Well… here we are. The very last chapter. It's been a fun run, right? I hope that each of you has enjoyed this as much as I have. I've loved every moment of writing this story, and it's with a great deal of sadness that I finally bring it to a conclusion. But I suppose all good things must end. Okay, then… Are you ready? Here we go…


Of Creation and Destruction

Epilogue: Together

"Ash."

"Ash."

"Aaaaaaaaaash…"

"Damn it, Ash, get up!"

Ash groaned, pulling his pillow over his ears. "Just two more min—waah! Cold!"

With a mighty heave, Misty yanked the sheets out from under Ash, spinning him off the couch and onto the linoleum floor of the living room.

One of the perks of being a spirit, one to which Ash had become quite accustomed, was the absence of a sense of temperature. To a spirit, a glacier or a volcanic crater is just as comfortable as a warm summer day. While having a body might be better most of the time, Ash had to admit that being a ghost wasn't all bad; there aren't many things worse than cold linoleum on bare flesh.

"Yaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah! So cold!" Ash leapt up onto the couch, crouching on the cushion and glaring back and forth between Misty and the floor like a feral Pokémon. "I said two minutes! It's not like I was going to sleep forever!"

Misty growled. "That's the fifteenth time you've said 'just two more minutes!' Do you want to be a trainer or not?"

"Duh."

"Then get your lazy ass off my couch and get dressed!" Misty stormed off. As she went, she said, "I know you like to sleep now that you actually can, but if we don't get out of here today, I'm going to hold you here for another month. And I'm going to make you clean every pool every day. With a toothbrush."

From another room, Ash heard, "Trust me, she means it!"

"Shut up, Bry!" Ash grumbled back. He went to his backpack in the corner and rummaged for some clothes to wear.

Even if he was kind of cross about it, Ash understood why Misty wanted him up. Today was the last day, or perhaps more appropriately the first day. Everything had finally been taken care of, and today Ash and Misty were setting off to Johto, where Ash would start collecting badges for the Johto League.


It had been an interesting couple of months.

Sinnoh had been exactly the vacation they hoped for. They'd relaxed at a resort, watched a Contest in Hearthome, visited the Pokétch Company in Jubilife, visited Gary and Professor Rowan at the Valley Windworks, and finally relaxed on the beaches of Sandgem Town. (In order, those were Brock's choice, Natty's choice, Brian's choice, Ash's choice, and Misty's choice.) Then when they'd finally run the course in Sinnoh, they returned to Eterna City, dealt with the horrible evils of the airport, and they were back in Kanto.

Once there, the real problems began, starting with Misty's sisters.


"Daisy?" Misty stuck her head around the doorframe into Daisy's room, watching Daisy reading a glamour magazine on her bed.

"Yeah, sis?"

She moved into the room, rubbing her hands anxiously. "Well… I need to talk to you and Lily and Violet."

Daisy looked up from her magazine. "Is it about Ash?"

Misty nodded hesitantly.

Daisy sighed, then closed it and stood up. "Well, I can't say I didn't, like, totally see this coming. Lily! Violet!" Daisy shouted. "Meeting in my room!"

"Why?" Violet shouted back.

"Because I said so!"

"What's up?" Lily said, walking past Misty.

"Misty wants to talk to us."

"Is it about Ash?" Lily asked. Misty nodded again, and Lily sat on the bed Daisy had just vacated.

"This had better be important," Violet said as she walked in, shaking one hand. "I was, like, reapplying my nail polish."

"Misty's got something to say," Daisy replied.

Violet glanced at her youngest sister. "Is it about—"

"Yes!" Misty burst out. "It's about Ash!"

"Thought so." Violet sat next to Lily.

"Okay," Daisy said. "It's, like, all yours."

"Um…" Misty started. "First off, I've taken good care of the gym for the last few years, right?" Her sisters looked at her blankly. "While you've been off travelling the world." The same looks. "And I've become really, really good at training Water Pokémon." No change. "And I really think that I might be able to become a Water Master someday. Plus, now that Ash has come back, he's going to be travelling again once he gets his trainer's license back."

"Misty, just go with the kid." Daisy interrupted her.

"And… wait, what?"

"What?" Lily said. "You think we didn't, like, know this was coming?"

"Uh…" Misty was speechless.

"We've already talked about it among ourselves," Daisy said. "As soon as you brought Ash here, we knew you'd want to travel with him again. Especially now that you've, like, got him hanging on your arm."

