Hey everyone. Well, here it is. The epilogue. I'm sorry that this took me literally forever to post. At first I kept putting it off. And then when I finally did start writing it, the darn thing evolved into a bigger project than I originally intended for it to be. It was supposed to be like… 3,000 words. It ended up being 8,000. So I am sorry. But here it is: the last piece of the story. Hopefully it'll be worth the wait and make for a satisfying end for you all :) And then you won't have to silently curse me for my long absences anymore.

XXXXXXXXXXXXX

Leaf poured herself a cup of coffee. The sun was only just beginning to appear in the sky, but even still she was alone. She had heard Red rustling about in his room several hours ago, gathering his things for his morning training session.

It was like this every day. She would wake up and he would be gone, only returning around lunch time to eat and give his pokémon a rest. Red had been training so intensely. It was getting to the point where Leaf wondered how much longer this could possibly last.

I love Red, but I can't take much more of this. It's almost been an entire year, she thought to herself. Truly, she was happy that Red had allowed her to stay with him. However, things hadn't turned out quite the way she had imagined it. Due to his dedication to training, Red wasn't able to spend as much time with her as she would like. At first, he would only train in the morning and afternoon, leaving the evenings for the two of them to spend time together. Lately, that had changed. Red seemed to be pouring almost the entire day into training, and she would only see him during their shared meals and maybe for a little while before bed.

She enjoyed taking care of him, and occasionally he would ask her for a battle, but she wanted more than that. She missed travelling. She missed having a social life. But most of all she missed what they had shared back in Lumiose City. There had been so much promise for their newly blossomed relationship and Red had shut almost all of it down until further notice. They couldn't go on dates. They couldn't sleep in the same bed because of his crazy training regimen. This was all so unfair to her.

She knew deep down that she couldn't expect more of him right now. He had told her that he felt he could not train and make her happy at the same time, and she had fought back against him saying that she would be happy up here.

With a little too much force, Leaf clunked her coffee cup down onto the table. She didn't even know what she wanted to do with her day. When they had first began staying here, she would watch movies, read books, train her pokémon, exercise regularly, and whatever else she could do to pass time and make herself feel like it wasn't so bad up here. But she hated it. She felt cramped, and trapped. Only once a week she would fly down into the city to go shopping, and that wasn't nearly enough for her. She needed to travel. Even though Leaf wanted to settle down with Red eventually, she needed to be in a place that was filled with activity and noise and color. That's why she had been living in Kalos' largest city.

"I hate this," she muttered to herself as she stood up from the table, "I need to go somewhere. I'll make an extra trip to Viridian this week."

Leaf quickly scribbled out a note to Red and stuck it to the refrigerator. There was plenty of food for him to eat, so he would be fine without her. She put on her classic premier ball hat and grabbed her coat off the chair near the door. The past year had been all about Red. Today was going to be all about her.

XXXXXXXXXXXXX

"Charizard, use Slash to cut down that tree!" With a roar, Charizard quickly sliced the small tree into two pieces.

"Great! Now cut it into logs!" Charizard got to work, and Red watched with satisfaction. This mountain was the single greatest place on earth. Even just living up here provided training. They needed firewood, Charizard practiced Slash. They needed to recharge the generator, Pikachu practiced Thunderbolt.

In the caves there were strong enemies to battle against. There were frigid waters for Lapras to swim in. It was so perfect.

The only thing was that Leaf was clearly unhappy. She had never said it aloud to him, and he knew it was because she was afraid that he would bring up the fact that he hadn't wanted to put her through this. That's why he had originally come here alone.

"I swear I'll make it up to you." Those were the words he whispered every morning when he peeked into her room to make sure she was still there. She was always sound asleep, and she looked so serene and beautiful. It broke his heart to know she was suffering, but this was something that he had to do. It was selfish. And yet, there she was, right there with him through it all.

It drove him crazy. He was fully aware of what he had done to Leaf, and yet he couldn't make it right. Not right now anyway. On top of this mountain there was no way to give Leaf the life that she wanted and deserved. There was no way to give her the love that she deserved.

"This place is hell," he muttered to himself, "Why am I here? What's it really worth to battle Gold again? My dignity? My pride? God, I'm so selfish and yet I know this is necessary. There's no true justification for it and yet I can't go on being Champion unless I do this. I'm a damn idiot and Leaf probably feels the same way about me."

Without thinking, Red kicked one of the logs Charizard had cut. He instantly regretted it and prayed to Mew that he hadn't just busted his toe.

"I need to take a break. I'll go inside and see how Leaf is doing," Red sighed. He and Charizard picked up the firewood and carried it towards the house. Along the way, Red spotted a single dandelion poking through the snow. He knew that spring had come but he hadn't expected to see anything like this up here. Tenderly, he picked the little weed with the intention of giving it to Leaf.

