Chaser and the Ultimate Journey

Afterword

  And that, reader, is the end of the epilogue.

Astute readers will recognize that this was mostly a divergent version of the ending of Pokémon Journeys, but with that in mind, I feel like it fits as an excellent epilogue to the story of the Clear Wing and the Chaser who sought out the mystery. We have seen Goh at low points and high points. We've seen him fight for his friends and fall victim to his own vices. We've seen him make new friends, face down evil enemies, and even discover the love that was swirling around him.

And with that in mind, Goh's entry into Project Mew as well as his success in thanking Mew in the episodes of the series, are important parts of that. I suppose it is a bit of a cheat for me to rely on the television series for this part, but I don't exactly have an animation budget! (this is a joke, please laugh!)

There are, of course, changes I made to the ending to fit this new version. Goh and Chloe head off together, so that Goh can learn to be more independent and deepen his knowledge and Chloe can learn more about Pokémon away from her father's well-meaning-but-overly-watchful eye. Ash, though, still heads off on his own with Pikachu, but I wouldn't expect him to be by himself for too long... He might even end up meeting up with Misty and Brock again soon!

I think the biggest surprise for me was Parker. I hate to dispel the illusion, but when I was aging up Goh and Chloe for this series (having all of Ash's previous adventures take place over the course of about four years and them being 14 before turning 15 mid-series), I wasn't expecting this age drift to really impact anything, but as I was writing this final epilogue, I realized that if Goh and Chloe still met Mew when they did (at Age 7) that meant Parker would be that much older as well, and he would be turning 10 as this story reached its conclusion. It really wraps everything up nicely, doesn't it?

And so... this is it. The end of 'One Who Chases'. I'm sorry to say but there's nothing to follow up next week, so while I thank you for your reading after all this time, it may be a long time before we meet again. I do have some stories I've got in mind, including a sequel that features Goh and Chloe as the main characters, but since the tragedy struck earlier this year, it's been harder to find the drive to write. But I do feel it growing in my bones again, that itch to write a story with interesting characters, to watch how they grow and change overtime. For now, please imagine your own stories where they go off and on their adventures together, hand in hand.

If there is one thing I could leave you with, it's something I was taught in college in my first creative writing class. After my story was torn apart and made fun of by the class despite my hard work on it, the teacher pulled me aside after class and told me not to ever lose my love of writing. That it's my passion for the craft that will carry me.

So that's what I want you to do, reader. If there's something you like to do but you're ashamed or shy over because of what others think, then please continue to do it. Never lose the love you have for your passions. Instead, whenever you get a chance to indulge them, I want you to shout out a loud 'Let's Go!'

This is Purim, the author. Thank you for reading.