Pokémon Heroes of Johto

Epilogue

(14 years later)

(Ecruteak City, Johto)

...

Gold dropped the last box in front of the house with a heavy sigh. "Alright! That's the last of 'em!" he exclaimed cheerfully, grinning like always.
"Thank you all so much for helping us with the move." I said sincerely, holding my hands together and smiling to myself as I felt the ring on my finger.
"It's no trouble, after all, you've helped us out of some pretty tight spots too!" Crys stated cheerfully.
"It's great that you'll be living here in Ecruteak. Now it won't be so lonely." Morty said half jokingly.
"And now we can visit a lot more often." Falkner added, earning a nod of agreement from Bugsy and Jasmine.
"Oh, and I can babysit whenever you'd like!" Whitney exclaimed joyously. Silver and I exchanged unsure looks before looking back at Whitney nervously.
"Thanks but uh, we've already got that one covered." I stated nervously.
"Oh, okay then!" Whitney said carelessly, skipping off to annoy poor Falkner. I chuckled softly, resting my head on Silver's shoulder. He put an arm around me, resting his cheek gently on my head.
"... Are you happy?" I asked softly.
"With you? Always." Silver murmured, sliding his hand into my own, our silver rings touching as we held hands.
I felt like I could stay this way forever, but unfortunately, I couldn't. Gold called Silver over for some unknown reason, causing us to have to leave our peaceful position. Silver smiled apologetically at me before leaving to see what Gold wanted. I stared at the shine of sunlight in his hair, which had smoothened out over the years. Gold's hair became a little smoother too, though he still wore a backwards cap to show off that large lock of hair he kept swept to the side of his forehead. Crystal let her hair grow out a bit, dropping the pigtail style for a long ponytail. I still kept my hair loose like I've been doing since Team Rocket's attack in Goldenrod fourteen years ago. A whole lot has changed since Red's return as well.
For one, Karen retired her place in the Elite Four, passing it down to none other than Silver. Gold's taken on Pokémon breeding with Yellow and they've been raising newly hatched Pokémon like their own children. Crystal's finally a Pokémon Professor who's well known in Olivine City, where she lives with Gold, as the Professor of Legends and Myths. I'm still the undefeated Champion of Johto, but I teach at the Trainer School in Goldenrod City as a side job. Red's still seeing the sights with Green, Blue and his Pokémon like some group of crazy tourists. It's nice to get postcards and video calls from him every once in awhile though. Dad's still kicking as an International Police officer and mom's still at home. Everyone was content with their new and old ways of living, and it seemed like we were finally at complete peace. And now that Silver and I were settling in Ecruteak, the city where our hearts truly became one, I couldn't be happier.
Our five year old twins, Ethan and Kamon, are taking after our battling styles quite a lot. The boys are brothers to the core, which is pretty funny considering how Ethan mimics Gold's hairstyle and Kamon is all Silver-ified. Lyra, Gold and Crystal's kid, is very calm and quiet, but she's really energetic when it comes to attending my classes with her Azurill. She clearly takes after Gold's spirit and cheerfulness, but her intelligence obviously comes from good ol' Crys.
I could tell those three would make fine young trainers when they leave on their journeys. With Ethan's energetic, slightly mischievous personality, Kamon's calm and cool demeanor, and Lyra's passion for Pokémon, I'm sure it'd be an interesting journey at best.
I went inside our new home while everyone hung out outside, beginning to unpack the decorations I wanted to put on the wooden dresser by the door. I found a picture frame at the top of one of the boxes by the door, and smiled warmly at it. It was the picture we took at the celebration of Red's return fourteen years ago. It was of mom, dad, Giovanni, Looker, Proton, Lance, Red, Green, Blue, Yellow, Gold, Silver, Crystal, and I all together like a huge family. Mom and dad were holding hands, Giovanni was standing behind Proton, who was holding up a glass of punch, Looker had a hand rested on Proton's shoulder, Lance stood behind Red and Yellow, smiling cheerfully at them as Red put an arm around Yellow's neck, Green hugged Blue around the neck with both arms, Blue smirking at him playfully, Gold and Crystal were sitting calmly in the grass together, and Silver and I were in warm embrace. Typhlo, Blaze, and Red's Charizard stood in back, while Pikachu photo bombed up front with the peace sign.
I smiled softly as I reminisced that day like it was yesterday. I placed the picture frame gently on the dresser, suddenly receiving a call on my Pokégear. A little surprised that anyone had called me, I flipped it open. It was Red. I leaned against the wall peacefully as I answered.
"Hello?" I said casually.
"Fire!! You've gotta come check this out! Green and I are in this really sweet region, and they have this thing called the Battle Tree! It's really cool, you gotta see this!" Red exclaimed in excitement.
"Battle Tree, eh? Sounds like fun." I said, a hint of amusement in my tone as I smiled to myself. Red rambled on about how cool it was for a couple of minutes longer until Green told him to shut up.
"I'll be there." I said with a light chuckle before hanging up.
I put my good ol' Pokégear back into my pocket, strolling out the door.
Gold, Silver, Crystal, and I have obviously been on plenty of other journeys in the past fourteen years, but that's a story for another time. The other region's heroes have plenty to say on those topics. As for me, well, I've got other things in mind.
I made my way to Silver's side, giving him a light peck on the cheek, earning a warm embrace in return.
"Oh? Are you going somewhere?" Silver asked in his calm, sweet tone as I pulled away.
"Yup! Red called and said there's this 'super cool thing I just gotta see' so I'm off to check what it's all about." I explained cheerfully, playfully mocking Red's voice.
"You can never pass up an invention from Red, huh? Send him my regards." Silver said warmly, smiling softly at me as he spoke.
"You're leaving, ma?" Kamon asked with a light pout.
"Does that mean we're not gonna have a special dinner tonight?" Ethan asked, irritation notable in his cute little voice. I kneeled down to eye level of them, smiling warmly at the Fraternal twin brothers.
"Oh come on, don't you remember how fast Trickshot is? We'll be back before dinner, I promise." I stated with a wink. They both nodded, smiling sweetly back up at me. "See you all later! Let's go, Trickshot!" I called. Trickshot, swooped me up on its back, circling once to get in one last goodbye to everyone before flying off.
The Champions, otherwise known as the junior Pokémon Heroes, of the other regions all met up with me in the air with their own flying Pokémon. And so off we set to a new horizon, together, with our Pokémon. And with the ones we love held close in our hearts.

If there's one thing I've learned from my travels it's this;

Love goes through changes. It can bend, but it can never break. It grows weak and strong through the years. Even those who are gone still love you, and you still love them. The love you have for someone never leaves, it becomes an everlasting part of you. It can change to a different kind of love, but it is forever sworn by your side.

Because love....

Love never dies.