Guardians of Aura Chapter 21: the Epilogue
12 years later, a party was being held in Cameran Palace celebrating the fall of the Prophets and the return of the True Guardians. The whole kingdom had gathered there and the merriment was great. Of course, Ash Tajiri, the crowned Shogun of the order of the True Guardians was attending along with the current Shogun, Kamikaze Tajiri and his closest friends.
As when he had inadvertently released Lucario from it, Ash sat at the head of the dance floor, watching over the festival with dignified grace holding the staff of legend. He was quite an impressive young man. He was rather tall, having experienced a spurt of growth in his adolescence. He was quite muscular, his training as a Guardian had given him the health and physique of an Olympian athlete, even greater. Despite this though, his face and way of presenting himself were modest, not at all conceited or arrogant. Like the day when he had overcome Tanaka, he was wearing the traditional dress of Sir Aaron. Over his gloved left hand was a golden ring with a diamond in it. His grandfather stood on his right-hand side and Pikachu slept at his feet.
Ash was known by his father's surname now because after consulting his mother, his grandfather, and his friends he decided to take the name of the father who had given his life so that his family might live over the name of the grandparents who had forsaken their own daughter in her greatest hour of need.
The wife of the Guardian Hero approached his modest throne holding his infant son, Satoshi.
"Excuse me Kamikaze, would you mind taking over here while I borrowed my husband for a quick dance?" she asked friendlily.
"Not at all Misty" Kamikaze replied. She handed him her baby delicately and he sat down in Ash's chair as he stood up.
Houndour then approached the throne, panting tiredly.
"What are you doing here Houndour? I thought you said you were going to, 'dance the night away'" Ash teased.
"Well" Houndour responded. "I'm not as young as I once was. I think it's time for a nap." He lay down next to the chair.
Misty took Ash's hand and led him to the dance floor. She was a wearing a blue kimono dress. She was very pretty.
As they passed across the floor, they saw some of their closest friends. They saw Brock and Yumi. After he had nearly lost his life to save hers, Brock had little trouble convincing Yumi to return his feelings. They were married. They were playing with their daughter, Lola, named for Brock's mother. She was about 6-years-old. They waved at Ash and Misty as they passed by. Brock gave a casual thumbs-up to Ash, as he had made a habit of doing after he and Yumi started dating.
They arrived at the dance floor. They took each other in their arms and began dancing slowly. They kissed.
Also on the dance floor were May and Drew. After Drew had comforted May and offered her companionship during the loss of her brother their dormant friendship whose seeds had been planted by their fierce rivalry, had begun to flourish. It had even developed beyond that. May had recently become pregnant with Drew's legitimate child.
Ash came over to them and slapped Drew on the back. "Congratulations!" he boomed.
"Thanks Ash" Drew replied as he shrugged painfully. "You got to watch that arm of yours. Almost broke my spine there."
They erupted into laughter. "Guess I still don't know my own strength."
"Don't break my husband" May joked. "I'm going to need him when she comes."
"Or he" Drew reminded.
"Or he" May agreed.
Then an amusing sight occurred. They saw Dawn dragging Paul, who was smiling awkwardly onto the floor.
"Are those two…?" Misty started to ask.
"Not yet" Ash answered. "Changing that one" he added, referring to Paul "is a long, enduring process." But Paul had indeed change. Watching the group of friends risking their lives to save each other had touched him in a way that was mysterious to him. Slowly he became less unpleasant. Dawn had vehemently helped him become more social by forcefully offering him his first real friendship. He had also become more humble after Ash had defeated him and won the Sinnoh League after the Prophets were conquered.
"Okay folks, enough of the sappy stuff" the voice of Meowth announced. "Let's party!"
Jessie and James began beating drums joyfully. They were wearing white and red kimono robes. So was Meowth. Taking Dawn's suggestion they had built lawful careers as musicians for hire. They had even played at Ash and Misty's wedding, as well as Drew and May's.
A festive, Latin-sounding song pounded from the drums and the instruments behind them. Everyone began dancing festively.
"I love the quiet life!" James announced ironically.
"It's not as bad as I thought it would be!" Jessie agreed.
After a while Misty and Ash left the floor to get some punch. They then returned to the chair.
"Would you mind if I borrowed my grandson for a minute Misty?" Kamikaze asked, handing her the child.
"How about it Misty?" Ash asked. "Would you mind if the Grand Shogun had an audience with his most loyal subject?"
"Indeed not" Misty answered, playing along.
Houndour stood up and yawned. "You come too Pikachu" he requested, kicking the sleeping mouse softly. "Wake up you lazy Pokémon."
"I'm up, I'm up" Pikachu said as he rose.
