Kurt sat in the cool grass in the clearing, where Slowbro had fallen in defeat in the preceding battle. The full moon still shone down on them from overhead as the old man sat gathering his thoughts. Goh and Horace sat down with him, with Grookey and Argent watching him as he walked back through his memories.

"It was… a long time ago," he explained. "I can't have been much older than you boys are now. After learning how to craft Poké Balls from apricorns, I left Azalea Town and went on a journey to practice and master my craft. I traveled all over with my Pokémon, finding new materials to forge and even places to forge them! There have been many places that have heard the name of Kurt of Azalea Town over the years!"

As the craftsman punctuated that part of his story with a laugh, Goh's mind connected this sort of explanation back to what Maizie had told Chloe. This part of the story, at least, Kurt must have told many times, whether that be to his granddaughter or to others.

"It was while I was on this journey that I first met Samuel…"

He looked wistful as he said that. Of course, who this 'Samuel' was just happened to be someone Goh was familiar with.

"That's when you met Professor Oak," Goh said. "Back when you were just kids."

Kurt nodded. "Even back then, he was as sharp as a tack. He was a Pokémon Watcher, he called it. Not very interested in Pokémon battles, but more wanting to see and draw each one in his little sketchbook. He wanted a complete listing of every Pokémon in the world! Isn't that something?"

Goh chuckled to himself. "Yeah… it sounds a lot like what I wanted to do."

Kurt sat up a bit straighter. "Your dream? The one you were gambling on your Umbreon there?"

Goh put a hand on Argent's head, petting his silky smooth fur. He felt very different than he did as an Eevee. His new fur was much shorter, and felt almost plush-like. It seemed to Goh that it would make less noise when walking around, which would probably help Argent with the stalking the Pokédex mentioned.

"My dream is to find Mew again. I want to catch them."

Kurt's eyes went wide. "You want to catch Mew? A Pokémon so rare that people have said it doesn't exist?"

"I know Mew exists," Goh said firmly. "I've seen them with my own eyes. It was at a summer camp in Pallet Town. Chloe was with me, she could tell you the same." He cracked a smile at her name, knowing that she'd hate being brought in as proof while at the same time she would definitely back him up. Hot and cold at the same time, getting annoyed with him and simultaneously supporting him; that's just the kind of person Chloe Cerise was.

He felt his heart pound in his chest with strength, though not running out of control. It was responding to how he knew he felt about his childhood friend. A secret he still concealed.

"That's an incredible dream," Kurt said, missing out on Goh's internal thoughts. "I suppose that Project Mew is what you think will help you reach it?"

"Yeah," he said, nodding. "They're supposed to have found a place where Mew is said to live, and they're holding these trials to find Chasers to go searching for it."

"I want to meet Celebi," Horace chimed in. "It's my dream to meet them, myself, just like Goh's met Mew before."

Kurt looked up, and sighed. "Celebi…"

Goh frowned, looking at the man. He seemed like the youthful energy he had exhibited before faded, and he looked like an old man again.

"Forgive me, we got distracted," Kurt said, shaking his head. "I was talking about my journey. I continued traveling and honing my craft until the day I came to a place in the northern reaches of the Kanto Region, close to Pewter City."

Goh could visualize the map of that area; he had been in the Raizen mountains only months ago, though they didn't explore much of the area beyond the mountains themselves. "What sort of place was it?" he asked, not wanting to tip his hand about the shrines or the mountain.

However, Kurt's answer surprised him, as it was unrelated to Mount Tensei.

"It's a place called the Kingdom of Rota," he said. "It's one of the few remaining independent nations in the world, though even their considerable power and influence isn't what it used to be, surrounded on all sides by Kanto."

Politics and government weren't Goh's forte, but he did recall learning in school about how the founding of the Pokémon League and its expansion into other regions eventually lead to the formation of a world government that had fought in at least one war in the time of Goh's grandparents, but world history wasn't something he was interested in either.

He did know that states completely independent of the central government were rare, though, and usually places that for one reason or another kept themselves closed off from the wider world, and that the world government didn't feel like they needed to force into joining. This Kingdom of Rota must have fallen into this categorization.

"They have a great library in the castle, and because I was able to craft an incredible Poké Ball as a gift for the newborn princess, they allowed me to view their library. And that's when I saw it." Kurt turned his gaze back to Goh. "A copy of the scroll you showed to me. One showing this talisman that could seize a god and compel a god's action."

"And you thought that this talisman could be a Poké Ball?" Goh asked.

Kurt shook his head. "I didn't think it. I was certain of it. Poké Balls have been in existence in their modern form for over two-hundred years, and objects with similar properties have existed almost as far back as recorded history."

Kurt took in a breath of the cold, nighttime air.

"A Poké Ball represents a contract between a human and a Pokémon, and a contract is just a formal way of saying a promise. It's a promise between the two to fulfill some sort of goal or dream together. This can be a promise as simple as companionship to one as complex as a promise to fulfill a very specific condition, but the promise is always made together. The human grants the Pokémon their ability to connect and understand with others, and the Pokémon lends the human their power. They are joined by the strong bond between the two, and it is only in this harmony that the relationship can work - with understanding, trust, and respect for one another.

"The three major components of a Poké Ball harken back to this truth. The apricorn was chosen as the protective structure that gave the ball its shape because of the varieties they grew in. In a single sort of plant, they represent unity in diversity, the diversity in humankind as well as Pokémonkind. The second component, the weight, represents the strength needed to enforce the contract, the might of Pokémon. And the binding agent, a metal to bind the weight to the apricorn, represents the strength of those bonds, and how humans and Pokémon can only grow closer through true respect and understanding. Stories of contracts between humans and Pokémon go back even further than those earliest Poké Balls, with objects that have similar properties as Poké Balls falling into myth and legend."

