelle did nothing wrong."

"I no believe you," Aiden mumbled angrily.

"Aiden, please…" Misty held her arms out, but Aiden still refused to move. She pulled them back, tears filling her dark green eyes. Just the thought of her son not loving her anymore was enough to tear her heart right out of her chest.

"Listen to your mother Aiden," Entei tried, lowering his large head to nudge Aiden. Instead, the young boy shook his head and climbed up onto Entei's back, hugging the beast tightly. "He'll come around," Entei commented to Ash and Misty in a low voice, "I can convince him. It won't take much longer."

Ash, sensing his wife's distress, stepped forward to rub her back soothingly. Looking up at Entei, he questioned, "Entei, how did you know where Aiden and Michelle were? Why exactly did you take them?"

"Heat Stone Island used to be hidden," Entei began, "it was solely a place for others of my species to live. It was like that for many, many years. But one day, a group of Pokémon hunters found the island and began to capture all of the Entei that inhabited the land." Looking away in a distraught manner, Entei grumbled, "I'm the only one left."

"That's awful," Ash gasped slightly, his eyes widening.

"That's why you've experienced all those strange occurrences," Entei settled onto the ground, "it was my doing."

"But why would you do that?" Ash inquired.

"I was hoping that one day; people would become too afraid to come to the island. I simply wanted to reclaim it for my species, hoping that maybe some more would return. But so far, nothing has helped my cause."

"It is a little harsh," Ash twisted his mouth.

"Yes, I realize that," Entei sounded almost ashamed, "but there was nothing else I could think of. I just wish things could once return to the way they were."

"Me too," Misty finally piped up, casting her glance off to the side.

"Hm? What do you mean Mist?" Ash squeezed her shoulder.

"Aiden's never been this mad at me before," the tears began to flow freely from Misty's emerald eyes, "I would never want him to think that I don't love him. I wish you and I had never had that stupid argument. If we hadn't, maybe Aiden would still love me…"

Misty trailed off softly and lowered her head, trying to stop her tears. Ash, in turn, frowned and began to brush through her bright red hair.

"It's okay Misty," Ash murmured.

Hearing the sound of sniffling, Aiden slowly raised his head from Entei's fur and looked curiously at his mother. Realizing she was crying, a little gasp escaped from the boy's mouth as he jumped off the legendary Pokémon's back and ran over to Misty.

"M…Mommy?" He whispered, gently touching her arm. Misty rubbed her eyes furiously and looked up at her son, unable to get any words out. "Pwease don't cry Mommy. I…I do wove you. I do Mommy."

Misty took a shaky breath, hopeful that her son really meant what he had just said. In order to cement his words, Aiden jumped forward into Misty's arms, giving his mother a tight and reassuring hug. Misty grew wide eyed at the action, but soon after smiled happily. She returned Aiden's embrace, holding the boy closer to her.

"My baby," Misty murmured against his cheek, pressing a delicate kiss against his smooth skin. For once, Aiden didn't make a sound of disgust and wipe away at the spot. Instead, he looked back up at his mother, beaming as he did so.

"I'm so sorry for what happened champ," Ash ruffled the boy's hair.

"We both are," Misty added, touching the child's nose.

"It's okay," Aiden nodded.

"See Aiden?" Entei commented from his spot, "I told you that your parents loved you. They could never hate you."

"Thank you Entei," Ash expressed his gratitude towards the volcano Pokémon.

"I am glad to have reunited your family," Entei replied, "perhaps someday, mine will be as well."

"I'm sure that one day you will," Misty assured, her smile broadening.

"Meeting you all has restored my hope," Entei nodded as he stood up. "I have decided that now, instead of wreaking havoc on Heat Stone Island, I will head out in search of others of my kind, and replenish the once great history of our clan."

"Good luck," Ash gave Entei a wave, "and thank you again!"

Entei finally showed Ash and Misty a little smile as he nuzzled the two children goodbye before darting off into the distance.

"We sowwy for wunning away," Michelle gazed up at her parents.

"It's okay princess," Ash lifted the girl into his arms, kissing her head, "we know you didn't mean to hurt us."

"I wanna go home," Aiden commented as he rested his head on Misty's shoulder.

"I think we all want to go home," Misty glanced at Ash, giving him a little smirk. In turn, Ash chuckled and began walking off in the direction where the portal that Entei had left for them remained.

Finally, Ash and Misty's family had been reunited, and it had come back together stronger than ever.

Ahh, a happy ending. Who would've seen this one coming after some of those angsty chapters I wrote, huh? :P

I had alot of fun writing this story and I can't believe it's come to an end. I'll be putting up a new story sooner rather than later, however (one that I hope you'll all really enjoy because it's an idea I've had for a long time!) so hopefully you'll all come back to read that one ^^

Thanks to everyone who has read and suppourted this story! It really means alot to me and keeps me motivated as a writer. You're all super awesome and I appreciate every single one of you :)

That's all for now. Until next time (with a new story!) my dear readers...