Beta read by Namohysip.

"A date, huh?"

Silvally looked at Shane, his expression unreadable. Shane studied his teammate but couldn't get the slightest hint of whether Silvally thought this was a good — or even feasible — idea. He wondered if, perhaps, he had enough ESP at his beck and call to get a read on Silvally that way, but black speckles popped up on Silvally's head crest to quickly snuff out that idea.

"C'mon, Silv, quit giving me the silent treatment. You're making me nervous," Shane said, tails drooping. "It's not that outlandish of an idea. You saw what happened before I flew off into the sun."

Silvally's eyes widened. "Wait… that's what you did after you sent us off to Ultra Space?" He shook his head. "Good grief. You really are full of surprises. When were you going to tell us about that, huh?"

Shane looked down guiltily and brushed his forepaws together. "It didn't seem all that important." He fanned his tails out. "Besides, that's not the point. Will you help me plan it or not?"

"Hmm…" Silvally tapped a talon on the ground. "I suppose. It only makes sense, given the way you two have acted around each other since Circadian Coast." He looked Shane dead in the eyes. "But tell me something. Do you actually have an idea?"

"I, uh…" While Shane knew this seemed like the kind of thing he'd be making up as he went along, he had actually given it some thought. But voicing those thoughts coherently was another matter entirely. He cleared his throat. "I was thinking of, y'know, a picnic meal. Nice and simple. Nothing too extravagant."

"Is that it?" Silvally looked unconvinced. "What about other details? Like a location, for starters."

"Sky Peak!" Shane's tails crinkled and he glanced back toward Becca's room, worried he'd disturbed her. When silence followed, he sighed in relief and walked past Silvally.

"Err… any particular reason you want to go there specifically?" Silvally walked beside Shane. "Tessa's darted back and forth between continents a lot these last two weeks. I think she might be sick of it."

"Ah. Well, uh… I wanted to take her somewhere with a really great view," Shane explained, eyes sparkling. "And, unlike Solstice Summit, Sky Peak doesn't have a bunch of gloomy clouds surrounding it all the time. It was either that or Fogbound Lake… and I thought that, like, the nearby Shaymins and gracidea flowers would help convey my, uh, gratitude toward her… as a friend and stuff." He laughed nervously, but hung his head when Silvally didn't say anything. "You think this all sounds stupid, don't you?"

"Not at all. It's one of your better ideas, actually," Silvally said, fish tail wagging.

Shane's own tails perked up. "Y-You really think so?"

"Yeah!" Silvally paused mid-step, cheek bolts whirring in thought. "Maybe we could time the picnic to either sunrise or sunset. That way, not only is the view breathtaking, you can fulfill your part of the promise the three of us made back when I'd broken my mask."

"What promise is that?" Shane said, head tilted.

"Watching a sunset together," Silvally replied.

"Oh, yeah. True. And, I mean, a sunrise isn't that much different. Loophole abuse and whatnot." Shane chuckled. "So, are you willing to help me with all the other details, then?"

Silvally nodded. "Sure! When do you want to do this, exactly?"

"As soon as possible," Shane answered, practically tripping over his own words. Silvally raised a skeptical brow. "I feel like it has to be soon. We have no idea when Team Paradox will come back… or what they'll come back with. But if I wait and they do return, I could get swept up in a bunch of Ultra Recon Squad stuff and who knows when I'll get some downtime. It's now or never, in my books."

"Well, I wouldn't phrase it quite so catastrophically, but I see your point." Silvally glanced at the ceiling. "Yeah, I think with a bit of mental elbow grease… we can make this work."

Shane walked up and embraced Silvally's foreleg. "Thanks, Silv. Glad to know you've still got my back."

Yellow returned to Silvally's glowing parts. "Uh-huh. Just do me one favor in return."

"Name it."

"Help me come up with a familiar name."

Shane stepped away from his teammate. "Huh? I thought you liked Silvally. And Tessa created it for you, didn't she?"

"She did. And I do like it. But I also remember what Sticky told me… how there are other Beast Killers out there." Silvally gazed down the empty hallway. "If we're adopting this species name, familiar name scheme, then I don't want people to know me as Beast Killer Silvally or God Killer Silvally." Gold and silver flickered in his eyes. "I want Silvally to be my species name… so any strangers I come across know they can view me as a friend and not a foe."

"Huh. Well, all right. I don't see a problem with it." Shane stuck his forepaw out toward Silvally. "It's a deal."

Silvally curled up his talons and fist-bumped Shane's forepaw. "Thanks, bud. Now, can we please get some sleep?"

Shane laughed. "Of course. That's enough excitement for one night."

Epilogue: I'll Be Your Shining Star

~Circadian Kabana~

"Oh, yes! That's the ticket!" Shane shouted, lying on his belly on a wooden massage table with his head resting on a circular pillow. A Machamp stood over him, pressing one of his elbows onto Shane's back and kneading the musculature under his shoulder blade. Shane's fur glistened with clear massage oil.

"Whoa!" Machamp raised his upper arms as a golden, ethereal wing popped out of Shane's back and waved around like a tapered flag. "Um, buddy? You've, uh… got a thing sticking out of your back." Machamp held a finger in front of the wing.

"Huh? Ah, nuts, sorry about that." Shane flushed. He concentrated and the wing retreated into his back. "You found a sweet spot."

"Yeah. You had a heck of a knot in that shoulder," Machamp said. He positioned his upper arms against Shane's right shoulder while his lower arms kneaded Shane's foreleg like a roll of dough. "Not surprised you and your team are all stiff. What you went through is stressful enough to harden up the slimiest Goodra around."

"I—" Shane cut himself off, tensing, then sighed as relief spread down his limb. "Wow. I see why Kahuna Raichu recommended you."

"Heh, what can I say? I'm one of the best in the business." Machamp would've thumped his chest if his hand wasn't covered in massage oil. "Anyway, I think I'm just about done… unless you want me to tend to your tails, too."

Shane's tails curled up. "Err, it's probably for the best I take a pass on that." Limbs as loose as pasta noodles, Shane struggled to sit himself up on the table. He gave up and rolled over on his side. "Thanks. I, uh, don't have cash directly on me for a tip or anything, though."