Kamikaze and Ash went up to a balcony, the same one where Lucario had agreed to help Ash search for Pikachu when he was lost and where Ilene held the staff before it was returned to Ash. The moon was full that night.
"Some day it's been huh? May and Drew are going to be parents!" Ash beamed.
"Yes" Kamikaze replied, joyously, though seeming distracted. "It reminds me of when Sato was born." He was referring to his great-grandson, not his son.
"Yeah, boy I tell you there's no feeling that can compare to being a father."
"Indeed not. If only my son could have experienced it."
"Well he would have made a good father."
"Yes. It wouldn't have been easy, but he would have made it."
"What do you mean by that?"
"Well, we shouldn't pretend that Satoshi's intentions weren't more than what would be expected from all lot of people."
"I'm not sure I know what…"
"Well Ash, I was relieved and proud to discover that my son was every bit the man I raised him to be but always remember, it wasn't easy for him to decide to claim you as his own, even if it was the right thing. Part of him was tempted to abandon you. Always appreciate that he was strong enough to resist that. Don't think of him as a monster and don't think of him as a saint. Think of him as a man."
Ash nodded in agreement. It was true that after he discovered his father's love for him Ash's opinion of him had completely flip-flopped. But now he realized that he should think of him as human.
"So, you have had a vision of the future" Kamikaze said. Ash had told him that before the party.
"I have" Ash replied. Even though he had been a Guardian of Aura for 14 years this was Ash's first psychic vision.
"What did you see?"
"Misty and I will have another son, and a daughter."
"That is wonderful."
"That's not all."
"It is not?"
"No. At least one of my children will become a Guardian of Aura."
"So" Kamikaze started, looking down towards the party and his great-grandchild "the legacy continues."
He looked to Ash. "It is in good hands" he complimented.
He added, "I have been Shogun for over 70 years. I can relinquish the position with no worry whatsoever."
Ash turned serious. "I have sensed it too" he said somberly.
"Yes. My time has come."
"So has mine" Houndour added.
"96 years; you had good run" Pikachu acknowledged.
"Nice to see you so grief-stricken" Houndour said sarcastically.
"We've had time to come to terms with this. But…" Pikachu walked over to Houndour and stood on his hind-legs. "I'll miss you, my sensei."
"I'll miss you too…" Houndour replied. "…my dear friend." They hugged as best as a bipedal mouse and a dog could manage.
"Bye grandfather" Ash bade. They hugged.
"Goodbye grandson."
Sir Aaron's staff was leaning against the wall. Ash had put it there. Kamikaze took it and gave it to Ash.
"You are the Shogun now Ash" he said.
"I don't know if I'm ready" Ash responded.
"And that is why I know you are."
Houndour's ears perked up. "I know you're there Misty" he said.
Misty came onto the balcony.
"I'm going to miss you too" Houndour told her.
"Don't talk like that Houndour. You've lived too long to quit now" Misty said, dismissing the idea.
"I wish that was true. But it is the will of the Tree and the will of God that my time ends tonight."
"Don't talk like that Houndour."
"Misty" Houndour began, his voice sounding genuine and grateful. "You were one of my closest friends. Thank you so much for saving my life. I just wish I could have repaid you for that."
"You don't have anything to repay me for. Friends look out of each other."
"I have another regret. Tell May that I apologize with all my heart that I did not protect Max. It has haunted me all these years. Tell her that I wish with every bone in my body that I had saved him."
"Please stop talking like this. Tell her yourself. You're not leaving for a long time."
Houndour placed his paws on her legs. "I love you Misty" he told her.
Misty knelt down and hugged her friend. "Goodbye" he said.
He and Kamikaze walked over to the edge of the balcony as they felt their Auras lighten.
"I regret nothing" Kamikaze said.
"Upstage me, why don't you?" Houndour mocked.
Their bodies began to glow a transparent blue.
"Misty" Kamikaze said. "Goodbye to you. Ash could never have found a better wife. I am proud to call you my granddaughter."
"Pikachu" he then said. "Thank you for saving Ash's life in his battle. You are a remarkable partner to him."
"Ash" he said. "I have and will always be, proud of you. I love you with all my heart."
"I love you too" Ash replied.
Their bodies became more and more translucent.
"Goodbye" Kamikaze and Houndour said simultaneously. "Give Sato our love."
Their bodies were almost gone when something miraculous happened. Ash saw the shape of Satoshi, his father, standing next to his grandfather.
"My son" the ghost said. Ash stared gapingly in disbelief.
They disappeared, their bodies transformed into forms of pure light that floated off to the Tree of Beginning.
Ash still stared in non-belief but Misty began crying. He hugged her and they comforted each other.
"I can't believe they're gone" she wept.
"No. They'll never be gone" Ash promised.
"Their Auras are with us."