Epilogue

The nurse and ranger watched the summit as lights danced their way across the mountain top. The storm had moved in, obscuring anything happening up there, but the flashes through the clouds were not normal lightning flashes. The two stood on the porch watching the flickering lights wondering at what was happening at the top.

"Must have been one hell of a battle" the ranger said over an hour later once the summit was quiet once more.

"Do you think they'll be alright?" the nurse asked worried.

"My guess is they'll be fine. Those two are the most powerful trainers in either region here. And they know how to look after their Pokemon."

Winds were still pushing snow around, but the actual storm had died out some time ago. A stillness was coming over the mountain, and with it, crisp clean air. Pine and snow, the smells of winter were biting to the two trainers nostrils. A small cabin materialized out of the woods in a small clearing. Lights flared to life as Red lit the lanterns around his single room cottage.

Arthur stepped out of his boots and shrugged out of his coat exhausted. However, his injured team took priority. The younger champion followed Red over to a cabinet which contained many different natural remidies for all types of Pokemon. Then the two silently began administering the medicine to their teams. The cottage was just big enough for each of them to fit half their teams at a time inside. It had originally been built to house only Red's team of larger Pokemon.

Once everyone was resting in their Pokeballs, Red began cooking some food for both himself and Arthur. The younger champion watched the legendary trainer. Red didn't seem exhausted at all. In fact, he looked as though he had just taken a leisurely stroll through the woods. That alone unnerved Arthur as his own mind felt sluggish and fogged up.

"Here have some of this. It should make you feel better" Red said handing Arthur a bowl of stew. Arthur's stomach grumbled at the smell, but the young man still couldn't get over Red's voice. From all accounts, the man who had defeated Team Rocket three years ago hardly spoke at all, and yet now, he was talking quite a bit to Arthur.

"Thank you." Silence once more enveloped the two trainers as they ate their meal.

"So what are your plans now?" Red asked some time later as the two trainers sat staring into the fire. Blaze was sleeping beside Arthur who was slowly stroking the fire types head. Red's Pikachu was sitting in its trainers lap doing the same thing.

"I think I need to travel abroad some more" Arthur replied after a time. Red looked to the younger man. "I know that balance hasn't yet been restored here, but there's something nagging me to keep going. That there is something else out there which needs my help."

"You think the legends are still seeking aide?" Arthur quickly looked to the other trainer. No one outside of the team Arthur had spent so much time training knew about the legends calling.

"How do you know about the legends calling?" Red laughed a small laugh.

"They asked for my help too."

"Why didn't you?"

"I did. It was part of the reason for taking on Team Rocket all those years ago. No one else was strong enough or had enough conviction to go against them. So I did instead. But the legendary birds were the ones to call for my aide" Red stated.

"Then why hide away after?" Arthur asked.

"Because of how much power I seemed to have amassed. It scared me. I brought hope is what everyone said, but I saw it as destruction. I know what I did was right, but still, some part of me got scared. So I left, came out here and trained even harder to gain control over whatever it was that I had. And my friends here, well they helped out. Together we've become something more, and the legends understood when I told them I wasn't entirely ready yet. Well, at least two of them did."

"Two of them?"

"Zapdos and Articuno went on their way when I told them I needed to figure out what it was that they truly needed. Moltres on the other hand is one stubborn bastard." Arthur laughed. "You however seem to know what they need."

"I think I do. It's not really something they can explain. But the world is turning out there. It took everything I had just to get through this far. I don't know if I'm the one the legends really need. But I'm going to try." Red nodded.

"Good. The world needs people who are willing to risk it. And for what it's worth, I can see that your Pokemon believe you're doing the right thing. They trust you completely. And you won't be alone." Arthur looked once more at Red, blue eyes meeting those burning ember-like eyes.

"Thank you."

Lyra was watching the Pokemon on the ranch with interest. Most were simply relaxing and recovering after their trainers had left them to grow for a while. Many trainers on their travels left Pokemon here for a time to get stronger on their own or to lay low for a time. The Pokemon here were always in good spirits about it, and frequently they were training to get better for when their trainers returned. Arthur's mother had left her husband's Pokemon here when Arthur was much younger though. Something at the time Lyra couldn't wrap her head around.

Because they were still here however, Lyra was able to try something. She knew in her heart that Arthur was going to leave again. There was no stopping him. Not while the world was starting to fall into such turmoil. He was one of the only people willing to stand up for what was right. That didn't mean she couldn't still help him however.

"Lyra dear, could you please come in for a minute? I could use some assistance" her grandmother called out. Lyra smiled in the sunshine and picked up her little 'project', bringing it with her.