"No worries. It's been covered already."

"Really?" Shane blinked. 'Guess when Kahuna Raichu said this spa trip was all-expenses-paid, he really meant it.' He thanked Machamp again before the masseuse exited the room. Shane lay there for a few minutes before he finally had enough feeling back in his legs to make his way out of the massage parlor. The oil bathed him in a pleasant coconut scent, but was sticky enough to where Shane opted to head for a shower stall.

As he stood under the warm water — which bothered him even less than it used to when he was purely an ice Ninetales — he considered his next move. His teammates had all gone for massages first and were currently at grooming appointments. Shane hoped that Tessa would be done first, as it would give him the opportunity to ask if she wanted to go to Sky Peak with him.

"If only I'd told Nero and Selene to have their stylists work slowly." Shane sighed and shook his head, thinking about both his newly-named teammates.

He'd spent the previous day formulating details for the date with Nero. Shane asked Esserly, the only Shaymin he (sort of) knew, if she'd be willing to offer him an escort to Sky Peak. While hesitant to leave Solstice Summit, even for a few hours, she eventually agreed. Shane intended to ask Tessa out that evening, but Selene surprised him with the announcement she'd gotten the team deluxe spa passes for the Circadian Kabana.

Shane turned off the shower and let water and steam trail off his fur. He wondered if trying to Ultra Burst would instantly dry him off, but the room was too small to handle it. Instead, Shane grabbed a towel and focused on rubbing down his fur. He mentally told himself there was nothing to worry about. Asking Tessa out didn't have to be different from any of the other conversations they'd had. She'd kissed him before he'd flown into the sun, after all. That meant there was no pressure, right?

When he was dried off, Shane proceeded into the spa area lobby. Thatched, straw chairs and mats with cushions on them lay in front of walls covered with relaxing blue waves. A desk sat to Shane's right, manned by a Pachirisu who smiled at him. "Excuse me. Have you seen a Lucario, Espeon, or a big fuzzy guy with a funny headpiece anywhere?" he asked.

Pachirisu was about to answer, when the door across the lobby opened up. Shane's heart jumped into his throat, but sank back down when it turned out to be Selene instead of Tessa. Her fur had a vibrant glow to it that brought the velvet fabric of the Observatory's pillows to mind. Even Selene's forehead gem sparkled with newfound luster.

"Hey, Shane. How was the massage?" Selene asked, trotting over to him.

"Heavenly," Shane replied, tails wagging asynchronously. "You look good."

"I feel good. My fur hasn't been this soft in ages." Selene brushed her shoulder. "It's nice to be rid of all those knots and matted patches."

"I'll bet." Shane looked past her. "So, uh, any sign of Tessa?"

"That eager to ask her out, huh?" Selene smirked when Shane's eyes widened in alarm.

"I told Nero not to say anything," he grumbled, scowling.

"It slipped out," Selene said, winking. Shane's cheeks reddened. "Oh, come on. Don't look so nervous. For what it's worth, Tessa kept talking about how happy she was you were back after you ran off with Silvy the other night."

"Oh. That's, um… good." Shane's tails still twisted around one another. "It's just… I've, uh, never dated before. Or even asked someone out, for that matter. What if I stick my paw in my mouth like usual?"

"Come on, you're as loosened up as you're going to be after that massage," Selene said. "If you can't ask her now, then I don't know what to tell you."

Shane gulped. That was far from the confidence boost he was hoping for. His ears twitched and he again focused on the far door, only to exhale like a rapidly-deflating balloon when Silvally Nero walked out.

"Well, how do I look?" Nero twisted his head to the right, swishing the feathers trailing down his neck. Both Selene and Shane did double-takes. Nero's fur sparkled like sand grains under the sun. Someone had polished his beak, energy blades, cheek bolts, and tail gems. Even the patches of scales protruding from his fur had a never before seen luster to them.

"Wow, Nero. You look—"

Selene charged past Shane, hip-checking him out of the way before he could finish speaking. She screeched to a halt in front of Nero, tail stuck out like an arrow and forked ends curved into a heart. "Silvy, this is great!" Selene brushed her hide against his foreleg. "Your legs are so smooth… and your feathers are so soft."

Nero's fire memories blunted his glow. "Y-You look great too." He laughed nervously.

"He was one of the toughest undertakings I've had in all my years here… but I found a way to make it work," a Tsareena said, walking in to Nero's left and reaching up to pat his shoulder.

"I'll say," Selene cooed. Though he couldn't see her face, Shane imagined there were hearts in her eyes.

"Thanks again for all your patience and hard work." Nero nodded to Tsareena.

"You're quite welcome, dear. Feel free to drop by any time." Tsareena headed for the doors to Shane's right, waving back at Nero.

"So, uh… any idea what's taking Tessa?" Shane said. With Nero and Selene lost in each other's expressions, it looked like he wouldn't be getting a response.

"Sorry I'm late! Had a bit of a… disagreement with the stylist about something."

Shane cocked an eyebrow, but the moment Tessa stepped out from behind Nero his limbs locked up and blood rushed to his cheeks. It was like he was back in Sunset Shoals at Primarina's concert. Tessa's fur glimmered. She carried her scarf in a paw and, instead, had a red bow tied around her neck with a blue, flower-shaped brooch pinned to it. A similarly-colored ribbon was tied around her tail.

Tessa saw her teammates staring at her. "Ugh, I know… she overdid it, didn't she? I said I didn't need the bow, but she insisted it was made for me and this is all-expenses-paid, so…" She nudged at the red bow, aura feelers twitching.

"N-No! It's great! Awesome!" Shane blurted out, drawing Tessa's attention. "Uh, I mean… you, um, look very pretty!" His voice cracked and he silently swore. This was why he wanted Tessa to be finished first. With his other teammates watching, his nerves were creeping up on him.

"Thanks, Shane." It didn't stop Tessa from continuing to nudge the bow, though. "So, what's next? Are we going to stay for dinner?"

