"Journey to Destiny" epilogue – "The Journey Never Really Ends…" as told by Marc
Life is an on-going journey, ever changing. This life is only transient. Myself and the other 3 MechanPokemon are artificial life forms, and we have no idea how long we'll be around. It's been thousands of years that we've roamed now. But long life as such comes with a price – and that is seeing the ones who are truly alive come and go. What we need to remember is to never let the memories or the spirits of those who have gone before us disappear. A person who lives their life well touches the lives of others.
Joseph would go on to become one of the most powerful gym leaders ever. He became a living legend, and trainers came from all over the world to battle him – but only a very select few won badges from him. He truly cared for his Pokemon, and with his psychic bond, truly became one with them, both inside and outside of battle. May went on to become one of the most respected Pokemon breeders ever known. Pokemon bred in the Crimson Town Breeding Center were sought after by the best trainers and breeders, especially the Vulpixes.
Once they reached their 20s, Joe and May married, and later, had a son, Adrian. He would one day set off on a Pokemon journey of his own, with his Vulpix, Sunfire, who was raised with him. Sunfire was a male Vulpix from one of Flamefox and Amber's later litters. But their journey is a story for another day.
Many more new species of Pokemon would be discovered over the years, and Joe and May stayed on top of all the latest research. They even raised and bred the new species along with the already known species, once they were able to adopt some. Joe trained and battled them well, and May bred them as soon as she could be certain the Pokemon wanted to be life mates.
Joe often visited myself and the other 3 MechanPokemon in the sanctuary Simon had created for us. Flamefox and Firestorm always walked to either side of him. He came to me in times of happiness and in times of crisis, just to talk, or to ask for advice. As old as he got, to me, he was always the 12 year old boy who helped save our lives so long ago. He would pet my fur, always amazed at how real I felt, even though he knew I was an artificial life form. He told me that was irrelevant – life transcends all bounds. He really helped us to believe that we are real, and we actually began to feel emotion. Even MechanCharizard, always the tough guy on the outside, admitted to Joseph's impact upon him.
Joseph lived to be 120, his longevity credited to his being in contact with Ho-oh's life energy back at the Tin Tower in Johto, a long, long time ago. Ho-oh used recover on all of his Pokemon that had battled, but something about that energy extended Joe's life and the lives of those 6 Pokemon beyond their normal life spans. However, after his time, Adrian and his family took over the gym / breeding center / sanctuary, and it stayed in the family as long as it existed, ensuring that Joe and May's legacy would live on. Flamefox and Firestorm would have no other trainer, and departed from the sanctuary, returning to the Brushfire Woods Vulpix/Ninetales clan, along with their mates, Amber and Inferno. As years passed, it was discovered that Flamefox did not evolve when in contact with a fire stone, which put him in line as a future Vulpix elder. He ended up being the oldest Vulpix elder in history, living to be well over 1,000 years old. Tauros returned to his herd and became the alpha of his old herd. Most of the other Pokemon remained at the sanctuary. As for myself and the other 3 MechanPokemon, we left the sanctuary and have chosen to freely roam the world, helping out those in need whenever we can. Oftentimes we still miss those who's lives touched us, but we'll always remember that they're with us in spirit, and their legacy lives on in their family, in their Pokemon, and in us, ensuring that their journey never really ends.