"Well look who it is!" a voice said behind her as Lyra walked into the house. In her surprise, Lyra almost dropped what she was carrying.

"Art you complete and total arsehole! I almost dropped this egg!" Arthur was laughing good naturedly at Lyra's attempt at rage. She couldn't quite get too mad at her best friend though. His smile was infectious and she found herself unable to tear her gaze away from his deep blue eyes.

"It's been this long since I last saw you and the first thing you call me is an arse?" he asked holding his arms out.

"If the shoe fits" the young woman mumbled hugging him.

"So what's that?" the champion asked pointing at the egg Lyra was still holding.

"You remember that project I told you I was working on?" raising an eyebrow, Arthur nodded. "Well this is it."

"So you're becoming a breeder in truth now eh?" the young man said smiling and looking at the egg. It was a grey clay coloured egg with no discernable markings. "What kind of egg is it?"

"Well that's a secret now isn't it?" Arthur laughed and looked back at his friend. "You're leaving again aren't you?" The broad smile was much smaller now, and somewhat sadder.

"Yeah." It was a simple statement but it set Lyra's heart racing.

"When?"

"In a couple of weeks here. I wanted to say goodbye to you before restocking at home." Touched, Lyra was still able to hold in her tears.

"And are you taking your team with you?" Now Arthur looked positively sad and somewhat heartbroken.

"Blaze is going to come with me for a time, but it'll just be him and me."

"Just like when you first started out." Arthur gave a sad laugh.

"It's all just so different now. I've got to discover what's really going on, but something tells me it isn't here." Arthur was staring out at the ranch and the different Pokemon as he said this. Lyra already knew that was what he was going to say.

"Well, I can't have you and Blaze going without any sort of backup, so that's why I went to work breeding." Arthur turned and looked at Lyra. "This is meant for you." She held out the egg. Arthur's face was that of total shock.

"You can't be serious!"

"Of course I can! Your mom gave me permission and so I got my grandparents to help me out and this is the result. I did it because I knew that you weren't going to stay in Johto. I thought this would be a good way to remember me by."

"Lyra…"

"Just take it you oaf. But be careful with it! If I find out you've done something dumb, I will open an entire can of ass-kicking on you and there's nothing you'll be able to do about it! You understand?" Arthur was smiling broadly as he accepted the gift and told his friend that he understood explicitly.

A month had passed by before Arthur touched down in Eterna city accompanied by Cynthia. The two champions quietly entered the city without fanfare. News was spreading throughout Sinnoh about a criminal element at work, stealing Pokemon, electricity and other such items. To Arthur's ears, it sounded a lot like Team Rocket, but the blonde champion assured him that it wasn't so.

"They call themselves Team Galactic. I have no idea what they're up to yet, but we've got some undercover agents working on that."

"And the gym leaders?"

"They've all been notified. It doesn't seem to be the same thing as Team Rocket however. This group seems to be overtly interested in Sinnoh's past and the myths surrounding this region."

"That seems at odds with their activity."

"I agree. Don't worry though, I'm keeping tabs on things. Also, there seems to be a trainer coming up through the ranks who might actually be a match for what's to come" Cynthia said. Arthur raised an eyebrow looking at her. "Her mother called me a couple of months ago, telling me that Michele has just started on her journey."

"I take it you know this girl?"

"You could say that."

"How good is she?" Arthur asked, genuinely interested. He had not battled since facing Red, having found that the lure wasn't really there at the time. His exhausted team had taken close to three weeks before they were back to the fighting shape they were before the mountaintop battle. But a trainer who could capture Cynthia's attention was worth taking note of.

"Sounds like Roark couldn't even touch her in his battle against her and he's not that bad. Not many trainers can handle his Cranidos, but she just breezed right through." Arthur's wheels were turning in his head, and he could feel that energy of battle coming back. Albeit, not heavily, but it was there. The faint touch of adrenaline.

"So what's in Eterna?" Arthur asked changing subjects as the two champions walked through the quiet city. Miners and treasure hunters were milling about here and there at the various entrances to the underground. Spelunking was a popular sport it seemed in Sinnoh, and Arthur could somewhat see the allure, what with the chance to find treasures and whatnot.

"There's a statue here that I wanted to show you." Arthur followed the Sinnoh champion to a hilltop in the west of the city. The flat top granted amazing views of the surrounding hills and forest beyond the city, and of the city itself. What commanded the younger man's view however, was a massive statue of a Pokemon, easily shooting close to twenty feet in the air. The pedestal alone was a good seven or so feet as Arthur didn't quite reach the top.