"Actually, Shane had something he wanted to ask you," Nero said, stepping aside. Selene hip-checked Shane, who stumbled toward Tessa. He almost toppled right into her, but channeled his ESP to stop himself about a foot from her thighs. His eyes abruptly widened and he stood up straight, laughing louder and more nervously than he intended.

"Are you okay, Shane? Cripes, how much did that massage loosen you up?" Tessa sighed and shook her head.

"Plenty!" Shane's voice couldn't have been scratchier if he tried. Behind him, Nero and Selene shared bemused grins. Shane cleared his throat, then took a deep breath. He couldn't overthink this. He just had to come out and say it. "Tessa, I was wondering if you'd like to join me later at Sky Peak. I want to take you for a picnic."

"A picnic? All the way at Sky Peak?" Tessa crossed her arms. "Haven't I done enough time zone jumping over the past few weeks?"

Shane winced. "It's, um…" He rubbed his forelegs together. "I thought it would be nice. Y'know, with the view… and the Shaymins from the village. B-But I guess it would mess with your sleep schedule." He mentally kicked himself. It wasn't going disastrously, but it wasn't going well, either.

Tessa noticed Selene turning and coughing lightly into her shoulder. She blinked a few times, then rubbed her snout. "Wait. Is this for the whole team?" Tessa looked at Nero and Selene. Both glanced at one another, then shook their heads in unison.

"It's supposed to be for the two of us," Shane said, pawing nervously at the floor.

It took a moment for his comment to sink in, but when it did, Tessa's aura feelers rose in time with her brows. "Oh. S-So, it's l-like a date, then?"

"Not if you don't want it to be. It could just be two friends catching up after they've been apart for a while." Shane spoke so fast he left himself breathless.

Tessa stepped back. For a brief moment, a broad grin spread across her face. Her eyes flickered blue, though, and she stood back at attention. "Sure, let's do it."

Shane's ears twitched. "R-Really? I don't want to, like, pressure you or anything."

"There's no pressure at all. It sounds fun," Tessa said, her smile returning. "When would we leave, though?"

"I was hoping to time it to sunrise over in the Grass Continent… so not for a few hours," Shane said, tails twitching with excitement. His mind was giving a victory holler and it took every ounce of willpower not to let it show through. Was this what Gallian and Zoroark were first like with each other? He'd have to ask.

"Okay. Guess we ought to head back to the Observatory for a break, then," Tessa said.

"Good idea. Give me a bit and I'll contact our ride," Selene said, winking. She and Nero turned around and exchanged smiles.

~Aeon Observatory~

Shane paced around his pillow, avoiding the gazes of the other guys in the room. "Oh gods. Oh gods. What am I supposed to do? What do we talk about? We've gotta have some sort of conversation because eating in silence would be super weird. But I have no idea what to talk about and I don't want to upset her."

"Dude, you need to relax. You've probably undone your entire massage in the span of a few minutes," Zoroark said, scratching at his ear canal with a claw.

"You let yourself get this wound up and the date's sure to be a bust," Gallian said.

Zoroark frowned. "He doesn't need to hear that, y'know. We're supposed to be encouraging him." He crossed his arms. "Besides, I remember you being a complete nervous wreck when you told me how you felt about me."

"That was a lot different. You'd fallen into the sea and I thought you'd cracked your skull open," Gallian said, pouting. "This is as low-stress of a date as you can possibly get."

"It's easy for you all to say. You've done this sort of thing before. I have no experience," Shane said, tails dropping. "Even when I was asking her… my heart wanted to burst right out my chest."

"Do you even have a real heart anymore… or is it just a big, fancy prism crystal?" Nero wondered.

Shane stopped pacing to give Nero the stink eye. "Come on, Nero. You've got all those memories running around in your head. Surely some of them involve successful dates." He gave Nero a pleading look. "Tell me what you know. I'll take any tips!"

"Uh…" Nero's brow furrowed. His cheek bolts sparked, then Zekrom's phantom materialized next to him.

"The things that worked best for Latios were the times where he was spontaneous," Zekrom said. "From what I understand, that's your specialty, Fuzz Butt."

Shane frowned. "Well, with all do respect, Zappy Butt, you're not Tessa. And my spontaneity gets me into trouble… which is what I want to avoid."

"Fair enough. I'm out of advice, then." Zekrom shrugged and retreated into Nero's cheek bolt.

"Boy, I sure hope you and Selene don't plan to take things too far," Zoroark said, smirking. "Otherwise, you'll have an audience for all your mating sessions."

Nero's fur puffed out. Flames swirled around his cheek bolts. "Guys, let's focus on Shane." He shook his head until his red splotches faded. "Look, Shane, your problem is that you're so focused on the date aspect of this… you're ignoring the fact that this is Tessa. You've spent more time with her than with anyone else. So, you need to stop acting like this one outing is the be-all, end-all of whatever you consider your relationship with Tessa to be and treat it like any other time when you've been together."

"B-But it is special. If things can go well, maybe…" Shane's voice trailed off. He sat down on his haunches and mulled over Nero's advice. Was that the problem? Was he assuming things between him and Tessa had to be different because of this?

"I may not know Tessa as well as the rest of you, but I think that, if you go into this expecting to end up in some sort of super-committed relationship… you're setting yourself up for failure," Zoroark said, shrugging. "It took quite an ordeal for you to even end up as friends in the first place. If you ask me, maybe you ought to take things slow." He raised his right arm. "And, yes, I realize the hypocrisy, since Gallian and I rushed into a relationship. But you definitely have the time to move slowly, so I say you do that. Focus on enjoying her company."

Shane looked between Nero and Zoroark. He didn't have a good response in mind, but he figured that was the best advice he could get. "Okay." Shane took a deep breath. "I think I'm ready."

"You nervous? This is what you wanted, isn't it?" Selene said, adjusting Tessa's bow with a flicker of psychic energy.

"It is. But you know me… I'm always second-guessing myself." Tessa stared at the bottle in her right paw. It had a purple label on it. "Is a fragrance spray really necessary? We're going to be on top of a mountain filled with gracidea flowers."