Kurt cleared his throat.

"That's what brought me to the Kingdom of Rota. I wanted to seek out the creation of this mythical talisman, a masterwork that could contain any Pokémon, even the ones worshiped as gods."

"So that's where you saw the scroll?" Goh asked. "Where you learned about this Poké Ball?"

"It was written off as a forbidden object, the creation of a man who's pride far outstretched his talents." He smirked darkly, the shadows of the night giving Kurt an eerie weight. "But being a young man, I didn't listen to the warnings of my elders and I sought to create the ball myself."

Argent watched Kurt with unblinking yellow eyes, only flicking his ear at the mention of the forbidden. Goh, too, felt the pull of the word. He wasn't immune to the allure of doing something considered wrong - it was a rebellious urge that he worked to contain, but it did show itself in the way he would pick on and argue with Chloe, and from the mischief flickering in her eyes, he knew she felt the same draw.

Goh closed his eyes and rubbed his forehead. Clearly, he still had Chloe on the brain.

Horace picked up his slack. "So you went searching for the pieces of the ball?"
"Yes," Kurt replied, looking wistful. "One of Ho-Oh's Rainbow Wings, one of Lugia's Silver Wings, and a Crystal that grows in a special lake in the Johto Region where Electric-type Pokémon frequent. Three incredible, legendary components to make a truly legendary Poké Ball."

"Were you able to find them?" Goh asked. "It can't have been easy to find the relics tied to the Legendary Pokémon…"

Kurt gave a small nod.

"It took a few years, and I ended up trading for the two feathers from others who had found them without realizing their worth, but… yes. I was able to assemble the three special components. The three pieces to the ultimate Poké Ball."

Goh and Hoarce both sucked in their breath, but Argent remained alert. Grookey, for his part, had already fallen asleep, leaning against the Umbreon's body.

"So… where is it? What happened to it?"

Kurt looked up at the moon, looking even older than he already did. "Using the crystal - which can refract white light into a diverse rainbow of colors - as the base instead of the apricorn, I set to work putting the pieces together. For the weight, I used the hard, scale-like feather of Lugia. To reinforce the parts and their bonding, I burned the feather into ashes, magnetized the ashes, and washed away any excesses and impurities."

"Y-You applied fire, electricity, and water to the Sacred Ashes?"

The legend, carved into the walls of the temple on Evolution Mountain, once more passed through Goh's mind.

"The hidden secrets shall be uncovered by trials of Fire, Lightning, and Water…." he began repeating the words. "The treasure within shall be blessed by the powers of Fire, Lightning, and Water and be purified. It will be called the One who Chases the Rainbow, most beloved by the gods. Offer your prayers at the foot of the Rainbow, and God will descend."

Did subjecting the ashes to that process count as 'blessing' it? He had no idea.

"What are you talking about?" Kurt asked, raising an eyebrow.

Goh shook the cobwebs from his head. "Sorry…" he said, looking back at the old man. "There is this legend that Chloe, Ash, and I uncovered in a temple in the Kanto Region," he said. "It's why Project Mew has me investigating all these leads that brought me here. Along with the legend, we found a feather that we also purified with fire, electricity, and water, and following the trail of clues we could find, we followed it to Ecruteak City, where we learned it might be tied to these other objects. And in the Kalos Region where we obtained a Silver Wing from Lugia, we also learned that it might be a Poké Ball."

Horace's eyes went wide. "So that's why Project Mew is interested in this ball? Because it might be related to the feather? But it sounds so much like Ho-Oh! Are they having you investigate it because it might be tied to Mew?"

"...I don't know," Goh said. "It could just be a test to see how driven I am and how far I can go, or maybe it's tied directly in their plans to find Mew. Maybe they didn't even realize what they were sending me to in the first place! They did get the details wrong…"

"Well… if they're interested in this ball," Kurt said, "I should finish telling you what I know about it."

Goh, Horace, and Argent all nodded, and Kurt continued his tale.

"With the three pieces combined, I had created the greatest, ultimate Poké Ball. And because this was the greatest ball, that of course made me the greatest Poké Ball smith… and so, I inscribed the letters 'GS' onto the ball. The 'Greatest Smith's Ball'."

Goh took the gold-and-silver ball from his pocket and held it up in the moonlight. "The GS Ball…"

It was still filthy, but the letters were plain to see, embossed on the surface of the golden top of the ball.

"The very same," Kurt admitted.

It was just like Goh had supposed. At the time, it felt like too far a leap in logic, but with Kurt's admission, the pieces all began to fall into place.

But that left a question. "If you made the GS Ball… how did it end up with that Professor Ivy?"

Kurt closed his eyes, and continued to speak.

"With my masterwork completed, I wanted to make it an offering to the protector god of Ilex Forest. The one said to dwell within the very shrine we find ourselves near tonight."

Goh and Horace looked at each other and then at the small shrine that sat behind Goh during his battle with Kurt.

"I approached the shrine and opened it, placing the GS Ball inside, and I offered my thankfulness and prayers to the forest's guardian. But then…"

Kurt opened his eyes, and in the moonlight, Goh saw the pain he carried.

"Something I could have never predicted happened."

He sat silently for a moment before looking back at Goh.

"I promised I would tell you the truth. And I will… only…" he sighed. "...it's a truth that begs for belief. You have to understand that I am telling you the truth, even if it sounds completely false."

Goh could see the seriousness in Kurt's eyes, mixed with his pain. He could feel the old man's injured pride as keenly as if it was his own.