It's no bouquet of flowers but it does look pretty. Either way it'll let her know that I was thinking about her, right? He thought to himself. When they arrived at the house, Red set down his firewood and went inside.

"I'm here for lunch, Leaf!" he called out, "And I brought you something!"

There was no response, and his heart sank as he noticed the note on the fridge. She went down into the city. Every time she went he worried that she wouldn't return. He worried that she would be reminded of how lonely it was up here, no thanks to him, and that she would just abandon him to his own insanity. Little did she know that she was the only thing keeping him sane.

He wondered what she was doing right now as he warmed up his lunch in the microwave. Whatever it was he hoped she was having fun – but not too much fun. Suddenly an image of Leaf dancing on a table in a bar somewhere popped into his mind. And then she started taking off her shirt and then her skirt and then her…. No! He mustn't think such impure thoughts like that!

Besides, he was sure that Leaf was just shopping or something. She would be back tonight.

He had been thinking recently that he might be ready to challenge Gold to a rematch. Maybe if the afternoon training session went well he would make his decision. The fact that Leaf had gone into the city today when she usually only went once a week showed him that she was getting more and more antsy about being trapped up here. He needed to challenge Gold soon, but he was afraid. If he lost, then what would that mean? He'd probably have even less confidence than before if things turned out like that.

No. He needed to face his fear. It had almost been a year since he had come to Mt. Silver and even though he had never promised it out loud he had told himself that he wouldn't train for longer than one year. It was time. When Leaf came home tonight, he would tell her that he was ready to battle Gold. If he wasn't ready now, then he'd never be.

Soon, Leaf. This will all be over and I'll spend every waking moment trying to make things right between us. Cross my heart.

XXXXXXXXXXXXX

Leaf sighed in bliss. This was the life. This was something she hadn't done in quite a while. Currently, she was wrapped in a fluffy white towel and surrounded by hot steam as she leaned back against the wall of the day spa. Earlier she had been shopping and picked up a few things Red might need, as well as a few things she wanted for herself. One of those things had been a new dress.

She had no need for something like that right now, but it had been so long since she had dressed up and gone out on the town. She had seen it in the window of the clothing store and it had drawn her inside as though it had hypnotized her. The dress was dark green in color, and silky soft. The neckline plunged just enough to be sexy as hell but still socially acceptable to wear. The hemline was more modest, going to an inch above the knee. Not intending to buy it, Leaf had asked to try it on in the changing room. As soon as she saw herself she decided that she had to have it. She looked crazy hot in it and she hadn't bought something like this in forever. She reasoned that she owed it to herself after having lived in isolation for so long.

As she basked in the glorious steam that was surrounding her, she recalled a conversation she'd had with Red near the beginning of their time on Mt. Silver.

"You don't have to be here all the time if you feel too isolated," he'd said to her as he held her in his arms. This was back when they would watch movies together in the evening and cuddle.

"But I want to be by your side," she had told him, "and I'm fine, really."

"Okay."

Leaf had wanted to say more. She had wanted to tell him about how she couldn't leave for a while, because she was secretly afraid that when she returned Red would no longer be there. What if he was trying to ditch her like he had back in Lumiose City? What if her being on the mountain with him really was holding him back? It had almost been a year. She couldn't help but wonder if his training would have taken this long if he was completely alone.

After she left the day spa, she decided that she had better head home. She'd pampered herself enough for one day anyhow. As she arrived back home after flying up the mountain, she was surprised to see lights on in the house. Normally Red didn't finish his training until later.

Curiously, she entered through the front door and called out to him.

"Hey Leaf," he said when she found him in the living room.

"Hey… what are you doing?" she asked him.

"I'm ready."

"You're… ready? For what?" Her heart was pounding slightly. Surely he didn't mean that he was ready to fight Gold? That just seemed like such an impossibility to her.

"I think I've trained as much as I can. I'm ready to face Gold."

"Oh my god, Red… really?"

"Really. I'll battle him, and I'll win. And then we can leave this mountain and start our life together. I promise."

His eyes shown with sincerity. Leaf was overcome with happiness inside.

"What do you need me to do?" she asked.

"I have Gold's address thanks to Silver. I need you to go there tomorrow and bring him back here."

"Why me instead of you?"

"Because you never take no for an answer." Red smiled at her. She smiled back. Tomorrow, she would go and get Gold. And she'd make him come with her to Mt. Silver. No matter what.

XXXXXXXXXXXXX

"The one region I've never been to, and I don't even get to explore it," Leaf sighed, "but maybe Red will take me here on vacation sometime now that this is finally going to be over." She walked through the quaint village, admiring the floral patterned clothing and relaxed expressions of the people. There clearly seemed to be a deeply ingrained culture among the citizens of Alola.

