Chapter 20: Which Is the Epilogue

Two weeks later

"This sucks," complained Misty.

"What does?" said Ash, with his mouth full of noodles.

"You know, this whole... thing," she said, lowering her voice slightly so no one would overhear.

"What, the restaurant?" Ash asked puzzledly.

Brock shook his head. "No, I think she means the whole business with the... you know..." he lowered his voice as well "...time travel," he clarified.

"Oh, THAT," said Ash loudly. "Why didn't you just say so in the first place?"

"Well, because I don't want anyone to hear me talking about time travel," Misty whispered.

"What's wrong with talking about time travel?" asked Ash, who was still not whispering. Several of the people at nearby tables gave them odd looks; they ignored it. They were used to it by now.

"Never mind," Misty told him.

"Well, anyway, why does it suck?" Ash asked.

"Because we went back in time and we managed to save the world from Team Rocket, only nobody knows. So we get no thanks. I mean, they don't even know that we're the same people, because they think no one could possibly be in two places at once and they know we were elsewhere. And maybe that's a good thing, because if they did think it was us we'd have a reputation as those loonies who were convinced that Team Rocket was responsible for stealing noodles and blowing up Goldenrod...."

"True," agreed Brock.

"And besides, I thought I was going to die, so I confessed my love for Brock, but then we didn't die and it's all... uncomfortable now. If I hadn't gone back in time, that wouldn't've happened."

"Why don't we stop talking about that?" said Brock, who looked rather uncomfortable himself. "I mean, what's done is done, we don't need to, you know, dwell on it or anything."

"Okay. Fine," Misty replied. "Now it's someone else's turn to say why it sucked."

"Why?" asked Tracey.

"Because I'm done with mine," Misty told him.

"No, I meant, why do you want to know other people's reasons why it sucked?"

Misty shrugged. "Just out of curiosity, really."

"I can tell you why I didn't enjoy it," Brock volunteered.

"Okay, why not?"

"One word. Um... no, three words."

"And they are?" Misty asked impatiently.

"You-know-who," whispered Brock.

"Who, Voldemort?" asked Tracey. Everyone else looked at him blankly.

"Who's Voldemort? Is he a professor, too?" asked Ash.

"Uh... never mind," Tracey told him.

"Anyway, next time I fall for a professor, remind me that it's a bad idea," Brock said. "It never ends well."

"But you never listen to reason when you're... ah... in love," Misty pointed out.

"Just say... um... just say That Name next time I meet a young female professor, okay?"

Ash said the words "That Name" loudly, causing several of his fellow restaurant-goers to remember that they had places to go that were far away from the nutcases at the next table. Ash didn't notice. "Like that?" he asked.

"No, I think he meant that we should say Professor-" Tracey began.

"Don't mention That Name!" said Brock, curling up and turning blue and causing some of those diners whom Ash had not scared away previously to ask the waiter to hurry up with their check.

"... I didn't," Tracey informed him.

"Yes, but you were going to," argued Brock.

Tracey gave up (a wise decision, for once).

Misty, however, did not. "Fear of a name only increases fear of the thing itself, Brock," she told him.

"Why do I feel like I've suddenly switched fandoms?" muttered Tracey.

"Huh?" said the other three.

Tracey sighed. "The author throws me in at the beginning of the story in order to prevent the rest of you from spending the whole twenty chapters of it fighting. Then she forgets about me for over half the story, and then she sticks me in again at the end to do all the fourth-wall-breaking that Brynna is no longer doing and makes me look completely insane! And she expects me to just sit there and take it! Well, I will not stand for it anymore!"

Tracey was yelling quite loudly by this point, and was also standing on his chair. The few remaining nearby restaurant-goers were getting up and leaving in a way that they probably thought was furtive or tactful. Tracey, realizing what he had done, shut up, and quiet descended over the now nearly-deserted restaurant.

"He's finally snapped," said Misty, in a hushed tone.

Tracey shook his head. "No... I'm fine. I, uh, don't know what came over me. Sorry." He sat back down, and said (perhaps a little too brightly) "Anyone else have anything to complain about?"

"Well," said Ash, "I didn't have the chance to beat any Team Rocket members in Pokémon battles."

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Pikachu stood at the front desk of the Goldenrod Center for Troubled Pokémon. When the Chansey who manned the desk came over to ask him what he was there for, he pretended to be extremely interested in a pamphlet with a Bulbasaur on the front that said, "Don't Give In to Peer Pressure- Just Say No to Evolution!"

"Chansey! Chanseychan? (Pikachu! Back to join Ketchupholics Anonymous again?)" the Chansey said cheerily.

"Pi. Pikupika pichu pi (No. I'm here for Rehabilitation for Would-Be Rulers of the World)," Pikachu reluctantly replied.

"Chan (Really)?" the Chansey asked, surprised.

"Chu (Yeah)," Pikachu told her, in a tone of voice that implied 'So what's it to you?'

"Chansey, sey chan chan (Room 28B, down the hall)."

"Kachu (Thanks)," Pikachu replied sullenly, and started off down the corridor. As he passed an open door, he heard, "Bulba, bul, bulba bul saur bulbasaur. Saur (Remember, kids, if you feel you are being pressured to evolve, talk to an adult you can trust- and NOT your trainer. He won't understand)."

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The members of Team Rocket were in their meeting room again, sitting around a table and eating instant noodles.

These things never go stale, Giovanni reflected, trying to block out the inane chatter of the Department Heads surrounding him.

"Silence!" he ordered irritably. The Rockets fell silent, except for Jessie and James, who were still chattering away about something. Giovanni glared at them, and they shut up too.

They all sat in silence for a good three minutes or so before Stephanie finally said, "So, what are we going to do tonight, Boss?"

"The same thing we do every night, Stephanie," Giovanni replied, with a dangerous gleam in his eyes. "Try to take over the world!"

There was a pause, after which James was heard to grumble, "Aww, I'd hoped that we were renting a movie."