"We promise, Kurt," he said, with Horace nodding emphatically as well.

Kurt took in a deep breath and looked back at the shrine.

"As I walked away from leaving the offering, I heard a sound, and when I turned, I saw them."

"Saw who?" Goh asked.

"The forest's protector god… Celebi…"

Horace gasped. Goh saw the shock in his friend's face.

"Celebi… was here…?"

Kurt nodded.

"At first, I was in awe of Celebi! I didn't dare approach them! I left them at the shrine. Only…"

Goh gasped, putting the pieces together faster than the story was being told. He glanced down at the GS Ball within his hands.

"...!"

"Celebi opened the shrine. And they tapped the ball."

"...You mean…"

Horace looked positively frightened at Kurt's explanation, one that Goh had already understood. He spoke the truth that Kurt was so desperate to keep hidden.

"...Celebi… was pulled inside the GS Ball and captured."

The despair on Horace's face fully formed. "N-No…!"

"Trapped in that ball is a god I never wanted to chain," Kurt admitted. "Of course, I rushed back over to the shrine and attempted to open the ball immediately, but it wouldn't open. No matter what I tried."

Horace looked like he was about to fall over, even in his sitting position, but Argent stood and walked over to the boy to support his weight. This caused Grookey to fall over and awaken somewhat, and the chimp crawled onto Goh's shoulder before attempting to fall asleep again.

"Did you figure out why it couldn't open?" Goh asked.

Kurt nodded. "I held onto the ball for months, going over everything. First, I attempted to override the systems with other devices compatible with Poké Balls, such as the trade machine in the Pokémon Center. But because the ball was made using those mystical materials, it was impossible to scan what was inside, so it wasn't accepted into the trade machine. When I tried to simply destroy the ball and smash it to pieces, the same reinforcement I had masterfully crafted destroyed my own tools rather than putting even a single scratch on the GS Ball. It took going over my notes and forging an ordinary Poké Ball in the same way, without the materials, to understand what I had done wrong. When I was attaching the component that opened and closed the ball, I had mistakenly put it on upside down. It was a foolish oversight that only an overconfident novice would make." He laughed darkly at himself. "The same sort of novice who would call himself the greatest smith…

"With no way to open the ball and destroying it impossible, I threw the ball into the Ilex Forest. I didn't want to see it and be reminded of my failure. And it would seem that I was truly cursed by the gods, since not a month later, the first modern, completely synthetic Poké Balls hit the market, and the age of old men with skills like mine was at an end…

"So now you know the truth. Somehow or another, the GS Ball ended up in the hands of Professor Ivy in the Orange Islands, and from there it made its way to my old friend Professor Oak, and then back to me. I didn't bother throwing it away again. I just hid it in my workshop as a constant reminder of my failure and shame. I couldn't tell Samuel what happened. I couldn't tell anyone that Azalea's god was trapped and it was all my fault. And so I hoped to take the secret with me to my grave."

He looked up at Goh and Horace. "Please… I know you'll do what you must, but please don't reveal the truth to Maizie or the people of Azalea Town. It would crush her spirits and put everyone into a panic to hear that Celebi has been gone all this time.

Kurt slumped over, looking defeated and small. Goh recognized the look on the old man's face. It was a look of complete hopelessness and despair. He had given up on ever making things right, and was only doing what he could to cause the least harm.

It was a path Goh himself was on, not too long ago, when he ended up hurting Chloe. And the thought made his own heart ache with sadness.

"We'll do it," he said.

Horace nodded. "We'll keep your secret, Kurt. It's a promise."

It was the least the boys could do. Goh looked at the GS Ball in his hands, dirty and neglected after all this time, as though forgotten by everything but time itself.

"I think we should put the GS Ball back in the shrine," he said.

Kurt's eyes widened, and the old man's resolve faltered as he nodded silently.

Goh took a ball out from his pocket and tossed it gently. "Inteleon, come out."

In a flash of light, Goh's agent stood, cooly awaiting his order. "Intel?"

"Can you wash this off?" he said, holding the GS Ball to his friend.

"Inteleon."

The agent held up a finger and gently sprayed water over the ball, and Goh reached into his back pocket for the blue handkerchief he always carried with him. He wiped off the dirt and grime and dried it off before holding it to the moonlight overhead. The gold-and-silver ball sparkled like the most exquisite jewelry he had ever seen. It was as beautiful as it was powerful, and for a moment Goh could truly see Kurt as the master he purported himself to be.

Without saying a word, Goh approached the shrine and opened the door. There was a small hole inside the shrine that looked like it would be a perfect fit for the GS Ball, and so he placed the ball inside and closed the door.

Goh walked back to the others, who were finally standing after their long discussion.

"We should pray," Kurt said. "Even if Celebi is trapped inside due to human hubris… my hubris… they are still a god and worthy of our respect."

Horace nodded "Right."

The three of them, with Grookey, Argent, and Inteleon, all turned towards the shrines and bowed their heads.

Despite his belief in the supernatural and his enjoyment of solving mysteries no one had ever seen before, Goh still wouldn't call himself a religious person. It seemed like an archaic thing, to believe that the movements of gods truly dictated the way the world worked. Even at their most powerful, Pokémon were still living beings, just as Professor Cerise always said. That's what Goh believed, at any rate. And it was because both humans and Pokémon were alive in this world that it was possible for the world to be shared with them, as equals. To become friends and to forge bonds together.

Even the gods were alive, he thought. And because of that, they weren't distant, powerful beings but those who he could meet and see with his own eyes. Just like he had met and befriended Suicune, he would continue to meet and befriend every other Pokémon in the world, from the lowest creature to the highest deity. It was a path he would walk on his way to finally meeting Mew, and making them his friend, too.