"Hey!" Misty interjected angrily. "I never said me and Ash—"

"And we never asked." Violet stopped, waving her hand. "It was, like, obvious."

"And about time, too," Lily added.

"So we've decided to give you your turn." Daisy flipped her hair. "I talked to Martin, and he's managing things so we can run our shows out of the gym again. He figures enough people have heard of us that we'll, like, bring in new people from all over. And we're going to work out a schedule so we can take turns as Gym Leader."

"So…" Misty ran it over in her head. "Then… I'm free?"

Daisy smiled at her. "As free as you want to be."

"I'm…" Misty grinned and ran at Daisy. "Thank you, thank you, thank you!" She hugged Daisy, then Violet, and finally Lily. "Thank you all so much."

"You've, like, got to promise not to be mad when the gym isn't number one anymore, though," Lily said.

"Just do your best. I believe in you!" Misty replied with a wink. Then she ran out of the room, yelling for Ash.

She found him waiting nervously in the kitchen with Pikachu. They stood up as she entered, a grin appearing on his lips as he saw her joyful face.

"They said yes!" Misty exclaimed.

"Yes!" Ash laughed as Misty ran into his arms. He picked her up and spun her around once.

"Pika, Pikachupi pika Pikapi!" Pikachu jumped around them for joy.

Misty gazed into his eyes. "Now you'll never get away from me again, Ketchum," she whispered.

"Wouldn't dream of it." He gave her a loving kiss.


Then came another decision.


"I quit."

"What?" Misty asked casually as she looked through her clothes, picking out outfits for the road. "You quit what?"

"I'm not sticking around anymore," Brian replied. "I'm quitting as your gym assistant. Or as your sisters' assistant, whatever you like."

"Hmm?" She gave him her attention. "What for?"

"I'm not needed here now that there's going to be three Gym Leaders. So I've been thinking since we got back from Sinnoh, and I've decided that I'm going to take on the Hoenn league again."

"Again?" Ash asked. "Why?"

"Because I know what I did wrong last time. This time, I know I can win. I've trained here for the last year, my team has gotten tons better for it, and I've gone over my battles in my head ten thousand times. So this year I'm going to gather all the badges, and I'm going to take on the League again. And when I win the League, I'm going to take down the whole Elite Four and Master Wallace one by one."

"Oh, Wallace," Misty sighed. "He's so… awesome."

Brian rolled his eyes. "And that is why I think I can defeat Wallace. Fighting Misty so much has given me as much experience taking down Water Pokémon as anyone in the world." He clenched a fist and looked down at it. "I've realized my dreams are within my grasp. So I'm going to go make them reality."

"Well, that's your choice, then," Misty said. She smiled at him. "I'm glad you're finally moving forward again."

"Yeah… I've got you to thank for that, Misty." Brian laughed. "I really don't know how I would have made it here without you… and Natty."

"So are you going it alone?" Ash asked suggestively. "Or are you bringing a certain Breeder with you?"

Brian went a little red. "Um… I haven't asked her yet."

"Do it," Misty said. "She'll say yes, trust me."

"What makes you say that?"

Misty shrugged. "Call it woman's intuition."

"Ah."

"So when are you gonna go?" Ash asked.

"Oh, I'm not in any hurry," Brian remarked. "Since I don't technically need any badges, I can skip the whole thing if I want. But I figure I'll leave when you two go. Unless Natty needs me to wait," he added quietly.

"That's great," Misty said. She went back to her clothes. "Hey, Ash, what do you think of this?" She held up a white and blue top.

"I dunno," Ash said. "I think you look good in anything."

Misty rolled her eyes. "That's sweet, Ash, but you're useless." She looked at it appraisingly. "I think it looks more mature than what I usually wear. I'm packing it."

Brian scratched his neck awkwardly. "Uh… huh. I thought this would be bigger news."

"Nope," Misty replied.

"Okay… I'll just go find Natty then," Brian said, walking out.

"Good luck," Ash replied.

"Not that he'll need it," Misty added.


Next was a renewal.


"Okay, Ash, are you all done?"

"Yeah, I'm good!" Ash yelled back. "I'm just finishing up, Professor!" Ash clicked through the last few questions and submitted the quiz. "Did you get it?"

"Yes, it's grading now," Professor Oak replied. "You can come in now if you'd like."

Ash walked through the lab to Oak's personal office, where Oak's computer was grading Ash's final exam. Ash had spent the morning with Professor Oak having his Death Certificate revoked, and now he was finishing the Trainer Licensing Test so that he could legally train a Pokémon again.

