A Journey's End

Full Circle

     It's a beautiful summer day, and he is sitting by the banks of the waterway in his hometown, staring nostalgically at the shimmering waters of Route 21. It's been years; years since he first set out on Route 1 with a stubborn Pikachu in tow, after he'd overslept on what he now thought of as the most memorable day of his life.
     He stares at the shadows of the tentacool, lazily drifting near the surface, and absentmindedly pets his first and favorite companion.
     "We've sure come a long way, huh?" 
     Together, they'd made their names known throughout every region, and eventually, they had conquered every league.
     He was now history, no, legend, a holder of the title Pokemon Champion... in every region but his own. And so, he'd returned to quiet Pallet Town, after gaining the qualifications to once more challenge the Kanto League. After all, he dreamed of being a Pokémon Master... and although nearly everyone else considered him one already, he felt, no, knew his legacy was incomplete.  He'd end it, here at his roots.  He would become Kanto's Pokemon champion, only then, would he be content.
     Pikachu glared in annoyance at a Goldeen that had bitten its tail, mistaking it for food.
     He watched the scene, smiling. How many such scenes had he seen? Little vignettes of everyday life were brought back to his memory, as he reminisced: travels in the day, campfires in the night. Encounters with wild Pokémon, and most of all, encounters with people.

     His traveling companions had been many, and all of them taught him something different, leaving their marks forever impressed upon his psyche. He smiled as he thought of the ever-confident Dawn, hopelessly romantic Brock, bumbling May; his rivals, his childhood friend Serena, and so many others...
     His memory lingered a little longer than he would've liked, however, on a certain redhead. From the time he'd stolen her bike in a flurry to the multiple times he'd taken a beating from that accursed mallet, he found that strangely, she was exceptionally clear in his mind.  He shook his head, trying not to dwell on her.  After all, he wanted no regrets.
     Then, he remembered the various villainous rascals that had tried to exploit them throughout their adventures, and couldn't help but chuckle.
      Team Rocket just seemed to always be blasting off....
     As he remembered his journey, he also remembered a certain promise he'd made on his very first day, in the midst of disaster and despair. A promise he was about to fulfill.
     Yes, a promise that encompassed his entirety and being.  One that had allowed him a chance to be everything that he had become.  A promise he would see to the end.  And tomorrow, like he had done in the past, he would stand in the glory of Indigo Plateau.  And there, he'd challenge his former rival and defending champion of Kanto, Gary Oak, who had eventually returned to his first calling.  
     "Come on, Pikachu, let's go."
     And like so many countless times before, they set off.