But as Goh imagined his dream in his mind, picturing all the Pokémon he would meet, befriend, and catch, he had to admit that there was a part of his mind that was changing the image on him. Because before, it was a dream he would always endeavor towards alone, or at most with Ash by his side.

But now, he couldn't imagine a future without Chloe with him, as well. It was that future that he wanted to hold in the palm of his hand, the one where he would continue catching Pokémon and chasing Mew, only he would always come back to her. He knew he loved her. He had felt these feelings grow and bloom from the tiniest seed planted deep in his own past. And now, seeing how secrets and regrets tore at Kurt, he knew he could hide them no longer.

It was as though he put the puzzle pieces together in his mind, and he could see the full picture now.

It was these feelings, this full-hearted realization of love, that Goh projected towards the shrine. He didn't know if Celebi could feel or hear what was happening on the outside, or if the god within the ball simply laid dormant the entire time, but he hoped the warmth he felt on this cold, late-winter night could reach them as well.

He didn't even notice when the wind began to blow through the trees, and their leaves began to rustle and shake.

"...!"

He heard Horace gasp and he looked up to see the trees all glowing gently in the moonlight. He looked at Kurt, who seemed to be trembling.

The old man's voice quivered. "...it can't be…"

In the air just above the shrine, a crystalline, emerald formation began to emerge in the air as the spot in the sky pulled and stretched into a hole. It reminded Goh of the Gate he saw in Sinnoh recently - a hole to another world.

His eyes went wide, though, as he saw the Pokémon float out of the ripple in the air.

They were small and green, with bright blue eyes rimmed in black circles. From the top of the Pokémon's head were two antennas and from the Pokémon's back sprouted two rapidly fluttering wings.

The Pokémon's flight seemed clumsy as they bounced awkwardly in the air, as though suspended by a string.

Goh looked at Horace, and he saw the tears welling up in his friend's eyes.

He didn't speak the name of the Pokémon in front of them; he only formed the word with his mouth.

Celebi.

The green Pokémon, Celebi, floated down towards the shrine and opened the doors to it before peering inside. Celebi stuffed almost the whole of their small body within before coming back out, holding the glittering GS Ball in their hands.

They held the ball up and closed their eyes, and they began to glow with the same gentle green light that the rest of Ilex Forest seemed to have.

The GS Ball began to glow in Celebi's hands, levitating up out of the mythical Pokémon's hands.

"Is that… Healing Wish…?" Goh asked himself, just barely above a whisper.

Healing Wish was a move that gave up the user's stamina in order to heal the wounds of another - it looked as though Celebi was rewinding the GS Ball's time in that moment, undoing the ravages of time's hands, but it didn't seem to stop there.

The ball seemed to warp and spin until it flew apart, falling to the ground in three pieces. As the parts of the GS Ball fell, a light shot out of it, and in the air above Celebi, a second Celebi appeared, looking identical to the first.

"Bii?" the second asked.

"Sere… Serebii…"

The first one seemed to falter, but the second caught them out of the air. Holding their savior with one arm, the Celebi freed from the GS Ball waved a hand in the air, and a few glittering drops formed in the air before sprinkling the first Celebi with light, restoring some of the time traveler's strength.

"Serebii!" they trilled together, happy to see each other after what happened.

Goh saw Horace move out of the corner of his eye. His old friend took several shaky steps towards the two Celebi, his eyes wide with wonder. He could only imagine what was going through Horace's mind, now confronting the Pokémon he had sought for so long.

"Celebi…!"

Horace's words brought the attention of the pixies to the humans for the first time, and with surprised gasps, the two Celebi dashed away back upwards into the still-open ripple in the sky.

As soon as they did, the gate seemed to vanish, and the forest went quiet.

Goh stepped up to Horace and put a hand on his friend's shoulder.

"Are you alright?" he asked.

Horace nodded. "I… I finally saw Celebi… I finally saw them!" He sniffled, turning to Goh with tears in the corners of his eyes. "Thank you, Goh. Thank you so much."

"I should be thanking the two of you boys!"

Both Horace and Goh turned to Kurt. The old man had tears rolling down his cheeks as he approached and threw an arm around each of them.

"If it weren't for you, I would have kept the secret to my grave, and then maybe… maybe Celebi would never have found their friend and reversed my mistake…! Thank you…! Thank you both! It's because of the two of you that I'll be able to live the rest of my life, free of regret!"

Goh coughed, feeling a bit awkward about the whole thing, while Horace just laughed quietly. "It's no problem, Kurt," Horace said. "I'm just happy that everything ended well."

"And you were worried that going in to steal from an old man would end poorly," Goh joked, teasing him.

The three humans all laughed as Grookey, Inteleon, and Argent all approached the three pieces of the GS Ball that now laid around the shrine like discarded pieces of trash. And Goh saw the components - the metal that had the sacred ashes worked into it that Grookey approached, as well as the folded and forged silver scale that Argent picked up with his mouth.

Inteleon took a small crystal in his hands and looked at it curiously. "Inteleon?" he asked.

"Is that… the third component?" Goh asked. "The crystal?"

Kurt released the teens and stepped towards Inteleon. "It is. And it looks as beautiful as it did the day I originally worked to forge the GS Ball." He picked the crystal out of the Pokémon's hands and held it up to the moonlight. "It's still perfectly fine. I bet I could even remake the GS Ball with a crystal as well-kept as this one."

"Then… can you use the other two parts?" Goh asked. "Can you actually remake a new GS Ball?"

Grookey and Argent brought the other two pieces to the smith, who kneeled down to check them.