"This place reminds me of Pallet, but less boring. I wouldn't want to live here either though. I wonder if there are any big cities in Alola?"

She talked to herself as she walked. It was a habit she'd picked up on the mountain. Loneliness had a way of bringing forth one's inner dialogue to spoken reality. Eventually, she reached the address she was looking for.

"He'd better really be here," Leaf sighed, "Otherwise I don't know what we're going to do." She knocked on the door and waited. A few moments later the door opened and she was met with a shocking sight. It was definitely Gold all right, but he was wearing a floral shirt and had grown a bad-looking goatee.

"Leaf Green!" he said in surprise, "Long time no see!"

"What the hell have you done to your stupid face?!" she asked harshly. She immediately shoved him into the house and pressed her finger against his chin.

"You look like a man who's trying too hard to be cool. Shave that damn thing off or I'll shave it off myself."

"Woah! Slow down, you crazy woman! What's gotten into you?"

Leaf remained silent for a moment. Gold wasn't the only one she had surprised. She had also shocked herself. This was so much like it had been a year ago. She'd entered Red's house and immediately tried to take over his life. Was this just part of who she was? She'd thought Red had changed her.

Change. Yeah right. There hadn't been any time for change to stick. There hadn't been any room for change or growth… all there was in the world was this damn battle.

"Red wants a battle with you, and you're going to accept it or I'll kidnap you against your will."

"Red? Battle? Why?" Gold asked the sharp, pointed questions confusedly. Leaf didn't have time for this. She couldn't take it anymore.

"Because… he's Red. He feels like he has to do this in order to be a worthy Champion."

"Our battle was over ten years ago. Why'd he wait so long to start feeling this way? We were both cool with our agreement at the time."

"He's been asleep, but now he's woken up. Or, he had woken up but now he's back asleep. All I know is that a fire has been lit inside him and if you don't battle him now it'll be put out forever, so will you do it? For him? Or even… just for me?"

Without realizing it, tears began to fall from Leaf's eyes.

"What the hell…" Gold whispered. He leaned back against the wall and avoided Leaf's gaze. She was avoiding his as well.

"Please," Leaf whispered.

"You're crying. Red's demanding a rematch after we agreed to sweep that battle under the rug… everything's the opposite of what it used to be."

"I know. A lot has happened, and I… I'm sorry to ask so much of you but it's important. To both of us."

"I'll do it."

"You will?" Leaf looked up at him in awe. His worried face had changed into one of smug confidence.

"Truth be told it would be fun to see if I can still kick his butt."

"You barely won the first time!"

"Then I guess that means I have just as much to prove as he does."

Leaf's lips twitched upwards. Gold. He tried so hard to be cool but underneath that muscled chest and douche-y personality was a heart just like his name.

"I'll take you to him."

"I'm ready to go right now."

"I don't think so. I was fully serious about shaving that goatee, mister."

Quick as lightning Leaf grabbed his shirt and dragged him through the house looking for his bathroom.

"To the left! The left I said!" Gold shouted trying to guide her, "Damn you woman!"

XXXXXXXXXXXXX

"There's a large space through this cave here," Leaf explained. Gold was right behind her, but he remained silent. He no longer adorned the flower-patterned shirt she had found him wearing in Alola, but instead wore a heavy winter coat.

As they trekked through the cave, Gold eventually did break the silence.

"I can't believe Red has been training up here, all just so that he can battle me."

"You're the only one who ever beat him. He has this weird idea that defeating you now will restore his right to be champion."

"That's kind of stupid. Like you said, I barely even won that fight back then."

"A loss is a loss. At least to Red." Leaf found her mind slipping back to how Red had been just one year ago. He'd lost all will to be champion, and if this was what it would take to rekindle his passion… then it was worth it to her. It was worth all of the pain and loneliness she'd had to endure, even if it was "kind of stupid" as Ethan had put it.

"So what's up with you anyway? Are you and Red, like… a couple?"

"Yes. But our relationship has been a bit stagnant ever since he made this commitment to battle you."

"So… what'll happen to him if I win this time too?"

Leaf didn't answer for a moment. She honestly hadn't thought much about it. Red had been training so hard that she couldn't even imagine him losing. But if he did… what would he do?

"I don't really know," she finally said, "All I know is that you can't hold back. Red will know if you're going easy on him, so you need to give this battle everything you've got. Don't worry about what he's going to do if you win. Just treat it like there's nothing on the line besides winning and losing."

"Not a problem," Gold said calmly, "I promise to make this a fair fight."

"Thank you."