"So, Ash, which Pokémon are you going to choose as your starter?" Oak remarked.

"Thanks, Professor, but no thanks. I talked to Misty and Pikachu, and he's decided that he wants to be my starter again, so I'm all set."

"Ah, that's good." Oak nodded. "Pikachu's experience will help you grow as a trainer."

"That's what I'm hoping!" Ash chuckled. "I've been battling Misty with him every day for a while now. She usually wins."

"Well, that's to be expected," Oak replied. "She didn't get to be the top Gym Leader for nothing, you know."

A happy beeping tune came from Oak's computer.

"Hey! Here we are, Ash!" Professor Oak said. "Your test results have come out high enough, so I'm happy to say that you're a legally licensed Pokémon trainer!"

"That's great!" Ash exclaimed.

"Well, Ash, here you go." Professor Oak pulled out a drawer from his desk, and out of it came a brand-new Pokédex and six Pokéballs. He scanned the Pokédex into the computer, registering Ash's data into it, then held the set out to him. "The standard trainer's starter kit."

Ash took the tools from him. "Thanks, Professor. Although I've got to say it feels kind of weird to be taking this stuff from you again."

"It has been a while," Professor Oak said. "But it's always the same. Take care of those things, now. I can't keep giving those out!"

"I'll do my best!" Ash stood up. "Thanks for all your help today, Professor Oak. But I've got to get back home… I mean, to Cerulean Gym."

"You might as well call it home, Ash," Oak said. He tapped a finger on his chest. "After all, they do say 'home is where the heart is.'"

"I guess they do," Ash responded.

"Ash?" A voice came from the front of the laboratory.

"Speaking of hearts…" Ash turned. "Hey! I've just finished, Misty! I'm in here with the Professor!"

"Okay!" Misty followed Ash's voice into the room. "Hey, Ash. How'd it go?"

"Guess!" Ash held up his new Pokédex.

"You got through! Great!" Misty cheered. "Thanks for helping him, Professor."

"No problem at all, Misty," Professor Oak replied.

"Well, I wish I could stick around, but Brian and Natty are waiting outside, so we really need to get going. Komodo's getting restless already, and nobody's packed to walk back."

"Okay, Misty, I'm coming."

"Good luck in the Johto League, Ash," the Professor said.

Ash gave his trademark victory pose. "Thanks, Professor! If anyone's gonna win, it's gonna be me!"

"Looks like Mr. Pokémon Master wanna-be is back already." Misty sighed.

"What's that supposed to mean?" Ash demanded as they walked away.

"Oh, those two," Professor Oak chuckled quietly to himself. "No matter how old they get, they're still the same kids as ever." He turned to his computer and began to work.


The month of preparation had been a busy one, but it, like all things, came to an end.

And now, finally, the hour had come.

Misty, Ash, Brian, Natty, and Misty's sisters all stood outside Cerulean Gym, the former four prepared for their journeys, wherever they might go. They'd decided to travel together as far as Pallet Town, where Ash and Misty would turn west and head towards New Bark Town, while Brian and Natty would fly south to Seafoam Islands, where the ferry would take them across the sea to Hoenn. But for now, it was time for Misty to say her goodbyes.

"Take care, little sister," Daisy said.

"We'll make sure and, like, take care of the gym for you!" Lily added.

"You'd better watch after her!" Violet warned Ash.

Misty laughed. "Um, it's usually me watching after him, actually."

"Hey! I've helped you out a couple times, too!" Ash argued.

Misty snorted at that. "Oh, yeah? Name one."

"Uh…" Ash drew a blank.

"And that's check and mate." Misty smirked.

"Is not!" Ash exclaimed.

"Is too!"

"Is not!"

"Is too!"

"Guys!" Brian interrupted. "Can't we at least get ten feet down the road before you two start arguing?"

"Obviously not," Natty said.

"Chu," Pikachu sighed dramatically.

Those three turned and walked away, leaving Ash and Misty to hurry and follow them, still bickering as hard as ever.

"Ah, true love," Daisy said wistfully as the quartet moved out of sight.

Lily's eyes shone. "Isn't it, like, the most beautiful thing you've ever seen?"

Violet rubbed at her eyes. "Yes, it's beautiful. Now, I'm, like, still really tired. So I'm going back to bed." She started to turn away.

"Oh, no you aren't!" Daisy grabbed her ear. "We've got work to do, and, like, we're going to do it!" She dragged her sister into the gym.

