Author's Note: And here we go, a "proper" ending to the story. Heath needed a conclusion, and I wanted to reference Gates's actual protagonist and partner (who we know succeed eventually) so it didn't end on a complete downer. The fic as a whole was an interesting experiment to me, since I don't write tragedy very often, but I'm pretty satisfied with how it came out overall.

Epilogue: Hope

"Oh, good morning, Bagon!"

Heath nodded in response to Kecleon's greeting as he approached the stall. He yawned as he fumbled around in his bag. For some reason, he hadn't slept well the past few nights… His head was so foggy, too.

It was…weird, to put it mildly. It was like there were pieces of his mind that were just…blank. Heath wasn't sure how to put it, and it frustrated him to no end that he couldn't place the issue. He'd gone to Paradise the other day, asked Quagsire and Emolga about…something, and…then what?

Oh, well; it didn't matter. He was going to explore today, and maybe that would help. Maybe he'd even figure out what was going on, or at least get some ideas. If nothing else, having something to do would take his mind off things.

"Yeah, yeah, good morning, Kecleon," Heath finally replied. "You got any Oran Berries in stock today?"

"Yes, I believe I have two! That should be 200 Poké, please!"

Heath nodded as he handed over the money. Then, he frowned; Kecleon was looking at him oddly. Eventually, the shopkeeper shook his head and handed over the two berries.

"Oh, excuse me, Bagon! It's just…don't you usually have your friends with you?" Kecleon frowned as he mulled it over. "They're…they're…oh, who were they again? I can't seem to remember."

Heath laughed as he slipped the berries into his bag. "You gotta be kidding me, Kecleon! I always explore by myself. Hardly anyone I know is into exploring as much as I am!"

"Oh, yes, you must be right." Kecleon sighed and shook his head again. "I must've gotten you mixed up with another customer. Why, I can't even imagine who would be with you!"

"Of course; that's gotta be it! See you later, then."

With that, Heath waved and headed towards the crossroads. He hadn't quite decided where he'd go today; maybe somewhere further out than usual. He'd mostly been to dungeons close to Post Town lately, and Heath wasn't sure why. They were so far below his usual skill level that he'd get dull if he kept that up.

Heath paused; why had he stuck around Post Town the past couple of days? His mind pulled a blank on that one, and Heath felt his frustration flaring again. Could that possibly have something to do with Kecleon's mistake earlier?

…No, that was a stupid idea. Heath hadn't gone to Stony Cave or Stompstump Peak on anyone's suggestion, had he?

Of course not—Heath had always been a solo explorer who went wherever he wanted, and he had no intention of changing that any time soon.

"See, look! What'd I tell you? There's one now!"

Casey frowned as Emolga led her and Taylor up to the hill behind Post Town. There was, in fact, a single ball of light floating up in the sky in the distance. It was pretty, but…why did it feel so…familiar? No, that wasn't quite the right word…

"Ooh, yeah, that's pretty neat!" Taylor replied, nodding. "Is that the same one you saw earlier?"

"I think so, yeah." Emolga nodded as well. "I mean, there's still only one, so…"

"Huh, I'm glad we didn't miss it, then. I'd have thought it'd be gone by now in that case, you know?" The Snivy shrugged. "Isn't that…right…Casey? Hello?"

The Tepig shook her head; she'd gotten a little distracted. "Yeah, we're lucky we got to see it, I guess."

"Not really—like I said, there were a ton of them while you guys were off at Glacier Palace! I bet a whole bunch of other Pokémon saw them, too," Emolga commented. "Still, I wonder what all that means? I bet we'll see some more sooner or later."

"Yeah…" Casey muttered, eyeing the golden orb one more time. "Maybe we can ask around and see if anyone else got a look."

It was a long shot, but, hey…it seemed likely that some of the other Post Town residents had seen the lights. If they were as frequent as Emolga suggested, maybe they'd have a chance at figuring out what it meant.

There was an odd lingering sense in the back of her head when the three of them headed down the hill. It was an odd mix of sadness and…hope? Possibly?

Well, whatever it was about, Casey was sure she'd get the chance to figure it out eventually.