"... not with these, no." He took the pieces from the two Pokémon and examined them more closely. "You have to be gentle with the sacred ashes, and reheating them at this point may destroy them. And the Silver Wing's strength only gets weaker the more you work with it, so it's important to do only what is necessary when forging it. They can't be used."

"...what if these last pieces were provided for you?" Goh asked.

Kurt looked up at him, the realization dawning on him. "You did mention that you had collected the other pieces…" There was a sparkle in the old man's eyes, and a wry grin on his face.

"You've got it. I'll make a GS ball for you, using these components!"

Horace gasped. "You'll do that? You mean it?"

"Of course!" Kurt laughed. "I'm the greatest smith who ever lived! Only… instead of it being called the Greatest Smith's Ball, how about we call it Goh's Special Ball instead!"

Goh couldn't tell if this was all just a joke or not, but he couldn't help laughing all the same. Horace, Kurt and the Pokémon all joined him as their laughter echoed into the moonlit sky.


"Goh, do you know how late it is?"

Chloe stood at the door leading into Kurt's property with her arms crossed as he, Horace, and Kurt all arrived. Inteleon was back in his ball, but Argent walked ahead, glowing gently, and Grookey was still sleepily clinging to Goh's shoulder. Eevee, who seemed to be napping at Chloe's feet, looked up, and her eyes were instantly drawn to the glowing Dark-type.

She looked exhausted, but Goh couldn't say that the moonlight didn't agree with her.

"Sorry," he said. "A lot kind of happened."

"I can tell!" she said. "Is that Argent?"

The Umbreon sat down, puffing his chest out proudly. "Bre!"

Goh did the same. "Surprised? He evolved into Umbreon while we were out!"

"Eievui!" Eevee chirped, hopping up and down excitedly, excitedly investigating Argent's new, taller, more lithe form.

Chloe was much less impressed. "You always have to make a scene…" she grumbled, crossing her arms.

"What are you doing back here?" Horace asked. "I thought you would have gone back to the Pokémon Center."

"Ash almost did," Chloe said, looking even more cross. "But I thought we should wait here since otherwise Maizie would be home alone and given the trouble we've caused, the least we could do is watch over the place until everyone got back. He's inside sleeping on the kotatsu."

"I guess Maizie never woke up," Kurt said.

Chloe's eyes darted between the old man and her childhood friend. Goh raised a hand. "It's okay, we've worked everything out."

"Speaking of working, I can start as soon as the sun rises," Kurt said. "Why don't we get some sleep tonight here and we can discuss things in the morning?"

Chloe raised an eyebrow. "Working on what? Goh, what is he talking about?"

To that, he could only chuckle. "I'll tell you in the morning. For now, let's get some sleep."

Chloe pouted, pursing her lips together, but she didn't press the issue, instead fighting a yawn herself.

The rest of the night passed in relative quiet, as everyone was exhausted from the late night activities they found themselves taking part in. Unsurprisingly, Maizie was the first to awaken, and she was confused as to why Goh and his friends were all laying around the kotatsu. Goh managed to spin a lie (with Kurt's help) that Kurt had called them over and changed his mind, discussing the GS Ball with them late last night, and then Horace came up with the idea to ask the forest's guardian god for help. They told the truth of what happened from there, but Goh could tell that Chloe's eyes were digging into him. Even Grookey felt the weight of her gaze, hiding from her on the other side of Goh's head as they sat side-by-side in Kurt's home around the kotatsu.

He knew it was a lie, but it was only a lie to protect Kurt and keep his promise - his secret about being the one who originally made the GS Ball.

"In fact," Kurt said, following up, "with the scroll these kids found as well as the objects they brought with them, I could probably forge my own GS Ball!"

Goh saw Chloe's expression sour like spoiled milk. Eevee, who she held in her lap, mimicked Chloe's expression.

Maizie, however, was in awe. "You really think you could do that, Grandpa?"

"I'm not a world renowned Poké Ball smith for nothing, my dear!" Kurt joked. "I would just need the Rainbow Wing and the Silver Wing that Goh and his friends brought with them."

Goh pulled the clear plastic container out of his backpack. "Well, we have the Silver Wing right here," he said, placing the container holding the hard, scale-like feather on the table. "But for the Rainbow Wing…"

"It's already been turned into Sacred Ashes," Chloe explained, taking the pouch from around her neck. She placed it on the table, and even though it was pulled closed, Goh could see a hint of the sparkling golden ashes within.

Kurt nodded. "Good, the Sacred Ashes were what we'd need to convert it to anyway."

"Wait," Ash said, frowning as he pet Pikachu in his lap, "I thought anything Ho-Oh burned turned into Sacred Ashes? Why'd it have to be the feather?"

"The power contained in the feather is what's important," Goh said, causing everyone's eyes to turn to him.

Ash raised an eyebrow. "Power?"

"It's something I noticed back when we were taking it through the Raizen Mountains," he explained. "It already felt heavy, but the more of the shrines we brought it too, the heavier it felt. When Suicune finished it, it almost felt like I could swing it like a sword and cut Team Rocket's helicopter in half. So it makes sense that the power it contains is the reason it's turned into ashes and used in the forging."

"It has power?" Chloe asked, a concerned look on her face. "Are you sure…?"

"Absolutely. Ash might not have ever touched it, but he was in the room when Morty touched it, right? You remember what he said?"

Ash nodded. "He did say somethin' about feelin' unworthy…"

"That's… weird, then…" she said. "It never felt like anything to be but a feather to me."

Goh furrowed his brow in concern. "You… did hold onto it a few times, right? Nothing weird at all?"

"Not other than the time it got warm and tried to burn me through my gloves," she said.

