Epilogue

Bianca gave her a tight hug, gulping as she tried not to cry. "Promise me you'll visit," She said. "And come back once in a while."

Touko closed her eyes and returned the hug, smiling all the while. "Don't worry, Bianca," She said. "I'm not leaving forever."

"It sure feels like it," Bianca huffed and let go. "I can't believe you're going to the Sinnoh region, Touko. That's crazy far away."

"I'll be back," She said. "Besides, I believe you promised me a spot at your wedding. And I wouldn't miss that for the world."

Bianca laughed half-heartedly. "Yeah, I'll bet."

"Take care, okay," Touko gave her another hug.

"You too," Bianca said. "I'll let you talk to Cheren now. He wanted to speak to you separately."

Cheren stood on the side, hands shoved into his jacket pockets. He had been dreading this moment since last Tuesday when he first found out that Touko was leaving. It came as a shock to him, and he hadn't even seen her since hearing the news from Bianca. Now that he was here in Nimbasa City sending her off, the whole thing felt much more real than it had a week ago.

He watched Touko release Bianca and walk towards him. "Hey Cheren," She said.

He sucked in a breath of air, trying to calm his nerves. "Hey Touko," He said. "So you're really going, huh?"

She held his gaze. "Yeah," She said. "I am."

A silence passed between them that lasted a few seconds. Finally, Cheren said, "You never even told me you were leaving."

Touko averted his eyes this time. "I should have," She admitted.

"Why didn't you?" He asked in an accusing tone.

"Because," She forced herself to meet his eyes again. She gave a small smile. "I didn't want to see you look the way you do now."

"I wish I had known sooner," He said. "Then I could have spent more time with you. I didn't even get you a gift, Touko."

She laughed, sounding more like the cheerful girl he knew her to be. "You know you didn't have to get me anything, Cheren."

"Yeah, well, it seems like the kind of thing you'd do in a situation like this," He said, feeling slightly embarrassed. "Especially since I don't know when you're coming back."

The laughter died down. She sighed. "Yeah,"

"Now I can't give you all those Christmas and birthday presents I was planning," He said. "This is a terrible inconvenience for me, you know that?"

She grinned. "I apologize for your suffering."

Cheren felt himself smiling too. She had that effect on him. "Well, I suppose I can overlook it," He said. "What are you going to do up there anyway? Why do you need to go to Sinnoh?"

"Cynthia offered to show me around the region. And I wanted to go to see more of the world… see new Pokémon I've never had the chance to meet yet. Can't you just imagine it, Cheren?" She said, and he could see that familiar excitement lighting up her eyes. "Such a new and amazing place, with new things to see… I want to see it all."

"Will you ever come back?" He asked the question he'd been longing to ask since he first heard the news.

"Well, yeah, of course."

"Are you sure? Because you seem so excited now, I don't know. What if you end up liking it so much that you change your mind and don't want to come home anymore, and then –"

Touko hugged him, effectively cutting him off. "Stop being so negative, Cheren. You know I wouldn't do that," She said. "I promise."

Cheren sighed. "How can you promise that?"

"I can," She said firmly. "This is my home. And I don't think I could live with myself if I never saw you again."

Cheren felt his heart rate pick up. "Well, what kind of friend would I be if I told you not to go?" He laughed into her hair. "You better come back."

"Well, duh," She said.

"I expect a battle when you do," He said.

"Of course."

"I'll probably lose."

Touko chuckled at that. "You never know."

The wind blew softly causing her long hair to obscure part of her face. Cheren resisted the urge to reach out and tuck it behind her ear. "Yeah," He managed to say. "You never know."

She smiled and hugged him again. "Thanks for everything, Cheren," She said. "You're the best friend I've ever had."

"Don't say it like that," He hugged her tighter. "Don't make it sound like you're saying goodbye."

"Alright," She said, and he swore he heard her choke back a sob. "I'll see you soon, then."

Mustering up every ounce of courage he had, Cheren took in a slow breath. "Hey, Touko?"

"Yeah?"

"When you come back, there's something I need to tell you. So don't forget."

"Okay," She said. Her eyes were sparkling with tears but she quickly wiped them away.

Releasing her Hydreigon from its Poke ball, she swiftly climbed onto its back. With a final wave at Cheren she took off into the night sky.

Cheren watched the Dragon Pokémon disappear into the distance. He let out the breath he had been holding and decided, right then and there, that he would make the most of the time Touko was gone. If she was going to become better than so would he.

Bianca had watched this exchange silently on the side. She saw the determined look on Cheren's face and couldn't help smiling to herself. "That boy is so hopeless," She murmured.