"It shows Shane that you're taking this seriously." Selene snatched the bottle with her telekinesis. "It's only a couple of sprays behind your neck, anyway." She moved the bottle back. Tessa tensed. The oil was colder than she expected, but soon crushed lilac tickled her nostrils. A calmness passed over her muscles.

"There. You already look more relaxed." Selene stepped back, smiling.

"You did that on purpose, didn't you?" Tessa said, smirking back.

"Well, it worked, didn't it?" Selene winked "Come on, Shane's waiting for you up by the entrance. Hoopa's going to take you over."

"Of course he is. Must be getting tired of doing this for us," Tessa said, following Selene up the stairs.

"I get the sense that, as long as we keep giving him donuts, he doesn't mind." Selene giggled. Before long, she and Tessa reached the entrance room and headed outside. Shane stood beside Nero, fur fluffed up to where he looked like a helping of cotton candy. A blue silk bow sat around his neck. Shane had silver rings on his forelegs and sequined bows tied around each tail that sparkled under the moonlight.

"W-Wow, Shane. Those are… some interesting accessories," Tessa whispered. Her aura feelers throbbed in time with her racing heart.

"Thanks. I, uh, thought we could try to match. Gallian and Zoroark picked these out for me. You don't think they're too flashy, do you?" Shane pivoted to show off his tails. Tessa's aura feelers jumped up. She was sure her face was red, now.

"They're perfect for you," Tessa said, voice cracking. She put her paw to her snout and cleared her throat. "So, shall we get going?"

"Of course. Just let me call up Hoopa," Selene said, levitating out her Gear-Com unit.

~Sky Peak~

"Thanks a lot for agreeing to this, Sister Esserly." Tessa bobbed her head as Esserly walked the duo down a dirt path. Shane and Tessa stared at the gracidea fields on either side of them. To their right, a couple of Shaymins paused in the midst of their conversation and waved.

"Welcome home, Esserly!" one said.

Esserly nodded back at her colleagues. "Thanks. I'm here to help these two with their picnic."

"Oh, wow, you're the ones who fought Necrozma!" the other Shaymin realized, eyes sparkling. "Can I—"

The first Shaymin shoved her shoulder. "Hey, c'mon. Can't you tell the two are here for a private moment? Leave 'em alone."

"Uh, we can always come back and visit another time," Shane said, sweat drops trickling down his neck. He focused his attention in front of him again. They continued walking until the path widened into a large clearing.

"This is… quite the view," Tessa said, gazing out past the rocky crags. Below her, white, puffy clouds passed by. Further down were rows upon rows of green trees. Off in the distance, the sun poked out from the horizon. Tessa squinted. "I think I see some trails far below us… and a town near a beach. Is that what I think it is?"

"It's Treasure Town," Shane said, stepping to Tessa's side. "You can practically see the whole Grass Continent from up here… or so I was told."

"Yeah." Tessa sat down, stretching out her legs and bracing her paws on either side of her.

"It'll take some time for me to get those pancakes cooked. You two okay on your own?" Esserly said. Shane and Tessa nodded. Esserly sniffed at one of the gracidea flowers, shifted form, and flew off behind them. After a half-minute, Tessa patted the ground to her right. Shane sat down next to her, taking care to curl his tails to his right so it wouldn't get awkward.

"So, uh… have you been getting a lot of attention since the battle?" Shane wondered.

"We have. There was actually a party in Aeon Town the day after you, y'know, put the world back together… and it was hard to find space with all the people who wanted to talk to me," Tessa said, batting at her rightmost aura feelers. "Selene said people let her cut in the food lines and Nero got assaulted by a pack of kids."

Shane snorted with laughter. "I'm sorry… what?"

"Those were his words, not mine." Tessa raised her paws innocently. Shane kept laughing, amused by the mental image of a bunch of tiny Pokémon banding together to try and bring Nero down.

"Must be a nice feeling, huh? It's what you— well, we always wanted, right? To be recognized as heroes," Shane said, but when Tessa's expression darkened his eyes widened. "Ah! My bad. I didn't— I wasn't trying to upset you or anything."

"It's okay, Shane. But, like, you remember the talk we had at Circadian Coast, right?" Tessa leaned back, flexing her toes on her right foot. "Honestly, having experienced the attention for myself, I find it overrated." She shook her head. "I guess after Mom and Gallian left I got so attention-starved I craved recognition to the extreme."

"We're like two peas in a pod in that regard." Shane sighed. Tessa quirked her brow. "Oh. It's, uh, a human expression… for similar people." He laughed nervously until his expression turned somber. "I know you caught me up about some of the stuff that's been happening, but how have you been doing?" He hesitated. It was out in the open, but he regretted bringing it up on what was meant to be a fun outing.

"I've been managing." Tessa ran a digit back and forth through the soil.

Shane winced, torn between pressing further and backing off. But, well, he'd already brought it up, right? No sense in abandoning the subject. "When I, uh, spoke with Nero, he said you'd been having a rough time." He gazed out over the mountainside. "If you want to talk about it, I'm happy to listen."

"It's tough to put into words, really." Tessa moved her right foot around in a circle. "Again, part of it goes back to what we talked about. The memories… of the bad things that happened to us. Every so often, they pop up. Like when I was on Celestial Island for the meetings, I kept flashing back to the moment I fell into Necrozma's trap… and you were standing there, attacking me."

She put her left paw on her chest spike. "And, y'know, it's hard to be around Nero and not think about the moment he Exploded. I'm pretty sure he keeps thinking about it, too." Tessa's shoulders sagged. "I know it's all behind us, but I can't stop the bad memories from popping up."

"I see. That's not, um… I think that's actually normal," Shane said. He was about to put a forepaw on Tessa's lap, but he stopped and placed it back on the ground. "It's probably why, y'know, people like Selene struggled after the Bittercold and Dark Matter." Two of his tails twisted together. "That's why we should keep talking about it… even if it's, y'know, unpleasant." Though that didn't detract from the point that this was a date and he had chosen a painful subject.