Goh crossed his arms. He couldn't understand why it felt so differently when both himself and Morty were taken aback by its weight.

"I guess it doesn't matter anymore," Chloe said, shrugging. "It's just been in the pouch ever since it got burned up."

"Is it okay if I use these ashes to make a ball for Goh, young lady?" Kurt asked. "You've been carrying them with you this entire time…"

"I-It's alright," Chloe said, her cheeks tinting pink. "The important thing is the pouch they're in, not the ashes inside. It's… a gift, you know?"

Goh felt his own face heating up as Chloe spoke, but anyone could say anything else, Horace stood up.

"I guess it's time for me to leave, then."

"So soon?" Goh asked, turning his attention from Chloe for a moment. "We just woke up."

"My initiation mission was to help you all with everything you'd need in Azalea Town, and between the talk we had last night with Kurt, it seems like we've gotten everything we need here. I'll go report in to Quillon and Danika."

Goh stood as well. "Got it. It's been great seeing you again, Horace."

"Same here," he said. "I'm so excited about Project Mew, now. I finally got to see Celebi after all this time! And you know what?" He shot Goh a wide grin. "The next time I see them, I'm going to try and catch them!"

Goh laughed at Horace's excitement, but Chloe rolled her eyes. "Great. It's spreading…" she snarked.

"Isn't it great?" Ash said, laughing.

"Not really…"

Ignoring Chloe's cold attitude, he offered Horace a handshake.

"We'll see each other again soon, I'm sure," he said.

Horace took his hand and shook it. "Right. See you around, Goh." He stepped away from the group and headed for the door, only stopping once he had a foot past the threshold.

"Only… don't you have one more secret to share?"

With a sly grin, he slipped out the door, leaving Goh's face to heat up in embarrassment.

"What did he mean by that?" Ash asked, raising an eyebrow.

Goh turned and looked at Chloe, who was looking away from him, though he could see a deep red blush from her cheeks all the way up to the tips of her ears.

"A-About that," he said, stammering. "...Chloe, can I talk to you for a second? Privately?"

He knew how he felt in his heart. He knew what he wanted to do. He knew that there was no longer any reason to hold this secret. But it still felt like it would be difficult to say.

Chloe looked at the Eevee in her lap. "O-Okay, I mean we can-"

"We need to leave Eevee and Grookey here, too," he stammered out.

Chloe looked at him, raising an eyebrow. "When you said 'private you meant'-

"Private private," he said. He felt like his face was about to burn off, so he wanted to get out of here as fast as possible. "Please?"
Chloe's emerald eyes stared back into his, and he felt his heart leap into this throat. She sat Eevee down on the ground. "N-Now you be good until I get back, okay?"

"Vui," she replied, not understanding the gravity of the situation, or more likely not caring to.

Goh took Grookey off his shoulder and sat him next to Eevee. "You… wait right here. This… shouldn't take that long."

Maizie giggled at them, but Kurt just stood and took the objects from the table. "I'll get this started. It probably won't be finished today, but I'm sure there's plenty of nice sights to see in Azalea Town while you wait!"

Ash blinked. "What am I supposed to do?"

"Just stay here," Goh sighed, heading for the door. "Chloe?"

"Coming…!"


"Goh, how much farther is it going to be?"

With the bright sun above him, Goh led Chloe away from Azalea Town and into the outskirts of Ilex Forest. Not deep enough where they might need to rely on Pokémon inside, but far enough that they didn't risk any eavesdroppers. As much as he was preparing to speak from the heart, he couldn't handle getting embarrassed by anyone else watching him. Until he heard her answer and knew either acceptance or rejection, these words would be for Chloe alone.

He stopped in his tracks. "This is far enough," he said, not seeing a person or Pokémon in sight.

Chloe crossed her arms. Her cheeks still bore the blush from before. "This seems pretty far for privacy…"

"I just take privacy concerns very seriously," Goh said, spinning it into a quip.

Chloe sneered at him. "Yeah, you're definitely the sort who enjoys protecting data."

"You can joke about it," he said, "but we did get our data stolen once."

"Better than getting your identity stolen," Chloe replied, not missing a beat.

He opened his mouth to send another volley, but he caught himself falling into the same comfortable game as before, and he stopped himself. It was incredibly easy for him to just comfortably joke and tease Chloe, just like it seemed like she was comfortable doing the same thing.

His thoughts went back to what he had heard Maizie and Chloe discuss the day before, and that spark of potential he felt behind her words. And so he focused, preparing what he had to say.

"I didn't bring you out here to joke around," he said.

"So you say," Chloe quipped back, trying to continue the game with a confident smile on her face.

"I'm serious!"

Goh glared at her, and Chloe's sly expression fractured into concern. "...Sorry, I didn't mean anything by it. I was just… you know, doing what we normally do."

"I know," he said. "It's really easy to just fall back into old habits, isn't it?"

She brushed a hand through her hair. "Y-yeah. It's easier than… you know, trying to deal with new things."

As much as Goh wanted to know what new thing was bothering Chloe, he would have to ask her later, after he said his piece.

"Chloe… I'm sorry."

She raised an eyebrow at that before tilting her head. "What do you mean? What're you sorry for?"

"I've… I've been really selfish. I have another secret I've been trying to keep to myself, but after everything I learned from dealing with Kurt, I know now that by holding onto this secret, it's like saying there's no way anyone but I could understand it, and that's not what I want." He looked directly into her emerald eyes, sparkling in the sun. "And… and I want you to understand it, too."

"Goh…?" she asked, blinking. Her cheeks were growing even redder.

