Epilogue : An Empty Victory

With the files safely in the hand of the police, Team Rocket was slaughtered, quite literally. The last, dramatic events in the streets of Pallet Town created a massive outcry through Kanto, and the trials, despite the best efforts of the defendants, were quick and predictable. Butch and Cassidy were sentenced to life-long imprisonment, while many of the lesser members where condemned to a long time in prison, from one to as much as twenty years. A few of them were not found, and of course, those that Giovanni trusted were not even on the list in the first place, but with the blow that was dealt, Team Rocket would not come back, not without Giovanni's leadership.

The funeral of Ash's mother had been delayed a few weeks because all those who would have to be there were quite involved in the trials, but when it took place, they were all there. All of Ash's friend were, of course, and even Erica and Misty's sisters had found a way to come, as well as the entire Oak family - minus May, of course, because no one knew where she was. Danea had returned to Pallet shortly after the raid, and had been taking care of Ash for the last few weeks, saying it was what Ash's father wanted, seeing as outside him, who didn't want to reveal who he was yet, she was Ash's closest relative. Once the funeral were over, though, Danea being in charge of him wouldn't mean much, as he was determined to go back on the road, and this time become a pokemon master. His life now could be summed up to two things - Misty, and becoming a pokemon master. The girl he loved, and the one thing he had wanted since childhood.

As the funeral took place, Ash just watched, not trusting himself to speak, even though the priests and his friends had all said that he should do so. Although the similarities with Misty's funeral barely a few week earlier, this time there was a difference that meant everything. This time, there would be no unexpected return...not the slightest chances that his mother would come back. This time, he could not even hope that it was all a nightmare and that his mother was really alive somewhere. Misty arm was on his shoulders, and she was trying, without much success, to comfort him. More friends had come, besides the Oak family and his own personal friends. Damian was there, in the back of the room, along with Elayne and his father, who was very carefully not looking at Danea - there had been an intense pain in his eyes the one time he had been forced to talk with her, a pain that had been mirrored in Danea's eyes.

Danea herself was in the back of the room, along with Tanya and a man in cloak and hood whose shoulders were slumped and heads bowed in grief. Danea seemed to be trying to comfort him, but not having anymore success than Misty was having with him. With an absolute certainty, Ash knew the man was his father, thought he simply was not up to taking care of that matter right now. He had just lot too much.

Their oath was fulfilled, true. Team Rocket was broken completely, true again, though he was sure it could rise back easily if Giovanni wanted it to. But the cost had been so high as to remove all the taste of victory from his mouth, to make it seems like a complete, utter and total defeat.

Then, he broke down and wept, hot, wet tears running down his cheeks and falling on the floor of the church and barely a moment later Misty was weeping too, and he could only assume she was weeping because of how close his mother and her had been.

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They were all gathered in Ash's home, even Giovanni and Danea, though they were careful to sit as far from each others as they could, and never to look at each other, as if there was something between them that wounded both of them whenever they thought about the other.

"What was it you mentioned about them knowing nothing about the true goal of Team Rocket?" Misty asked her father quite suddenly. "You said something about that when we raided their library..." she pointed out.

"Oh...well...I guess I can tell you..." he answered slowly. "You see, about a thousand year or so ago, there was a...conflict...between the Gods of Day and Night." He told her. "It happens about once every thousand years, and whoever win get to control things his - or her - way for the next thousand years." He explained, and Ash looked at him with an unbelieving frown. "Anyway, after the fight, there was a seer who predicted that there would be another conflict like that in about a thousand years. My ancestor found out about that and formed Team Rocket to work toward gathering all the conditions so that the fight could take place as it should. Only thing is, not all of his heirs have been as interested in keeping things as they should as he was. There were quite a few who wanted money, and turned Team rocket in a crime machine. I tried to turn it back to its original purpose as much as I could, but..."

"That was a good story...now what about telling us the truth?" said Misty with an edge in her voice.