"You're right. I did actually talk with the other teams about this. Team Poképals told me that, for a while, they still thought about their time in the dark future. Same for Team Gaia and the Voidlands," Tessa explained, gazing up at the sky. "It sounds like it may take some time for me to get over this stuff… if I even can get over it." Her aura feelers drooped. "I have a hard time seeing how I can make myself happy in the future if I can't stop thinking about what happened to us."

Shane's ears flattened against his head. "I'm sorry." He was responsible for a lot of it, in a manner of speaking. "If I hadn't browbeaten you into joining the guild… you wouldn't have gotten wrapped up in all of this."

"You don't have to blame yourself," Tessa said, putting a paw on his shoulder. "These past few months… have certainly been rough. But the bright spots make it all worth it. And you're definitely one of those bright spots."

Shane's heart soared. His tails thumped against the ground. "Even though we, y'know, didn't start off on good terms?"

"Yes."

"You know I still feel bad about Mellath Bog, right?" Shane lowered his head.

"You said as much in your goodbye letter." Tessa pulled the piece of paper out of a tiny shoulder bag she'd brought, along with Shane's memento. "This was really sweet of you, by the way." She held the crystal up. Sunlight struck it and refracted into different colors on the ground in front of them.

"Glad you like it," Shane said, grinning. They lapsed into silence. Shane glanced at the space between them. Sucking in a breath, he scooched over. Their hips weren't quite touching, but he could slide his forepaw beside Tessa's. She looked at it, aura feelers tensing, then slowly slid her paw until it was on top of Shane's. They shared a smile, then looked away, faces flushing.

"So, uh… Ultra Burst, huh?"

Shane barely stopped his tails from curling up. This was the one topic Shane intended to avoid, but Tessa brought it up. He bit his lip, worried about how to respond. He settled for saying, "Ultra Burst. Yeah, pretty wild." As soon as the words came out, a dark thought festered in the back of his mind like an infected boil. "Tessa…" His voice trailed off and he bowed his head. "You, um, you do realize that, since I'm Necrozma now… that means that you're gonna…" He sucked in a breath. "You're going to age, but I won't. And someday, you'll—"

His tails curled up. A voice shouted at him from within. Made him question if a relationship with Tessa could even work given his fate. If they stayed together, there'd be inevitable heartbreak down the road, right?

A paw touched his left shoulder. He nearly jumped, but managed to keep himself seated. "Shane, I'm not thinking that far into the future," Tessa whispered. "I'm still too caught up in the past to look ahead like that. But, even still, I believe things will work out." She smiled at him. "You'll have Nero… and, if your spiritual training goes well, who's to say we can't stick together even once I've moved onto the spirit realm?"

Shane's eyes slowly widened. He hadn't thought about that. Namely because thinking about his new powers made his head hurt. Everything Ephemeris had told him… scared him. "You know… the old Shane would've been hooting and hollering. Strutting around and shouting about how great these new developments are," Shane said.

"Back when I was human, if I wasn't pretending to be a Lucario… I'd pretend to be a dragon. The fact that I actually am one is… well, I don't know what to make of it." Shane subconsciously leaned over… and was startled when Tessa actually let him rest his head against her shoulder.

"Yes, a part of me — the lingering bits of the old Shane — is thrilled by all of this. But the reality is… I don't trust myself with powers like these," Shane continued. "I'm not sure I can be the Guiding Light… and I definitely don't deserve or want to be some sort of god. I just want… to be with you." When he realized what he'd said, he hastily added, "And our other friends, too, of course."

"I see." Tessa glanced at the mark on her right paw.

"Like… what if I lose control? What if I can't harness Ultra Burst properly and I turn violently destructive like Necrozma? Or what if I bungle something up with people's spirits?" Shane tensed up as he spoke. "There are so many pitfalls. Ways to stumble and fail. And the consequences of failing are something that hurts to think about. I was such an idiot… fantasizing about being a hero while ignoring what an enormous responsibility it actually is." Shane gritted his teeth. "As a human, I did everything in my power to avoid responsibility. So, like, I'm the absolute worst candidate for Guiding Light replacement. I'd be a total disgrace to, uh, whatever reputation Blinding Ones have out in Ultra Space."

Tessa took it all in, not moving a muscle. When Shane finished speaking, she brushed hair out of his eyes. "Shane, you've really grown."

"Hmm?"

"What you just said… you showed a lot of insight for someone who claims to be bad at reading other people," Tessa said, offering him a smile. "It sounds to me like you've really taken everything we've talked about to heart."

"Well, I guess? Maybe it's, like, a psychic thing? Since Necrozma was psychic and stuff." Shane's brow furrowed. "All I know is that you mean so much to me and I want you to be happy. Because you deserve it. You deserve the world." He threw caution to the wind and scooched left one last time. His hip brushed against Tessa's. Blood poured into his cheeks. Rainbow light shimmered in his eyes and tails… leading to a spark of blue aura in Tessa's eyes.

"You helped me acclimate to life as a Pokémon, even though I was a dick to you out of the gate. And then you taught me how to be a better person." Shane lifted his head up so he could look Tessa in the eyes. "I don't think I would've worked up the courage to set out and find Nero if you hadn't shown me how much he meant to you. I probably would've given up the fight against the Prism Virus multiple times if you hadn't been there to give me the kicks in the ass that I needed.

"When I was flying into the sun and I was in such searing pain that I wanted to stop… it was you that kept me going above all else." Shane booped Tessa on the snout. "You and your smile."

Tessa's aura feelers trembled. Shane wished he was in her head — and he certainly could try, but that would betray her trust — because the stunned look on her face made it impossible for him to tell if she liked or hated what he'd said.

"That's, uh… wow." Tessa whistled. "I'm gonna be honest… I don't even know how to respond to that." She laughed. Shane winced at first, but perked up once he realized Tessa's laughter held not bitterness or fatigue… but elation. His tails rubbed against one another. Warmth flooded his chest.