"I've been really selfish, you know? I've… I've been thinking a lot about things. Feeling things. Wanting things that I don't feel like I can ask for. But now it's… it's like Mew, you know? It's something I have to chase, because if I don't, I know I'll regret not chasing it for the rest of my life."

"What is it?" she asked. "What is it that you want?"

He stepped closer. "I-I want… I want…"

His words were again failing him, but he wouldn't let his heart be denied. Not this time.

"I want t-to change my answer!"

He practically shouted the response and instantly felt embarrassed. He looked around to see if any people or Pokémon were eavesdropping.

Chloe furrowed her brow, confused. "Change your answer? To what?"

"Th-the question you asked," he replied nervously. "You know, back on the stairs to the institute, you asked me 'just what am I to you'?"

He knew she could see the same sunset-colored scene in front of her eyes, only when he saw her looming over him, he was sure he looked small. He did his best to stand as tall and proud as he could, because that's what he wanted to be for her - strong, cool, and reliable. He wanted to stand by her side and help her, just like she had helped him for years.

His heart pounded in his chest.

"I-I remember…" she said, looking at him.

"I said… I said that I couldn't put what you are to me into words, but… but that's not true anymore. I have the words that explain exactly what you are to me."

He stepped towards his childhood friend, the girl who had ended up capturing his heart, and he put his hands gently on her shoulders. He stared into those emerald eyes, so bright with life and love for those around her, even as she acted cold.

He put all his faith into her, that his feelings would be returned.

"Chloe Cerise… I'm in love with you."

A faith born of love.

He saw Chloe's eyes go wide, and he heard her gasp as he said the words.

He continued to speak.

"I-I know it sounds stupid, after everything that we've been through. For years, we always told people that we didn't feel like that. No matter if it was Mika or Yeardley or whoever, I denied it. But… I can't hold it in anymore. With everything that's happened since we met Ash, and everything that's changed in my whole life, the only one that's been there for me, all this time is… is you. And… and I want you to stay there. By my side. With me."

He released the girl's shoulders, and she took a single step back. Her cheeks were a deep red, likely embarrassed by Goh's reveal. He didn't want to ruin it by making her embarrassed or angry, so taking her this far away was necessary, he told himself.

But as Chloe looked away, with a look on her face that said she was trying to formulate a response to his earnest feelings, Goh felt increasingly nervous.

After all, if Chloe felt the same way, wouldn't it be easy enough to just say yes?

But the furtive way she continued to steal glances at him as he put her thoughts together reminded Goh of how kind and considerate Chloe was. She would answer in her way, in her time, without being pressured to answer.

"I… I…"

The first words to leave her mouth after Goh gave his confession are stammers. He saw her reach for the pouch where it would have been hanging around her neck, had they not left it with Kurt.

She looked up, full of confidence, that same fearless look in her eyes that she always had when she was resolved to finish something.

"I've been keeping a secret, too, Goh!"

Goh felt his own breath catch in his chest. "A-A secret of your own…?"

She nodded, stepping closer. "I-I was worried, that if I told you, that you'd get scared, or run away, or that you wouldn't take it seriously, or even worse that you might… cut yourself off again from everyone. Not just from me, but from your Pokémon, or Ash, or anyone else."

As she continued to speak, tears began to appear in the corners of her eyes.

"I was… I was really worried for you, that all our years, building this friendship together, would be wasted, and I don't want to lose your friendship, Goh!"

"Chloe…"

He reached out and gently touched her face, wiping away her tears with his thumb.

"But… but you've grown up so much. You've been there to help me, to support me when I was afraid for my Dad. You fought so hard for me. And… and through it all, you never forgot our friendship, not even once. That's why I was so afraid to ruin it! You only wanted to show me the way you saw the world, and now that I can…I don't want to lose sight of you, either. I…"

She smiled gently at him, her eyes shimmering with the tears they carried.

"...I'm in love with you, too. I've just been too afraid to say it."

He felt his heart skip a beat. He could hardly believe what he heard.

He felt afraid. And excited. And happy. He felt so many different emotions all mixed up inside himself at once, he again felt like he couldn't put it into words.

But he knew what he felt more than anything else, and so he took Chloe's hand and held it gently.

"You… don't have to be afraid to say it anymore," he said.

Chloe swallowed, looking at him with wide eyes. "Are you sure?"

"Absolutely," Goh replied. "But… I might need help, to not be afraid to say it myself."

The smile on her face lit up her eyes in a way Goh could scarcely believe. "I'll help you say it, if you'll help me say it."

The two long-time friends leaned into each other, pressing their foreheads together. And the two of them just laughed for a moment at how silly and strange and huge the world seemed just a few moments ago. It was a cleansing laugh, one that raised their spirits and helped them relax after carrying the weight of their shared secret together. It was freeing.

In having his heart caught by Chloe, Goh felt free.

"So…" Chloe asked. Goh could feel her breath on his face from how close they were, with their foreheads pressed together. "Are… are we together now?"

Goh stifled a laugh, putting his arms around her, finally acting on the urge to hold the girl to him that he had resisted the day before. Chloe responded by putting her arms around him as well.

"We've always been together, Chloe," Goh said. "Only now… we have each other, too."

Goh almost felt like his skin was tingling with warmth, and all he could see was Chloe's blushing face.

He leaned in slowly, and Chloe nodded her consent before leaning in herself.

He could feel Chloe leaning into him, but he stood as well as he could, even as his knees felt weak. The touch of her lips against his was soft and unsure, and he felt afraid that he might end up ruining their first kiss, so he tried his best to convey how much he loved her through the tenderness in his own lips before pulling back.