"I see the end of the cave. Is he there?"

"Yes."

They continued hiking until they reached the light at the end of the tunnel. Adjusting from the darkness of the cave took a moment, but Leaf could see the outline of Red against the sun. He looked like a god standing there, exuding pure power and determination.

"Hey Red," said Gold, "Long time no see."

Red did not respond. He merely stared down his opponent. Leaf knew that he was completely focused. He couldn't engage in idle chit chat when the fight of his life was about to take place.

"I see," Gold said quietly as though Red had communicated some sort of invisible message to him. "I'm ready to face you."

"I'll be acting as referee, if that's okay," Leaf informed him.

"Yes, that's fine."

Moments later, both Red and Gold had taken their positions on either side of the makeshift battlefield. Leaf stood on the sidelines, where she would be able to watch the action with a front row seat. Her stomach churned anxiously. This moment meant everything to Red. He must be under intense pressure right now, and all she could do was watch and hope that he came out on top. No. She could believe in him. She believed with all her heart that Red would win. He had been working so hard for this. He deserved the victory that would prove to him he was worthy of being number one.

"The battle will be six on six," Leaf stated, "the battle is over when one trainer has defeated all six of the other trainer's pokémon. Now, let the battle begin!"

"Blastoise, I choose you!" Red called as he released his first pokémon.

"Sunflora, let's do this!" Gold shouted. There were two flashes of red light as the pokémon were released. Red had the disadvantage, but Leaf reminded herself that someone almost always had to start with the lower hand in a battle. This was no different than his usual battles as Champion. And he had won all of those except for one.

"Sunflora, use Sunny Day!" Gold shouted. Bright light began to stream down from the sky, bathing the makeshift field in warmth.

He's setting the stage to his advantage, Leaf thought to herself. Red should swap out for Charizard now that the field has changed.

"Blastoise, use Ice Beam!" To Leaf's surprise Red chose to keep Blastoise in. A jagged shot of ice flew towards Sunflora, and Gold let his pokémon take the shot.

Of course. What was I thinking? This is a real fight. Even though substitutions are allowed in league battles, neither of these guys is going to play that way. This is a fight between two professionals. It's balls out and all or nothing. It's the fight… of true champions.

Leaf could barely remember to breathe as the fight got underway. So much was riding on this. Red's future, and likely the future of their relationship, was hanging on this battle.

Currently, Sonflora was releasing a Solar Beam attack on Blastoise, but Red had commanded it to use Rapid Spin in order to deflect the attack. When the pokemon emerged from its shell, it became obvious that it had taken some damage from the attack.

Both pokémon were weakened, but Blastoise seemed to be in slightly better shape than its opponent.

"Use Ice Beam again!" Red shouted. The pokémon took aim, releasing a second Ice Beam from its cannons.

"Use Grass knot!" Gold shouted. Glowing blades of grass rose up out of the ground all around the field.

What good is that going to do? Leaf wondered. Red looked equally puzzled, but he was as focused as ever. He couldn't let his guard down.

"Quick, use Vine Whip!" Red and Leaf's eyes flew open as they realized what Gold's plan was. In shock, Leaf watched as the flower pokémon extended its vines, wrapping them around Blastoise's arms. With pure strength the pokémon was dragged forward, tripping over Grass Knot after Grass Knot. The Ice Beam that had been shot collided with Sunflora, throwing both pokémon back. When they stopped moving, it became clear that the result was a double knock-out.

For a moment, Leaf just stared in silence, but then she regained her composure.

"Both Sunflora and Blastoise are unable to battle!" She announced. Gold wore a proud smirk on his face as Red stared him down. Leaf could see a bead of sweat trailing down his face. He was starting to feel the pressure.

You can do this, I just know it, she silently cheered.

After returning Sunflora and Blastoise, it was Gold's turn to release his next pokémon.

"Sudowoodo, let's go!" The tree pokemon appeared on the battlefield, ready to take on whatever opponent Red released.

"Venusaur, it's your turn!"

Leaf watched at the battle raged on. Red's Venasaur easily defeated Gold's Sudowoodo, putting him in the lead. Gold then released his Typhlosion, which finished off Venasaur with a powerful Fire Blast attack. Red's Lapras was the next to make an appearance, defeating Gold's Typhlosion by a small margin. Red was only slightly ahead at this point. They each had three healthy pokémon left and Red still had Lapras, though it had taken massive damage from Gold's starter pokémon.

"Togekiss, we need to gain a lead! I'm counting on you!" Gold shouted as he released his next pokémon. It easily finished off Lapras without taking any damage, so the two trainers were now at an even tie.

This is going to be a close match, Leaf thought to herself. The two trainers before her were equally determined. Red wanted this more than anything, but Gold wasn't about to let all his years of experience go to waste.

