Chapter 25

'Hey. Can you hear me? Snap out of it!'

Amez opened her eyes. She, Pikachu and Absol were all lying atop the Hill of the Ancients, with Team ACT, Bellsprout, Snubull, Lombre, Caterpie, Shrifty, Octillery and Blastoise gathered round them. Xatu stood at the head of the cliff, unmoving.

'Urgggh', Pikachu groaned, managing to stand.

'…Regained consciousness!' Alakazam announced.

Everyone cheered, all huddling and fighting to get nearer to the heroes as Amez and Absol picked themselves up off the ground.

'Awesome, you're alive!' Lombre decreed, 'You really had us all worried!'

'You were incredible! Darlings!' Octillery praised them.

Caterpie shuffled towards them, 'I'm so glad you're safe! It's fantastic!' he snivelled.

'Everyone, thank you. But what about the star? What happened to it?' Pikachu gasped.

'Kwaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah!'

Xatu turned to face them. 'Fear not! The star is no more! Though it will not be right away… the disasters shall soon be calmed', he informed them, trying to hide a smile.

'Thank goodness!' Absol beamed to himself.

'We did it, guys! Everything worked! We've won peace!' Pikachu cried in delight to his team members.

'I know! Yippee! This is the greatest! You're the greatest!' Snubull hailed, trying to shake Pikachu's paw.

Charizard cleared his throat, 'This calls for a celebration!'

'Let me shoot my Hydro Cannon to kick it off!' Blastoise roared in delight, the giant cannons on his back preparing to explode.

Lombre, who happened to be in his direct line of fire, back up a step. 'Whoa, hold on there! Don't point those things at me! Face the other way! The other way!' he yelled desperately.

'No, no! Let it loose! He's four times resistant to water! Haha!' Shrifty chortled, everyone else joining it.

'Y-you've gotta be kidding me!' Lombre cried, backing away to the edge of the cliff, only to be stopped by Octillery.

'I'll secure him so he can't get away!' she grinned, wrapping her tentacles around him, nearly knocking off his sombrero.

'Oh? Not bad!' Charizard smirked, as all the Pokemon began to advance on poor Lombre with evil smiles on there faces.

'What, you're serious? Don't! Noooo!' Lombre pleaded, but to no avail, as it just caused everyone else to crack up laughing again.

Amez watched them from a distance. She was the only one who hadn't moved.

'Amez?'

Gardevoir appeared beside her, her outline wispy and ghost-like, a desperate look on her face.

'We owe everything to you, Amez, and your friends. Peace has returned to our world. Thank you for everything. And now, Amez, your role has ended. The time has come for you to return to your human world. You and I have said our goodbyes to each other, but now you must bid farewell to your friends', she said softly.

It's finally come, then. This time has finally arrived. Her body began to glow faintly, a gold light bubbling around her

'Amez, I am so sorry for this… to everyone, please bid farewell now', Gardevoir whispered, before disappearing all together.

'Amez?'

She turned, to find Caterpie had inched a few steps toward her, his eyes huge. The little caterpillar nudged Pikachu, which caused everyone to turn and gasp.

'Amez! Your body… wh-what's happening to you?' he cried in alarm, stepping towards her, but she stepped back.

'Pikachu', she began, 'Absol, everyone… I'm sorry. But I have to leave'.

'What?' Snubbull yelped.

'What are you saying?' Bellsprout muffled, wiping her face with her little green leaves.

'Everyone', she tried to calm them down again, in order to get her parting words in, 'Thank you for everything all this time'.

'What do you mean, leave?' Absol insisted, also stepping forward to join Pikachu at the front of the group.

Amez sighed, 'My role as a Pokemon has ended. I have to return to the human world now', she tried to continue.

'Unbelievable!' Alakazam muttered.

'Go back… to the human world?' Tyranitar repeated in disbelief.

'W-why? WHY? I don't understand, why do you have to leave? I thought… we were friends?' Pikachu sobbed, stepping forward to her again.

'Yeah. Friends', Absol managed to croak out, stepping up next to him.

'You guys will always be my friends, Pikachu and Absol. I will never forget you', she smiled, meaning every word.

'Don't go, Amez…' Pikachu wept.

Absol just nodded hastily, unable to even speak anymore.

'I'm blessed to have met you', Amez continued.

'I… what am I going to do when your gone Amez? ' Pikachu whispered, his eyes shiny with unshed tears.

'I'm so very sorry, but this is goodbye.' She stepped forward, as the light surrounding her became brighter, catching her two friends in one last embrace.

At that, Pikachu began to cry a waterfall, while Absol's face became wet and his pale red eyes became cloudy. Amez stepped back, and the light completely engulfed her, lifting her up into the air, slipping out of Pikachu's paw.

Everyone just stared at the glowing ball of light that was no Amez, watching as she gently floated up and over the Hill. Pikachu, with Absol in dead pursuit, pushed through the crowd to reach the edge of the Hill, even knocking Xatu out of the way in their haste, to watch their leader and friend slip away from them.

'Amez!' they cried together, their cry echoing around the canyon below them.

They weren't the only ones crying.