"But what about my beauty sleep?" Violet whined as the doors closed behind her.

Lily still looked down the road, though Misty had already disappeared.

"Make us proud, Misty. And make sure you keep your love close," she said to the air. "You've waited long enough for him, and it would be dumb to lose him now."

She turned and followed her sisters inside. After all, there was work to be done.


Another day, another goodbye.

After spending a night with Brock in Pewter City, the travelers were bidding him farewell, too.

"You two had better not kill each other," Brock advised Misty and Ash. "I spent a year making sure you didn't, and now I'm not going to be there to break you apart. I'm just hoping you love each other enough to stop just short of murder." He looked at Pikachu, perched atop Ash's head. "And Pikachu, make sure and give 'em a shock for me when they need it."

"Pi ka!" Pikachu let go of Ash's hat long enough to give an obedient salute.

"We won't actually murder each other, Brock," Ash said.

"Probably," Misty added. "Unless he really, really deserves it."

"I guess that's the best I can hope for." Brock sighed.

"I'm going to miss being your assistant," Natty said.

"I'll miss you too, Natty. You know, when things aren't quite crazy enough around here. Zane and Suzy are tame compared to you." When Natty had decided to travel with Brian, the duo had jumped at the chance to stick around the center.

Brian reached out a hand. "Brock, thanks for everything."

"Um… I don't really know what you're thanking me for, but okay." Brock shook his hand once.

"And sorry again for punching you," he added.

Brock rolled his eyes. "Just let it go, Brian. No one cares."

"I care…" he grumbled.

"Just take care of yourselves, okay?" Brock said.

"Can do," Misty replied.

And so they set out once more.


There remains little more to tell.

After a fantastic walk through Viridian Forest (which left Misty near tears at several points from all the Beedrill) and another day of travel to reach Pallet Town (punctuated with some small excitement when Pikachu had to defeat the infamous Spearow swarm for the umpteenth time), the last goodbye finally came.

Just south of Pallet Town, on the shores of the sea, Brian and Natty faced Ash, Misty, and Pikachu.

"Well… I guess this is goodbye," Misty stated blankly.

"For now," Brian acceded.

"You know, I don't think we can ever thank you two enough for helping me get my life back," Ash said.

Natty smiled. "To me, just seeing you two happy is thanks enough."

"Well… anyway, if you ever need us, you'll know where we'll be!" Misty exclaimed.

Brian raised an eyebrow. "Hmm… what's the correct response? Adventuring? In Johto? Um… well, on this planet, obviously… Oh!" His eyes lit up. "I've got it! Together!"

Misty looked at Ash and smiled. "I'd say that's pretty accurate."

"Seems right to me," Ash agreed.

Natty bent down so she could hug Pikachu one more time. "Now, Pikachu, you'd better take care of them. Make sure they don't give each other too much brain damage."

Pikachu laughed. "Pichupi, Pikapi pika Pikachupi pichu kachu!"

Natty giggled in response. "I agree, but still. Watch out for them for me."

"Pi."

Natty stood up again. "Ash… Misty…" Tears started to form. "Thanks for being my friends."

"Thanks for being the happiest person I've ever known," Misty replied sadly.

"We'd better go," Brian said, laying a hand on Natty's arm. "Misty…" He smiled once, briefly. "Thank you so much. Without you… I don't know how I would have made it to this moment. For my life, for my happiness… thanks."

With no words left, Misty simply nodded.

Brian and Natty turned and walked to the sea. As they walked away, Natty slipped her hand into her companion's.

"Slifer!" Brian called out the Dragon, and he and Natty climbed onto his back. "Okay! Here we go… Slifer, take us to Seafoam Islands!" With one last roar, he climbed into the air, and shot forward over the ocean.

And so they were gone.

Ash and Misty looked at one another.

"Together?" Ash asked.

Misty grasped his hand and nodded. "Together."

They turned away from the ocean, towards the forest that stood between Kanto and Johto, and started to walk forward, Pikachu following right behind them. Hand in hand, they walked into the trees, towards so many new things: new friends, new Pokémon, a new land, a new adventure…

A new life.

Soon, the forest covered all that could be seen of them…

And they, too, were gone.

The End


Acknowledgements

First off… I want to say, this has been one of the most enjoyable experiences of my life. I've made new friends of my own, friends from near and far, and met so many people who love Pokémon and Pokeshipping as much as (and, indeed, sometimes far more than) me. To everyone who has read this, and most especially to all those who reviewed, thank you so much for sticking with me to the end.