"Hey, Red. I've been thinking… how serious is this battle? Because I have a proposition for you," Gold said calmly, "If I win this fight, then I think you should hand your title as Champion over to me."

Leaf froze. She glanced over at Red, who looked equally taken aback.

"I wasn't ready all those years ago. I wanted to travel and train my team to perfection. I wanted to compete against the other regions' gym leaders. But now I think I'm ready to settle down. A title as Champion of Kanto and Johto sure would be nice."

Leaf remained silent. Would Red accept Gold's proposition? Surely he wouldn't. This wasn't an official league match, and he hadn't intended to be putting his title on the line.

"It's a deal," he said confidently. Leaf felt her heart stop. This whole thing had just escalated to a whole new level of seriousness. If Red didn't win this battle… his career would be over. Everything he had been working towards this whole time would be gone, and he would be completely devastated.

Leaf gazed across the battlefield at Red. There was a fire burning in his red eyes. They were enflamed like she had never seen before. No. She had seen it before. Many years ago, when he had battled Blue for the title of Champion, she had been there. And both of their eyes had glowed with fiery passion. Maybe this was what it took. Maybe this was what had finally reawakened Red.

The battle resumed, but somehow the intensity had risen. The pokémon were feeling it too. After all of Red's training, his team was truly in top form.

Lapras fell to Gold's Togekiss quickly, leading Red to send out Snorlax next. Both pokémon fought hard. Red was using a Rest and Sleep Talk strategy, but Gold managed to defeat Snorlax with Togekiss' powerful Psychic attacks.

Red only has two pokémon left, Leaf thought to herself. He no longer had the lead, but he had clearly saved his top two team members for last. Pikachu and Charizard.

"Alright, Pikachu, you're up," he said to the yellow pokémon on his shoulder.

"Pika!" the pokémon shouted determinedly. Thanks to Pikachu's electric attacks, Togekiss was finished off easily. Gold had managed to land a Psychic attack that had thrown Pikachu against the mountain wall though. That wasn't good for Red.

"Ambipom, let's go!" Gold released his oldest partner onto the field. The two of them were in perfect sync. Red had told Leaf about how challenging this pokémon had been the last time he fought Gold.

Ambipom clashed its two fists together, completely ready for this fight. Gold's pokémon were all in top form just like Red's. Even though he had been staying in Alola for some time now, he hadn't slacked on his training one bit.

"Ambipom, use Swift!"

Red let Pikachu take the attack.

"Pikachu, use Thunderbolt!" His partner let out a ferocious cry as it released the powerful electricity from its body.

"Ambipom, punch the ground!" Gold commanded. The pokémon smashed its fists through the rocky ground, but the mountain's composition was mainly solid rock. There wasn't a lot of dirt there.

That won't save you up here, Leaf thought from the sideline. Clearly this was a strategy Gold has used against electric types in the past, but on this terrain it wouldn't work.

Pikachu's Thunderbolt landed beautifully, causing Ambipom to take a big hit to its HP.

"Shake it off, Ambipom!" Gold yelled.

He's cornered, Leaf thought, Pikachu's too fast for Gold to land his best moves, since most of them have to be performed in close proximity. He's limited to weak moves like Swift.

To her surprise, Gold's next command broke her train of thought.

"Use Agility!" Ambipom began to move around the field at a breakneck speed. This could allow it to compete with Pikachu for physical blows.

"Use Double Hit!" Ambipom landed both hits with quick precision, sending Pikachu flying.

"Counterattack by using Agility then Iron Tail!" Red shouted. Pikachu landed on its feet and began rocketing across the field. It landed its Iron Tail attack but not perfectly.

The two pokémon went on like that for a while. At an intense pace they traded blows back and forth. They were moving so fast that Leaf could barely keep track of them.

"Use Iron tail!"

"Use Brick Break!"

In a split second both pokémon clashed together. Ambipom took the Iron Tail to the face and Pikachu took the Brick Break to its back. There was a combined cry of pain before both pokémon collapsed in the second double knock-out of the battle.

No… Leaf froze for a moment before she remembered her role as referee.

"Pikachu and Ambipom are both unable to battle!" she announced. Her voice cracked at the end. Damn. Red's going to know how nervous I am now, she thought.

"I wish I could say that this is unexpected," Red said as he returned Pikachu to its pokéball, "but I knew it would come down to this."

"I had a hunch as well, Red," Gold agreed, "Just like old times, eh?"

"Yeah."

Leaf's heart was beating hard. She was glad that the battle was almost over, because she didn't know how much more of this she could take.