"It was the truth." Danea answered, her voice hard. "Trust me, it is the truth."

"I know." Sabrina nodded. Ash whirled to face the two of them.

"And just how do you know that?" he asked them suspiciously.

"Because it's part of the stuff we learned with the league." Sabrina confirmed. "There's a lot more to tell about it, but I don't think we need to hear all that now..." she explained. Then, apparently willing to change the topic, she asked them. "What are you all planning to do?"

They were all silent for a moment, of course, it was Ash that broke the silence.

"I think I'll be going back to Johto...the next Indigo League tournament is a bit too close for me to feel ready for it, and the Orange League tournament is only once every two years and it just ended..."

"And I'll be going there too, but on a picture-taking job for professor Oak." Todd added. "Which means, not with you Ash." Ash grinned at his friend as he made the comment.

"I'll be going to Johto with Ash." Misty smiled. "And I don't think anyone will be surprised by that." She smiled. "Did you really expect me to stay away from him?" there was an amused twinkle in her eyes as she moved closer to Ash to hug him tightly.

"Do you want to collect your badges alone Ash?" Gary asked, almost shyly. "I don't want to travel alone, and I was planning to collect Jotho badges..." he explained.

"Of course you can come Gary." Ash smiled at his friend.

"Thank you." Gary smiled back.

"I'll be going back to my gym, of course." Sabrina told them without a hint of a smile. Lily, Violet, Daisy and Erika nodded in approval, as they would be doing the same. Of course, no one was surprised by that, as it had been obvious from the start they wanted to keep their gym leader jobs.

Suzie spoke next. "I'll be going back to Celadon...I want to get a breeding center up and running there..." she told them. Brock looked at her, and she nodded. "Brock offered to help me there, and I accepted." She smiled.

"I don't know what I'll be doing." Damian admitted. "Maybe I could tag along with you?" He asked Ash, Misty and Gary. "I feel like traveling, and I'd rather spend time with my sister..." he explained them, looking at them. They had told him about just what they had against Team Rocket, and apparently he seemed to think it extended to him.

"Why not?" Gary asked. "It's not like you did anything to us...heck, you helped us." He admitted. Ash smiled.

"I guess you can come..." Ash added, not too sure about the whole deal even if he found the young man to be the rather likeable kind.

"Well, of course you can come!" Misty almost shouted. "I'll be glad to have you along." She smiled at her twin brother.

"I hope I'm welcome too in your group?" Elayne asked them.

"Of course!" Misty smiled, and Ash did so too.

"Definitely." He added. "We aren't about to split the two of you apart." He told her, knowing that she wouldn't want to be apart from Damian anymore that he would want to be away from Misty.

And so, the next day, they left Pallet town back toward the high mountains that rose in the west, the same Silver Range that they had crossed what seemed eons ago on another quest. As the sun rose in the east, bathing the scene in a strange light, Giovanni watched them go, another figure in a long cloak by his side, a friend who had thought him lost...and a friend who had just lost a lot..

"You did not tell him?" He asked his friend.

"Who? What?" Lance turned toward him, looking at him questioningly - and a bit tiredly as well.

"Ash. You have not told him yet?" Giovanni explained, knowing the answer already, but asking the question all the same.

"No...he isn't ready for it." Lance answered softly. "I want him to really get what he is after before I tell him...Otherwise..." the slightly younger man left it hanging.

"I know..." Giovanni answered. "But you'll have to tell him one day or another." He pointed out. "And...there's the matter of the twilight, too." He said, hoping his friend would get the reference.

"I know." Lance nodded. "But there is still time...the Child has yet to rise, and the Seeker to die."

Giovanni sighed, a deep, sad sigh. "Yeah...that have yet to happen."

"The treacherous blood bring down the eternal watchers, darkness opening the path to the darkness that foreshadow the darkness, the gates of oblivion are cracking."

-Agatha, Seeress of Indigo, The Book of Ruins, as spoken in the city of Indigo in the 2000th year after the awakening.