Now, individually… I have one big one to start off with. To Bittersweet Romanticide, I say thank you. It was talking with you that gave me the idea for this story in the first place, and you were always there in the beginning helping me get the plot rolling along. You were there, leading me into writing, and I am extremely grateful for that. Without you, this story would never have got off the ground, or even been imagined. Most importantly, when I needed a friend and I reached out in desperation, you were there for me. That means more to me than I can ever put into words. For your inspiration and for your friendship, thank you from the bottom of my heart. (Oh, and because I sword I would say so at the end, I'd like to point out that the original inspiration for Natty was an OC by BSR by the same name, who is in fact her Author Avatar. With her permission, of course. Now my version of Natty has taken on a life of her own, and that makes me extremely happy. But I swear, I did not mean for her to end up with my Avatar in the beginning! It just happened! Oh, I forgot to mention that Brian is based on me. To all of those who guessed right, congratulations! Your prize is nothing!)

Next… to Warlordess and Pikagurl23, I have to say thanks, because you two have been a constant source of inspiration to me. And extra thanks for finishing Illicit Saints, Steph! You've also both been great friends, and I'm happy and proud to call you that. Thanks for everything!

Next up, I have an award to give out. To the ultimate reviewer, who has reviewed every chapter within the first day it has been up, I award Perfect Attendance to thedarkpokemaster. No, his reviews aren't super long. But they told me that he's been paying attention reading every chapter, and he's always got something to say, and that means a lot to me.

Now, to the friend I've made during this fic, who I still talk to even about things that aren't Pokémon! Thanks a bunch, theorganizedmess. I never expected to make friends from writing this, but I didn't expect a lot of things. Oh, and tell Stacy I hope she likes the Epilogue! I worked hard on it for her!

Well… I guess that's everybody! If I forgot you, and you think I shouldn't have, send me a note so I can apologize!

Now, I've got some notes on the story...

In the beginning, I never expected it to be an adventure. It was going to be about Misty and Ash overcoming a doomed relationship, where he was an immortal ten-year-old, and she grew up. But that was very, very sad, and once I got over my depression, it was just too… depressing! So I decided Ash would have to get a body.

For a long time, I figured Ash would get his body from Jirachi, the only Pokémon I could imagine having the ability to make him one. I even had another villain! For several months, I planned Ash and Misty to face off against Lawrence the Third! (The antagonist of Pokémon 2000.) I figured they would both go after Jirachi, but I just couldn't get the plot to resolve right. Then I found the Azure Flute method of summoning Arceus, and after that worked its way through my mind for a while, I finally decided that Arceus would have the power to create bodies just fine. After that, everything flowed pretty smooth.

Brian and Natty… in the beginning, they were throwaway characters like Joey and Stephanie, just placeholder friends showing that Misty wasn't a total social outcast. But they slowly wound their ways into my heart, and I just kept getting them closer to the plot until they couldn't be extracted without tearing the story apart. To you Pokémon purists, I ask that you forgive me for that. I also ask that my story be judged on how good it is as a whole, rather than how important Ash and Misty were to the plotline in comparison to other characters.

One last thing… remember Brian's sword? The Dream? I'm going to be as nonspecific as I can, but that is tied into the events of my upcoming Zelda story, titled Resurgence. So if you're really interested in knowing, you'll be able to find out over there. And yes, I really did tie a Legend of Zelda story and a Pokémon story together, albeit with a very thin thread.

That's all the notes I've got. I'm certain I've forgotten something, but I'll just let it go. I've done enough.

Wow… I can't believe it's really over. Unless… well… I don't know if I can just let this go. Or, rather, I know I can't. I can't just let it go! I want to see what happens next! What happens with Brian and Natty? How do Ash and Misty do in Johto? Is Brock's stew really that good? There's so many questions left to answer, and I want to go find the answers to them. So who wants to go with me?

I don't have many details yet, so I can't give any estimates or plot descriptions, but I promise you now: this is not the end of this tale. I mean… It's the end of Of Creation and Destruction, but there will be more stories in what I have now dubbed The Spiritverse, in honor of the original title of this story, The Spirit of Youth. There's going to be at least one sequel, and almost certainly several one-shots, which take place in said Spiritverse. So don't fret too much, my dears! We've only just begun!

Well, that's it from me! I guess I'll catch you in some other story. See you then!

Best Regards,

James, aka FTEcho 4