"Charizard, it's all on you now!" Red shouted. His final pokémon appeared on the field, the fire in its eyes burning with the same passion as its trainer's.

"Politoed, let's wrap this up!" Gold yelled, releasing his final pokémon onto the field.

Leaf stood on the sideline biting her thumbnail nervously. Gold had planned this, no doubt. He knew that Red would save Charizard for last, so he had planned to save Politoed for the type advantage.

Please, she thought silently. Please win, Charizard.

"Politoed, use Hydro Pump!" Gold started off with a strong attack. He was probably trying to deal out some damage quickly to put himself in a good position.

"Fly upwards, Charizard!" The fire-dragon took to the air immediately, easily dodging the Hydro Pump, "Now use Sky Attack!"

Charizard began rushing toward the ground in front of Politoed, it's body becoming enveloped in wave-like energy.

"Dodge, Politoed!" With unexpected agility, the pokémon did several backflips which placed it out of harm's way. Charizard hit the ground but didn't take much damage since it braced itself with its hands and feet.

"Now use Water Pulse!" Quickly, Politoed produced a blue ball of water in its hands and leapt towards Charizard, hitting it hard.

"Fly up again, Charizard!" Shaking off the attack it had just taken, Charizard returned to the sky.

Concentrate, Red. Gold's Politoed is faster than you'd expect, so you need to keep your distance.

"Use Dragon Pulse!" Charizard released the attack, which headed straight toward Politoed.

"Counter it with Hydro Pump!" Gold commanded. Politoed, released the powerful attack, but only managed to slow the Dragon Pulse down. It still took a hit, but not a concerning amount of damage.

"Now use Blizzard, Politoed!"

Leaf could see Red grit his teeth from across the field. The Blizzard attack hit perfectly, causing all three humans to hold onto their hats and shield their eyes momentarily. When they could see again, it was obvious that the Blizzard attack had caused some damage to Charizard. What was more problematic though was that there was ice frozen on its wings.

This isn't looking good, Leaf worried. She glanced over to check on Red. Sweat was pouring down his face in spite of the fact that they were on a snow covered mountain. But his eyes told her a different story. A story of determination and crazy fast strategy.

Because of its wings being frozen, Charizard had to return to the gound. This was where Gold was hoping to level the playing field.

"Use Water Pulse again, Politoed!" Once again, the frog pokemon leapt towards Charizard with a glowing orb of water in its hand.

"Use Sand Attack!"

Sand Attack? Up here? Leaf thought incredulously. They had already seen earlier that the ground was too solid and rocky for dirt to be used in attacks.

Charizard swept the ground with its tail, and to Leaf and Gold's surprise, a cloud of small rocks and gravel pelted Politoed in the face, sending it flying backwards.

"Ahh! But how!?" Gold shouted in disbelief.

"I took notice of where you had Ambipom punch the ground earlier. It may not have produced the dust cloud that you wanted, but it did break up some of the rock." Red explained.

Leaf could see that Gold was frustrated by this, but also impressed. Red had made an incredibly smart move. Not only had he fended off water pulse, but now Politoed accuracy was down, making Blizzard less of a threat. Charizards wings were still frozen though. Did Red have a plan for that?

"Now, Charizard, use Flame Charge!"

"Awesome!" Leaf cheered. Red did have a plan. Charizard's body became enveloped in fire, instantly melting the ice on its wings. It rushed towards Politoed, who was still dazed from the Sand Attack, hitting it head on. The attack wasn't very effective, but it had allowed Charizard to return to the sky. Politoed was showing some signs of fatigue. If Gold didn't turn this around, then Red would have the victory soon.

His chances of that were about to become slim though.

"Charizard!" Red called, "This is our moment… to mega evolve!" Red touched the keystone on his bracelet, which reacted with the mega stone on Charizard. Leaf watched in awe as Red's most powerful partner glowed brightly with the light of mega evolution and morphed into a pokemon with unimaginable strength. Gold's eyes were wide as well. He hadn't been expecting Red to be able to use mega evolution.

"You've put me in a bad position, Red. The only thing I can do here is take a risk, so that's what I'll do. May the best trainer come out on top!" Gold shouted in excitement, "Politoed, use Blizzard!"

"Sky Attack, Charizard!" Red yelled.

Politoed unleashed the powerful attack as Charizard began charging towards it. Because of Blizzard's inaccuracy and the effects of Sand Attack, the attack didn't hit Charizard head on. The stream of wind and snow was clipping it right on its left wing. If it froze there it would throw off the Sky Attack and give Politoed a chance to strike.