As her laughter died down, Tessa's expression turned serious again, "I've got a lot of the same fears you do, Shane. About the whole Ultra Burst thing." She raised her right paw up. "I don't know if things will work out… if I'll really be able to control it or not. And that scares me. It's not like my mind had completely blanked when I lost control against Mom… I knew what I was doing." Tessa balled her paw into a fist. Blue flames flashed around the spike and she brought her paw into her chest.

"But you know what? Even if I'm not sure how things are going to work out… it's okay."

"It's… okay?" Shane tilted his head.

"I finally get it, Shane. When I was sulking about on my own… I thought to myself that a happy life meant things would be perfect. That there would never be a single bad day in my future… ever," Tessa said as the aural embers faded from her paw. "But that's not true. There is no such thing as a perfect life. You'll have good days… but there'll also be bad ones, too." She looked back at Shane. "If I'm going to be happy… then I have to learn to cherish the good times… and turn to my friends and family during the bad. I have people who can support me, now. And that's a resource that, before I met you, I thought I'd never have."

Shane blinked. Then, he slowly nodded. It made sense. Heck, he was probably guilty of that kind of black-and-white thinking, too.

She booped Shane's snout with her paw and smiled at him. "Spiritual training… mastering Ultra Burst… they're both challenges that we're going to have to face. We can't avoid them." Tessa took a calming breath. "But we've overcome so many challenges together. You, me, Nero, and Selene. What's a few more challenges to throw onto the pile, huh?" Tessa playfully elbowed Shane's shoulder.

"Yeah, it probably won't happen overnight. Heck, it might take years to succeed at this. That's okay, though. I'm not afraid of slipping up or making mistakes." Tessa clasped Shane's chin. His eyes and face turned a mix of orange and red. "Because I have people like you to pick me up when I fall down."

"I see." Shane stared at Tessa's outstretched arm, nearly going cross-eyed. "You know… you've changed, too. I remember how you were so afraid of failing. And how it made you extremely frustrated, especially when I screwed up." He swiveled his head and brushed it against Tessa's forearm. "But look at you now. Even if you might think this sounds cliché or overrated… you're a hero, Tessa. And I think you're the strongest person I've ever known."

Grinning from ear to ear, Tessa pulled her arm back. She nodded silently, then said, "There are going to be a lot of changes in the near future… especially if Team Paradox finds an Ultra Recon Squad branch." Tessa took a shaky breath. "And change is inherently scary. But it doesn't feel so scary when I know that I have people I can count on for support." She smiled at Shane. "People like you… my partner from the very start."

A smile spread across Shane's lips. His fur stood on end and tingled. Tessa raised her brows. "Sh… Shane. Your hair… the tips of your mane are turning gold."

"H-Huh? Oh…" Shane tried to focus on his neck, but the tingling wouldn't stop. "Sorry, I don't think I can turn that off."

"It's fine. Looks kinda nice on you. Regal, even." Tessa ran her paw through Shane's locks. A shiver raced down his spine. "So, what do you plan to do with your powers, Shane?"

"Join the Ultra Recon Squad," Shane said, without hesitation. "Even if I don't have proper control over them, yet, I promised Nicky I'd take up the mantle of the Guiding Light."

"Didn't you just tell me you were afraid of trying to be the new Guiding Light?" Tessa said, head tilted.

"Yeah, I am… but that little speech of yours gave me a jolt of confidence. Besides, I owe it to everyone to use the gifts Nicky left me to keep them safe… so that they can be happy." Rainbow light shimmered in his eyes. "After all… with great power comes great responsibility."

"Not a bad platitude. Did you come up with that?"

"Me? No." Shane's face flushed. "It's from Spider-Man… this comic book from the human world about a human kid who gets super powers. Thought it was appropriate."

"You and your references." Tessa sighed and shook her head.

"S-Sorry. I'll stop if you want me to," Shane mumbled.

"Nah, you're fine. I've learned to find them endearing," Tessa said. "I honestly missed them when you were gone." She placed her paw on his cheek, which only served to make him redder. "You really intend to be part of the Ultra Recon Squad, then?"

Shane nodded. "But I'm not saying you have to. We've done enough battling to last a lifetime and you've more than earned the right to a quieter, peaceful job."

"I appreciate the sentiment, Shane, but I'm going to have to decline." Tessa ran her paw down to Shane's chin.

"A-Are you sure? I wouldn't want you getting stressed out or anything," Shane said, biting his lower lip.

"Well, yeah, stress is inevitable with that kind of job… but, at this point, I can't see myself settling into some sort of quiet, day-to-day job." Tessa shook her head. "I think I'd end up going stir-crazy in the end. Besides… you remember the card Gallian gave me?" Shane nodded. "The more I think about what was on that card… the happier it makes me. So, I guess you can say I've reached a conclusion. I want to help people who might not be in a position to defend themselves… because I know what it's like to be helpless and that's something nobody should have to experience."

"Well said." Shane nodded. "Guess this means Team Radiance will live to see a new day and a new age."

"Probably without Selene, though. She's definitely done with the battling and exploration stuff," Tessa said, rubbing her neck. "She told me and Nero as much… but I'm pretty sure Nero will stay with us."

"That's okay. She's earned her, uh, retirement… for lack of a better word." Shane chuckled. "I might've gotten a replacement for her, anyway."

"Celeste, right?" Tessa shook her head in disbelief. "If you'd told me at the start of this that I'd wind up working alongside Xerneas, I'd have probably done a lot more than whack you with my bag." She and Shane exchanged laughter.

"Then should we, like, make it official?" Shane asked. "Our continued partnership, I mean."

"What do you have in mind?"

Shane raised a forepaw. "What do you think I have in mind?"

Tessa grinned, then raised her right paw. "Through darkest night…"

"And brightest day…" Shane joined his paw with Tessa's.

"Team Radiance always finds a way," they said together, before Tessa leaned over and nuzzled Shane's cheek. A spark of golden energy trailed off the end of his hair. Tessa pulled away and looked back toward the hiking trail.

"Huh. I thought for sure the pancakes would be done by now," Tessa said, head tilted.

"Anything you can think of to pass the time?" Shane wondered.

"Well, there is one thing…" Tessa reached into her bag and produced a foam plug that she stuck onto her chest spike.