'Amez… why… I don't understand', Caterpie snivelled again.

'Why?', Charizard bellowed in anger, 'Why was it necessary to leave us?'

'Amez saved my life…' Shrifty murmured, 'And I didn't do anything to show my thanks. Left before I could even say thanks'.

'You're right', Lombre nodded, holding onto his sombrero, 'Just upped and went like that… why now? Why when the world's been saved? Just when things were going to get better…' he sobbed.

Xatu strode over the group, sighing as he did so. 'This was coming. Our world, it was saved by Amez. I look back now, when bound for the sky, Amez seemed… as if resigned. Resigned to accept what was to come'.

'I think I know', Pikachu said, his voice dry, grabbing everyone's attention. 'Amez must have become a Pokemon to save us. And when the star was destroyed, she knew that it would be time to leave… Why? Why didn't she tell me earlier? If this was coming… Why didn't she tell me?' he brawled angrily, the tears still falling from his eyes.

'Tell us', Absol looked up at the sky.

'Those words couldn't be spoken', Alakazam told them kindly, 'As much as you are heartbroken now, Amez must have felt the same pain of leaving. Try to understand, Pikachu'.

Pikachu just sobbed harder.

Up in the sky, Amez floated. She sat in a golden bubble, what had become of what initially was the light.

I'm floating… home. Pikachu, Absol… She wiped her eyes. What is my old life like? Gardevoir said, I made the choice to come here over staying there. Was my old life… bad?

As soon as she thought that, images suddenly appeared in her mind. The first one showed a young boy of about sixteen with dark black hair with a purplish tint reaching down to touch a sleeping Ninetales, who awoken and began to chant. Gardevoir pushed the boy out of the way, and was engulfed in a dark light that could have only been the curse. Gardevoir clutched her stomache in tears, while Johnny looked on in horror and Ninetales sighed.

That's Gardevoir taking the curse! That means the boy is Johnny! He said that she was getting ready to lay an egg… is that why she's clutching her stomache like that? But she didn't die, she said that she became a Spirit because only her body was destroyed… did the baby die too?

A second image flashed across her mind. It showed a large egg, initially dark brown in colour, with dashes of green and goldish-yellow.

Did the unborn Pokemon survive?

Another image appeared. It showed a human baby lying outside on a front doorstep at night, the stars twinkling in an overhead constellation.

Wait a moment… that's the Southern Cross in the sky, and… that's my doorstep! Is that… me?

She gasped as memories of her old life came flooding back to her, her old life growing up in the suburbs of Australia with her business managing father, socialite mother, and bratty sister, and how they would always treat her as an outsider; she wasn't part of that family, maybe by blood, but not by soul. She remembered her school, where she was teased and bullied, by everyone. She recalled when she used to climb onto the room and sing of a better place, where for once she would be looked up to as a hero.

'I don't want to go, I want to stay!' she hollered, crying out into the open air. 'Please… let me stay…'

'It was decided long ago that you would return to your old life. Gardevoir believes its best for you there', the voice of Ninetales spoke up out of nowhere, 'But I disagree. You saved this world, and have proven yourself a true hero. This world will be plagued by other disasters, though not of this magnitude. We will always need a hero, someone kind, brave and selfless. Our world needs you, Amez. As my personal thank you for all you have done, I have a gift, for which you can choose to accept, or deny, because my gift comes with a price'.

'I understand', Amez nodded, her mind thankful for the distraction after the reeling return of her memories.

'My gift…' Ninetales continued, 'Is that you can stay here, as a Pokemon, forever. But', she added quickly, to stop Amez from agreeing without hearing the consequences, 'you will never be able to return to the human world again. Your family, and everyone who knew you, will have no recollection of you. It will be like you never existed. Do you still wish to stay?'

'Yes. I wish to stay here, with my invaluable, irreplaceable friends, helping Pokemon in trouble. Please, Ninetales, I wish to stay here', Amez answered, trying to keep her voice steady.

'Then so it shall be. Live well Amez, and treasure your new life. Enjoy your gift!' Ninetales laughed.

'I will! Thank you, Ninetales!' Amez vowed, laughing in return, as the golden bubble surrounding her intensified, and she felt herself freefall downwards.

Outside the team base, everyone was gathered. It was dusk, and the time of night seemed to fit everyone's mood. Pikachu and Absol were sitting by the mailbox, both staring up at the base that so resembled their beloved and departed leader and friend.

A golden light floated down to them, which was unnoticed by everyone accept Caterpie, who gave a huge smiled and nudged Pikachu. The yellow mouse looked up, his face stained with so many tears, turned, and stared and disbelief, everyone following his lead.

Amez stood, smiling hesitantly, taking a step towards him. He stepped forward too, rubbing his eyes, then he bolted straight for her, tears running down his face again, but this time they were tears of joy. Amez met him halfway, while everyone cheered as the Firebolts were reunited once again, only this time, they wouldn't be torn apart.

Gengar watched from the shadows, smiling happily, Gardevoir, in her wispy Spirit form next to him, also smiling at the scene that played before them.

'We're all glad you're here with us, Amez. Welcome home'.