"Power through it, Charizard!" Leaf yelled encouragingly. The pokemon glanced sideways toward her. The two had bonded over the past year. When she'd come to visit Red in Pallet Town, Charizard responded well to her pokepuffs. It had helped save her when she fell out of the elevator on Lumiose Tower. And she had been the one to give it and Red the mega stone and mega band. The pokemon had been angry when Red decided to come to this mountain and train, but this right here… this was the result of that training. It had become an all-powerful beast of unimaginable strength.

All three of them watched as Charizard slammed into Politoad, causing a shower of rocks and sparks and smoke to erupt from the ground. When the mess cleared, they all saw what they knew would be there. An unconscious Politoed with a victorious Charizard hovering above it.

"Politoed is unable to battle," Leaf announced with tears in her eyes, "Charizard is the winner, and Red is the winner of the match!" She felt absolutely overcome by emotion. Red had won. He had really won. She was so happy for him that she couldn't do anything but stand there in awe.

Gold smiled in acceptance as he returned Politoed to its pokéball. Red stood on the other end of the field in silence. Maybe he was shocked that it was all finally over, and he had actually emerged victorious. Charizard shone with a sparkling light before returning to its original form. It then turned around to look at its trainer.

"Charizard… we did it," Red stated, "… We did it! We won!" The fire-dragon happily rushed towards its trainer and met Red in a happy embrace.

Leaf smiled warmly. She hadn't seen Red like this since they were kids. She hadn't seen him this happy about winning a battle in so long.

"You won fair and square, Red," Gold conceded, "You've become so incredibly strong."

"So have you," Red complimented, "I had no idea what to expect from you and your team, but you sure made us work for this win. Thank you for not holding back."

"I never hold back," Gold promised, "But you know you didn't have to do this. Just because I beat you one time back in the day, it never made you less of a champion."

"What are you saying?" Red asked, "Your beating me didn't make you feel like I was unworthy as champion?"

"Of course not. Do you really think all champions never lose battles?"

"Not official League battles," Red answered.

"Well, you're right about that. But still. You'll never be perfect. No one is."

"I know that. But I did this to convince myself that I should remain champion. That I can still do the job right."

"The way you just battled… I can't think of a trainer who deserves the title more than you do."

The two men looked at each other with mutual respect.

"Thank you," Red said humbly as he shook Gold's hand. All this time, Leaf had been slowly approaching the two men. She wanted to congratulate Red, but she felt stiff. What was going to happen now?

"Well, I think I'll be heading back to Alola," Gold announced.

"At night?" Leaf asked, "You're welcome to stay with us until morning."

Thanks for the offer, but I have things to do. Your boyfriend here has inspired me to start working towards my next goal. Well, once I figure out what that is anyway. Tell Silver we should battle sometime. Later, Leaf. Nice battling you, Red."

In a matter of minutes, Gold prepared Togekiss for his flight home and took off through the cave, leaving Red and Leaf on their own.

"We should head back," Leaf stated with a warm smile.

"Yeah," Red agreed.

XXXXXXXXXXXXX

The two of them walked through the cave silently. At one point Red reached out his hand to take hold of Leaf's and he felt relieved when she didn't pull it away. Even though he had just won the most intense battle of his life, all he felt was guilt. The two of them were free now. They were free to pursue their life together without any barriers. But could Leaf still love him the same way after this past year? How could he even begin to make things up to her?

Red wondered what she was thinking right now. What was she feeling? As they came out the other end of the cave, he could see the cabin in sight. He knew when they reached it that he was going to have to say something. What could he say? What was he supposed to -?

"I'm proud of you, you know."

Red stopped dead in his tracks. Leaf had chosen to break the silence for him, and she was surprisingly gentle about it.

"Leaf, I…"

"I know, Red. I know you've been focused, but if you think I haven't noticed how badly you've been tearing yourself apart all this time then you're underestimating me."

He looked over at her, and her eyes shown with honesty.

"I'd be lying if I said I haven't felt resentment about this situation," she admitted, "but I also know that this was something that meant a lot to you. And the reason this meant a lot to you was because I came along and helped you discover that this was what you wanted. And I've come to terms with the fact that I wasn't expecting to fall in love with you a year ago, but I did. And if I hadn't fallen in love with you, I would have been ecstatic that you had made the decision to train and have a rematch with Gold. I was pushing for this kind of change in you, and then I almost ended up being the thing that got in the way of that change. So I'm sorry. I've been selfish."

Red stared at her in surprise and admiration. This was an apology that he had never expected to get from her. It was also an apology that he didn't feel he deserved. Acting purely on instinct, he grabbed her in a tight embrace.

"You've always been a bit selfish," he told her, "But I'm not any better. I knew that coming here was going to hurt you and I did it anyway. I've seen how much this has hurt you. That's why I originally tried to leave you behind. To spare you this loneliness you've been feeling up here on this mountain. I've stolen a year of your life that you can't get back now. And I haven't given you the time and attention you deserve. Especially these past few months. I know I don't deserve another chance, but… will you please let me start making things up to you? We'll be happy together… if you can still love me."