"W… what is that?" Shane's tails curled up.

"Magearna called it her 'Geartronic Embrace Permitifier,'" Tessa said, grinning cheekily.

"Rolls right off the tongue," Shane deadpanned. "But what's it for?"

"For a dance." Tessa got to her feet.

"A dance? Up here? But we don't even have any music crys—"

Tessa pulled a shimmering crystal out of her bag. "A little gift from Primarina… as is this." She pulled out a tiny box. "He was working on a portable version of the Sky Jukebox before the whole Prism Virus thing got out of hand." She slipped the crystal into the box.

"A-Are you sure about this? We have different numbers of legs… it'd be awkward." Shane's tails frazzled

"After seeing you on stage with Selene? I'm quite sure." Tessa extended her left paw toward Shane. He stared at it then, smiling, stuck his right forepaw out. Tessa grabbed it and yanked Shane up onto his hind legs. She pulled his yipping form close, letting him drape his forelegs over her shoulders.

Soft choral music played from the small box, backed by what sounded like a string set. To Shane's surprise, there weren't any lyrics. But he quickly pivoted his attention from the music to his dance partner. They weren't moving all that much. Tessa took small steps and occasional pivots, which made it easy for Shane to follow along with her. Yet, despite the dance lacking the intensity of his display with Selene, an exhilarating thrill ran to the tips of Shane's tails.

As Tessa leaned in and rested her head against Shane's, he remembered Zoroark's advice. "Tessa. I, uh, I want you to know that if you'd, um, like to take our relationship further… we can go as slowly or as quickly as you'd like," he said. "We don't have to rush anything."

"I know," Tessa whispered, nuzzling Shane's cheek with her snout. "Like I said, there are a lot of changes on the way for all of us. Moving slowly is for the best. Still, I want to savor this moment for everything it's worth… and say what I was too scared to tell you before."

Shane gulped. He could see his prismatic heart flickering in his chest. "A-And that is?"

"That I love you." Tessa pecked the side of his cheek. Shane's tails jolted up. It was too much for him to take. Her fur brushing against his. Her warm breath against his neck. Her gentle touch around his shoulders. Without even realizing it, a pair of golden wings sprouted up from his back and wrapped Tessa up in a tender embrace. She gasped, but then leaned back into Shane as warm light flooded her system.

"I love you, too." Shane snuggled the crook of Tessa's neck. "And while I know I won't be perfect… as long as I'm with you, I'm not afraid of slipping up and stumbling."

"We'll face each challenge one step at a time… together," Tessa said. "Because that's what partners do."

Shane smiled the biggest smile he'd ever managed in his time as a Pokémon. As he wrapped Tessa up tight in his wings, a golden silhouette appeared behind him, bathing the two in light. The silhouette spread over Shane. He grew in size. Two additional wings sprouted up. His tails condensed into a single, long, golden tail.

When the light died down, Tessa stood atop Necrozma Shane's top chest spike. She held the tip of his crystalline beak in her paws and pressed her forehead to it. Jubilant yellow and green spread through Shane's mismatched eyes. He held Tessa gingerly with his upper wings while his lower wings flapped slowly and his long tail brushed against the dirt. His ethereal body prickled.

"I don't want this moment to end," Shane said, funneling warm light through Tessa's snout. The sigil on her paw and the star-shaped mark on her chest brimmed with blue energy.

"Neither do I." Tessa caressed the side of Shane's beak. "How about this… I've one more promise I'd like you to keep."

"Name it."

"You be the Guiding Light… and I'll be your shining star."

Shane's head tendrils frizzled. "That's so unbelievably cheesy I'd toss it over a pasta dish." His beak curved into a grin. "I love it. It's a deal."

They nuzzled one another. The music died down and Shane slowly shrank back into his Ninetales form. The two held their embrace, with Shane ending up in Tessa's lap. She didn't mind, however. Instead, she pivoted slightly so they could both look out toward the horizon.

A small, yellow star passed in front of them and a tiny pink circle appeared on top of it. The star hovered in place for a few seconds, before taking off into the stratosphere.

"What was that? A Minior?" Tessa wondered.

"I dunno. Let's think of it as a blessing from Ultra Space," Shane said, brushing his head against Tessa's chest. Her face flushed. Shane looked up and, noting Tessa's expression, climbed off her lap to sit down beside her. The last of the gold color faded from his fur.

Tessa's aura feelers twitched and she finally regained her wits. "I think I can sense Esserly coming back. Ready for some pancakes?"

Shane still had a huge, goofy grin on his face. "Absolutely."

The two sat back down on the ground, lost in each other's gazes. Yes, the future would undoubtedly hold challenges for them both. For now, though, they were content to enjoy each other's company, happy in the knowledge that they were taking a big leap forward… together.

THE END

And there you have it. This is what I'd been planning on doing for months. I know that there are quite a few people out there who expected this fic to have a bittersweet or depressing ending because that would be "more realistic." And while I'd considered that possibility — with how dark and depressing the fic got in places — I decided to go against it.

Instead, I opted to create an ending in which the characters acknowledge that, while the world is saved, there's still work to be done. That work may prove challenging, but they can overcome the obstacles by working together. I chose to do this because, in my opinion, this is a good mix between a hopeful ending and something that we can all extrapolate to our everyday lives. Because we all experience highs and lows. Good days and bad days. Likewise, there's no shame in leaning on others for support.

Truthfully, I'm amazed I managed to get to this point. For the longest time, I thought I'd be stuck writing this forever. The finish line seemed so far away. I'm glad that that belief was ultimately swept aside and I was able to bring this fic to a close. And much like how the beloved webcomic, Brawl in the Family, ended around the time of Smash 4's release, I managed to wrap this up right after the Sun and Moon anime ended and on the cusp of Generation VIII's release. A happy accident, I swear.

There are so, so many things that I could say, but I find myself struggling to organize my thoughts coherently. So, I guess, the big thing I want to say is thank you. Thank you to everyone who gave this fic a chance, in spite of the shortcomings of the opening chapters. Looking back on them, I can see just how rough around the edges they are. You can tell they were the first pieces of prose I'd ever written. I'd like to think my writing improved as the fic went on, but that's for all of you to judge.

