Wes drove his hover cycle up through the forest trail to Agate Village's isolated gateway. Rui kept her right ear covered by her right hand raised to the level of her eyes. Rui looked over to her travelling companion's face to see his expression, but his eyes were hidden under his desert visor. He didn't wear a grin on his face, not like the grin he had yesterday with their victory against Evice and destruction of Cipher at Realgam Tower's Colosseum.
They had finally arrived once again, but Wes parked his vehicle by an oil lamp in the mountain trail to Agate Village's wooden bridge. The blue trench coated young man stepped out of the vehicle, following him Rui joined the stroll through the night.
She kept close to him as they rose in altitude up the mountain. Throughout their adventure together she always felt secure and unafraid of any potential danger that could be lurking out of sight. The countless Cipher Peons that ambushed them were no match of Wes's strong will that showed through his two loyal Pokémon and Pokémon purified by Agate Relic's purifying light.
Ever since the day she almost was captured and taken to be dealt with by Cipher's need to stay concealed, she has never felt safer around her companion as she did now.
"We're here…", Wes said to her once they've reached the wooden bridge across the rushing water.
"Great! Are we going back to grandpa's?", Rui questioned as she stood looking at the lights in the homes that surrounded the giant dead tree that was her grandpa's home.
"You are…", Wes said to her, prompting Rui to raise her eyebrows in shock.
"What? Aren't you coming?", Rui queried in her surprise.
"This is the part… where you stay safe with your family and I will go back to my own business...", Wes said keeping the visor over his eyes.
"… What? …. You… you don't want me around anymore?", the young lady asked in disbelief.
Wes sighed. He stood silent for a moment as he could see the reaction on her face that he knew was going to happen.
"Cipher is dead. I can recognize Shadow Pokémon without your help… I don't need you anymore.", Wes explained part of his reasoning.
"But… where will you go? … do you have a family to return to?"
Wes did not answer. He stood stoic as Rui tried to read his expression. Unlucky for her, he excelled at keeping his expression hidden when his eyes are hidden behind his visor. Wes spoke to her…
"I…. unknowingly… helped Cipher when I was with Team Snagem… and thanks to you, I helped take back what I gave to them…. You were all I needed to complete the goal I had once I left Team Snagem to fend for myself… and now that it's all over…"
"… What do you mean? Wes, where will you go? You aren't going back to Team Snagem are you?", she asked him.
"No… I… I wanted to take back my past…. And I did… but you don't need…."
"Need what? Wes?! What is your problem?!"
"It's over Rui… I protected you up until now. Cipher is gone. The Shadow Pokémon have been snagged and purified. We don't need to be together anymore…"
"You…. You really don't want me around?", asked Rui again with her eyes glistening with a sudden accumulation of tears.
"I… I cannot thank you enough, Rui…. You've believed in me like no other person has… but I cannot risk letting you stay with me any longer…. Its better this way… trust me…"
"I… I guess I can respect that…. Wes…", answered Rui before she closed her eyes as she faced the entangled ground.
Wes shook his head as he kept his expression stable.
"I have my own journey to go on now… I'm going to hunt the last of Cipher's remaining members… goodbye… Rui.", Wes declared before he turned about face.
"… G… Goodbye… Wes…", Rui bid him goodbye as well.
A few steps were taken forward. Wes paused the moment he heard a single sob however, and turned to see her face concealed under the shade of her hair. He sighed and turned back to her as he felt a weight of guilt in his heart.
Rui could see him return. She took her eyes off of the ground and looked into Wes's eyes after he removed his visor and held it in his hands. He took a moment to look at her face for ten seconds.
"I thought this would be for the best of both of our worlds…", Wes explained as he gazed upon her with the starlight illuminating her eyes and the moon charm choker necklace around her neck.
"Its… it's alright… I really had fun in our adventure together… Wes… thank you for rescuing me and escorting me all this time...", Rui thanked him as she wiped the tears rolling down her cheeks.
Wes was silent, but he slowly raised his right hand up to offer some comfort, but Rui interrupted his path and suddenly wrapped him in a tight embrace.
"You will always be my gallant prince... I always believed in you Wes… Thank you so much for the memories.", Rui said to him as she kept her head on his right shoulder and her arms across his back.
Wes didn't know how to react. His arms were spread in the air, his Snag Machine mounted left arm wanted to wrap itself around her. In his heart, he was taken back to a time long lost where he was held lovingly by someone he once considered to be part of his family.
Rui opened her eyes when she felt Wes's firm arms slowly fasten around her waist and back. She took her head off of his shoulder and looked into his eyes. Wes gave a smile with a small glisten in his eyes shining across the starlight too.
"I always meant this moment to come… so that I could protect what mattered to me the most…", Wes began speaking.
"But… maybe…. Maybe I could postpone this moment a little longer… if you'd like, Rui…"
"Wes?", Rui queried for what he meant.
"This time… I'll ask you, Rui… Do you want to come with me?… I promise to protect you for as long as I live. Wherever we go, I will keep you and your smile safe...", he proposed to her.
Rui was dumbfounded. She couldn't help but blush at how long they have been kept in this embrace together. The orange haired young lady didn't complain however as she tightened her arms and pressed his torso towards hers.
"Ohh Wes! I-I promise I'll … I'll do my best to protect you too… And eventually I'll get a Trainer ID so I can be a Pokémon trainer to fend for myself too!", Rui promised him.
"But for now, I'm happy making more memories with you on our adventures together… I can't wait to see what happens tomorrow.", she continued.
"Tomorrow we're going to start hunting for criminals… that's why I was afraid of keeping you with me any longer… who knows how far we'll need to travel to find some of these guys…", explained Wes.
"Well we'll be ready for them, just like we were with Cipher. Wes, thank you.", she thanking him once again as she wouldn't let go of their embrace.
After their heart-to-heart embrace, they left for Eagun's home on the top of Agate Village's hill within the dead tree and slept in their beds together for the night in time for tomorrow's new beginning.