Red felt his heart squeezing itself silly. He had such a depth of emotion right now that he hadn't felt in months. He had forced himself to shut down his emotions in order to train, and the result was that he hadn't felt intimately close to Leaf in a long time. He'd made them both bear a heavy load this past year.

"Of course I can still love you, you big sap. You're still such a pussy when it comes to this mushy stuff," Leaf said teasingly.

"Hey! Did you already forget that you were being sappy like two minutes ago?" Red shouted indignantly.

"Pics or it didn't happen," Leaf said bluntly as she pulled out of his embrace. Red smiled. It had been an eternity since they had joked like this. Things weren't the same as they had been before coming here, but they could go back. They could rebuild the love they'd had a year ago and make it even stronger because of all this. They both felt it in their hearts.

As they walked into their house, Red suddenly remembered something.

"I need to call Lance and tell him I'll be returning to the League soon!" he said happily.

"Well, don't waste any time," Leaf encouraged. I'll think of something for us to do to celebrate while you make that call." She disappeared into her room while Red dialed Lance's number on his Pokégear. It felt good to talk to the former champion again, and he expressed his gratitude for his covering Red's position this whole time. The dragon master sounded very happy that Red would be returning soon.

When the call was finished and arrangements had been made for his return as champion, Red turned his attention back to Leaf. Was she still in her room? He knocked on her door tentatively, afraid of intruding on… whatever she was doing in there.

After a moment, she opened the door to reveal what she had been doing this whole time. His eyes almost popped out of his head in surprise as he saw her in a gorgeous green dress that he had never seen before. She had put her hair up in a really cute style that made her look a bit younger and innocent. Her makeup was sexy but also not too grown up. He had forgotten just how beautiful she was like this.

"You said you want to start making things up to me, mister? Well you can start by taking me out tonight. I bought this dress yesterday when I went down into Viridian, and I saw the cutest little bar when I was walking through the city. You can take me there first."

"You're awfully demanding," Red taunted.

"I think it's only fair since I've been so good this past year," she said, reaching up to wrap her arms around his neck. Red felt his whole body get warmer. The dress was a bit thin and he could feel every part of her body pressed against him. He could also feel that she wasn't wearing a bra. The thought made his face go flush.

"You're still as sweet and innocent as ever," she teased with a laugh. Remember how you were at that strip club in Lumiose after having a few drinks? My goal is to get you to act like that with me someday."

"Keep wearing clothing like this and you'll probably get your wish," Red joked.

"I'll keep that in mind," Leaf relied cheekily. Suddenly, she closed the space between their lips and pressed hers against his tightly. Red lost all composure and hungrily enveloped her mouth in his. He had never kissed anybody with such reckless abandon, even when he had kissed Leaf back in Lumiose City. This felt different. This was a kiss born of pent up feelings and numbed emotions. This kiss represented everything he had held himself back from during his training. This was passion running wild after being restrained for far too long. Leaf moaned slightly into his lips and he felt like he might die of happiness. This was what it felt like to love somebody freely. To love recklessly and without fear. He liked it, and he never wanted it to end.

When they finally drew apart, he stared into her brown eyes and saw what he knew was reflected in his own. Love and joy. They had made it through a rough patch and now the real fun could begin.

"Go get dressed," she told him.

"Gladly, my love," he responded. Before heading to his room, he grabbed her hand and kissed it tenderly. All the wrongs he had committed against her had been forgiven. A weight had been lifted off both their shoulders and now they could bask in the happiness they shared together. The moment of temporary pain and loneliness had passed, and now they would be rewarded with new moments born of love, joy, and pleasure.

He couldn't wait to spend the rest of his life making her happy.

XXXXXXXXXXXXX

There it is. The epilogue of this story that took me way too long to write. Thank you to everyone who has gone through this journey with me. This is by far the story that I am the most proud of writing. It isn't perfect, but I think it embodies my writing style in a way nothing else I've written on fanfiction has. To those of you who actually read this epilogue, thank you for waiting so long for it. I know it would have been better if I had posted it sooner, and I'm truly sorry. It means the world to me that this story did so well. Thank you everybody :) I probably won't be writing anything else like this. Honestly, I'm thinking that this will be the last thing I ever post on fanfiction. I just don't have time for it anymore. Once again, thanks for everything guys and I really hope you enjoyed the end to this story. Bye!

Update: I have published a one shot which happens immediately after the end of this story and covers the date that Red and Leaf go on. If you are interested, please check it out! It's called "This is Our Moment."