He pressed his forehead against Chloe's once more, and he saw how bright and joyful her eyes were. His knees still felt weak, but he felt energized as well, like he could catch every Pokémon in the Ilex Forest, both Celebi included.

But he didn't want to go catch Pokémon. At least, not at the moment. For now, he just wanted to enjoy holding Chloe in his arms, finally able to act on the feelings that had been growing within his heart for what felt like forever.

"...We should get back," she said.

Goh said nothing, only nodding as he slipped his hand down to hers, and linked their fingers together.

After all, there were still some things that couldn't be said with words.


"And so, that's everything."

A day had passed since Goh and Chloe had affirmed their feelings with each other. They were still in Azalea Town for one more day, but they were only now just waiting for the bus to take them back to Goldenrod, where they'd catch a train back to Saffron and then another bus back to Vermilion City.

Goh stood in front of the video phone in the Azalea Pokémon Center. On his shoulder was Grookey, his reliable Pokémon partner. To his right was Ash, his fellow researcher and close friend who pushed him to reach for his dreams with Pikachu on his shoulder. To his left was Chloe, his newly minted girlfriend (he would take some time getting used to saying that) and his childhood friend who'd known him since forever, carrying her Eevee in her arms.

On the video phone's screen was Quillon of Project Mew.

"Understood," he said. "We also received the report from Challenger Horace that things went well."

In his left hand, he held the fresh "Goh's Special Ball", freshly forged by Kurt. The legendary ball said to be able to restrain even a god.

He held it up to the screen. "Did you all want this?"

"When you end up submitting your final report," Quillon replied. "Right now, you may keep it."

"Got it," Goh said, nodding. "And about my tokens-"

"You will receive your tokens when you finish," Quillon said. "Only then. And from the report we received from Horace, it seems you already know your next destination."

Goh nodded, but Ash frowned. "...where are you headed next?" he asked.

"The Royal Library in the Kingdom of Rota."
Goh and Quillon said the words at the same time.

"You are to search the library for your next lead at your earliest convenience. Please keep us informed."

"Got it-"

"And Goh."

Goh locked eyes with Quillon, whose face never betrayed anything but utter seriousness.

"You currently have three tokens. If you wish to become a Chaser, you will need to gain many more than that. Our current front-runner already has seven."

The news chilled Goh's blood, but he nodded.

"Understood. I'll do what I can to earn as many tokens as possible."

"I look forward to it."

Quillon cut the transmission and Goh exhaled.

Chloe frowned. "That guy's a jerk."

"So, Rota, huh…?" Ash said.

"Pikachu…"

Goh turned, hefting his backpack. "C'mon. The bus should be here soon, and we don't want to miss it."

"Right," Ash said with a nod.

Chloe nodded as well, and the two of them walked out ahead of Goh.

He felt his fingernails once again digging into his palm.

Quillon's warning was obvious. He was falling behind. And this mission he had wasn't getting fulfilled, and so he was earning no tokens.

"Goh?"

He looked up from his worries to see Chloe standing there, concern in her own eyes.

"...I'll explain on the way," he said, smiling at her.

He stepped up to her and took her hand, linking their fingers together as they stepped out into the air that was already feeling like spring.

The changing of the seasons had already begun to bring its own series of changes with it, and winter would soon be drawing to a close. He wasn't sure what was ahead of him, or if he would make it to joining Project Mew as a Chaser, but Goh understood one thing as the sunshine washed over him.

The time for keeping secrets had passed.


What an intense chapter! Hello again, this is Purim, and I'm the author of this series, 'One Who Chases'.

This chapter is one that I've been building up to all year long, it feels like. Not only did I get to reveal the GS Ball's hidden secret, but Goh and Chloe finally found the time, the words, and the confidence to truly admit their feelings to each other. Finally, there are no more secrets between them! At least ones that hurt the other.

The theme behind this story is 'secrets'. Why do we keep secrets from one another, what does it mean to keep a secret? I think the truth will set you free. But there are times when you must keep a secret, either to protect yourself or protect those you love, and I think that takes a lot of strength, too, especially when revealing it could hurt people around you.

I hope you, reader, think about what secrets you're holding and why you're hiding them. Much like Kurt, maybe you just need someone who will understand. Or maybe, like Goh, you just need the right time and place.

It feels strange writing this afterword now. If you've been keeping up with Pokémon Journeys as it airs in Japan, then you might understand that something momentous occurred. I'm thinking about how this and the currently uncertain future will impact the plans I made, but just like Ash, I hope to turn this pinch into a chance! I hope you continue to enjoy what I have in store for Goh, Chloe, and their friends! Because while our main couple may finally be together, the adventure isn't over.

The next main book, 'Chaser and the Ruined Kingdom', starts in three weeks on December 3rd, 2022, and should carry us into the new year! This will begin the third and final leg of the story I started back when I was originally planning One Who Chases, so that means there will be another short time skip as we allow more episodes into this series' canon. We'll be cutting things very close as we go all the way to JN110, Narrowing the Chaser Chase! (Japanese: 裏切りのバトルロイヤル or The Battle Royale of Betrayal!). Though, if you're curious about the sidestories, you needn't watch that far, only up to JN107 Big Brother to the Rescue! (Japanese: 助けて、ワンパチのアニキ! Help, Big Brother Wanpachi!). I really really recommend checking them the first one next week, if you can find time away from Pokémon Scarlet and Violet versions.

I'm looking forward to starting my journey in Paldea, but I'm also working very hard to finish Book 9, which I planned as the grand climax to the story that began in 'Chaser and the Temple of Stone'. I also have ideas for where the story can go after that, but what form that takes is still murky… Please cheer me on as I continue this story, and I hope you enjoy the side stories and Book 7!