Guiding Light began as a simple premise in my head: what if there was a PMD fic where the hero and partner were forced to fight for the fate of the world? I am, of course, referring to the battle between Tessa and Shane while the latter was under Necrozma's control. But I sat on the idea for a while. It wasn't until I read Arrowfoot the Dragon's PMD: Defenders of Warmth that I got more of a creative spark. That original premise morphed into a desire to do something similar to what Arrowfoot did for Generation VII.

I originally outlined the fic to be much more light-hearted and used the framework of Mario & Luigi: Partners in Time — an alien invasion in a world of cute, colorful, cartoony characters — for constructing the plot. Shane was supposed to be a parody of self-insert characters. But, well, even the best-laid plans can sometimes fall apart. Needless to say, the fic morphed and changed dramatically into the final product that we got. I could talk your ears off about all the things that are in the fic that I had never intended on including. Nero and Selene were never meant to be main characters; the latter was actually supposed to die alongside Umbreon. Characters like Sticky, Seraph, Zoroark, Latias, the other heroic teams, and Celeste were never even meant to exist in this fic. And, of course, I hadn't originally planned on having so many blatant Kirby references.

This was not an easy fic to write. It was a huge struggle to write about friendships and relationships… because I have no offline friends. I'm an awkward loner who spends most of his free time behind his computer screen. And there were times when I definitely neglected more important things in order to write. I managed to meet some amazing people in the process of creating this fic, but they're scattered all around the globe and it would be hard to go and see them. I admit that this epilogue was tough to write, because I'm seeing my characters so happy when I've been depressed for years and severely depressed throughout portions of time creating this fic.

Yes, while some people assume that Shane is the self-insert — and I did draw from my cringeworthy teenage behavior to create him — it's actually Nicky that's closest to my experiences. I got severely hazed in high school and often spent nights dreaming of getting revenge on the people who bullied me. The big difference between me and Nicky is, well… he succeeded in his suicide attempt. I'm still around. But that's all I'll say publicly.

Guiding Light is far from a perfect fic. I get that. It's never going to be Silver Resistance and, unlike Scythe, I didn't start the fic when PMD was at its popularity zenith with the Explorers games fresh in everyone's minds. Yet, in spite of the fic's flaws, I've gotten more support on this story than I could possibly imagine. Sure it'd be nice to get brought up in the same sentence as some of the other big PMD works on the internet, but I'm happy with all the comments I've gotten. Sure, I've lost a lot of people's support over the course of writing this. And there are probably plenty of silent folks who stopped reading because they couldn't stand Shane's behavior in the early chapters. That's on me as the author for making him so unlikeable out of the gate that some people couldn't bear reading on.

Still, to those of you who've stuck by throughout all of the many ups and downs, you have my heartfelt thanks. Thank you for showing interest in this fic where the protagonist is on the autism spectrum and has a number of serious character flaws. Thank you for taking a chance on this fic even with all the sexual humor and furry bait that I unashamedly threw into it… and for being receptive of the cast and their diverse range of sexualities. It always made me nervous to write that stuff, but seeing the positive comments brightened me up.

Thank you to those who favorited the fic… but the biggest thanks has to go to, of course, you wonderful souls who've left comments on the fic all this time. You guys are all awesome and really helped me keep my motivation up. To those of you who read the fic silently all this time… I'm not really sure what to say to you. I hope you enjoyed the story and that, someday, you might be willing to tell me what you thought. Although the fic is complete, I'd love to see it continue to grow. Spread the word, if you can. I have the tumblr blog, but there are plenty of sites I'm not a part of. We can grow this fic into something huge together. I'm sure of it.

There are a few extra-special thanks I need to give out, as well. To Virigl134, who has been a sounding board for several of my ideas for the vast majority of the fic's life and also helped arrange the first April Fools' special. To girl-like-substance, whose reviews on Serebii really helped me to improve as a writer through the course of the fic. To Namohysip for his help beta reading the ending episodes and working with me on the second April Fools' special. To sakarime for also being a sounding board for a few ideas, as well as drawing some fantastic pieces of Necrozma. And, lastly, to Dardarax, and that one little guy, whose fics (Dark Legacy and Paper Mario: The Temple of the Sun, respectively) got me interested in fanfiction in the first place.

Now, I've been asked by numerous people what my plans are going forward. And, as of right now, I don't have any. When I said I'd been neglecting important things for my writing… I meant it. I have studies that I need to focus on and a future career as a physician that I need to put my energy toward. I admit, I have loads of ideas running around in my head for things I can write… but it's going to be tough to put them onto paper. You guys have no idea how hard I worked to put Guiding Light together. It took two years and three months of writing over a thousand words a day every day to make it happen.

Would I like to revisit Horizon and its characters? Absolutely! But I cannot commit to another epic-length piece. If I do continue writing, it will take the form of short, episodic stories. And they won't all focus on Team Radiance. I want to give other characters a chance to shine, too. If I did this, I would not be updating on a regular schedule. Parts would come out whenever they're ready. And I would very likely put them here… after the epilogue. There's no point to making a new story for them, since once people realize they'd have to read Guiding Light to understand what's going on, they'd close out of the fic. So, keep an eye on the Horizon Continent blog for any announcements.

Like I said before, I could keep going on and on about all of this stuff. But I think I've said enough at this point. Again, I would like to thank each and every one of you for your support throughout this fic's life. I hope you'll consider leaving your thoughts now that the story is over. If you're reading this in the future, please do comment. I don't plan on leaving the site entirely, even if my schedule is getting busy. I'd love to hear what you have to say.

That's all from me. Take care. And remember… smiles go for miles!

-Ambyssin

EDIT OCTOBER 2020: Hello there! No actual new content is being added, but I just wanted to put a public invite for Guiding Light's Discord server, the Aeon Observatory. If you'd like to join, use the following invite code: sZdppaP. If that doesn't work, send me a PM and I'll get you an invite that way.