"Palkia, the master of space" Cynthia said to Arthur. The young man was looking at the inscriptions left behind. Someone else had ripped them off however, meaning that what Arthur was reading was basically jibberish.

"I take it you've found something out about the gods then."

"Sinnoh was here in the beginning, or so the myths go. However, the legends worshipped here are just the start. Like everywhere else, there is a balance to be achieved. So far, we've managed to keep that balance, but things aren't so lucky elsewhere. Palkia and Dialga weren't the only ones though. I believe there were others, but I can't seem to find a link to any of them just yet" Cynthia explained.

"There's power here Cynthia. Just be careful, whatever you do." A ringing interrupted the two. Cynthia pulled out her phone and looked at the caller.

"I need to take this…" she said quietly looking at Arthur. He just nodded looking back at the statue, his ever present fire type coming out to inspect the stone with him.

"I can feel some type of presence here" Blaze said quietly.

"Aye, there's something to all this alright. But for some reason, I don't feel the pull here like I did in Johto."

"So we're not staying?" Blaze inquired.

"No not here. My guess is that there's someone else here whom the legends have picked. Ra and Argyra both said that we weren't the only ones the legends have looked for right?"

"So the legends here have picked someone else?" Arthur shrugged. He honestly had no idea, but it made sense.

"Excuse me, but you're not from around here are you?" Arthur and Blaze both turned and regarded the person who had addressed them. Arthur was speechless. The girl standing there was nothing short of breathtaking. Cynthia was beautiful, in a somewhat mysterious and powerful sense, but the girl before him now was something else entirely. The sense Arthur got from her was confident but still young. Her shoulder length hair was a honey brown colour, with deep blue streaks throughout. The effect worked quite well on her. A white toque sat on her head, not quite covering her ears. A form fitting red coat covered her torso, but still showed off the most tantalizing curves, while tight jeans hugged her toned legs. Hiking boots stained and worn protected her feet. What truly caught Arthur's eye however, were the girls brilliant green eyes. The soft sea foam green that twinkled with life and laughter and hinted at insatiable curiosity. Blaze poked his trainer when the young man didn't respond for a second.

"No I'm not. What gave it away?" This time it was the girl who was quiet for slightly longer than normal before responding due to a prod from her Pokemon.

"Your accent and your partner. Is that really a Typhlosion?" Blaze grinned as he was recognized, and Arthur laughed.

"Yeah I suppose Blaze is a bit out of place here isn't he? But where are my manners? My name is Arthur" the champion said holding out his hand.

"My names Michele, and this here is my Grotle, Caladan" the young girl said taking Arthur's hand. The same one Cynthia just mentioned? Arthur wondered. The young man brought Michele's hand to his lips before glancing at Blaze whom Arthur could tell was thinking the same thing.

"A pleasure Michele. I take it you're a trainer then?"

"Yes I just recently started out on my journey a few months ago. Caladan here has been instrumental in getting me this far already."

"I'm impressed" Arthur said, kneeling down to inspect the grass type. Already it was big enough that Arthur could ride comfortably on the Grotle's back and looked to be in exceptional health.

"Are you a trainer as well?" Michele asked.

"Of a sort yeah. I'm just travelling right now." The girl frowned somewhat but instead of replying, looked up at the statue.

"Your Typhlosion looks pretty powerful" Michele said after a time. Arthur smiled. Powerful may be an understatement.

"You're looking to battle aren't you?" Arthur asked. Michele nodded staring straight into the champion's eyes. Arthur felt his blood begin to rush, an energy starting to steal over him. Something he hadn't felt since staring at Red, the same way this beginner was staring at him. She's the same one alright, and there's something about her… Only one way to find out I suppose. Arthur looked to his long-time friend, who it also appeared to be having the same battle rush come over him. Not that it was surprising really.

"Alright we'll have a battle then. I'll use Blaze, as he's the only Pokemon I currently have with me. I'll allow you to use as many Pokemon as you have."

"That's hardly fair. How weak do you think I am?" Michele demanded. Arthur smiled, as she obviously wasn't aware of who he really was.

"Trust me Michele, this is fair. Blaze is my strongest and he was my first Pokemon. We'll be more than a match." Arthur glanced down at his vibrating Pokegear quickly seeing a text from Cynthia. She said she would meet him at a café not far from the hill once he was done. Smiling, Arthur looked up at the stunning young woman he was about to battle.

"Are you ready?"

Waves parted as the bow of the boat cut through the salty waters. Flocks of flying types could be seen gliding along and various water types jumped alongside the cruise ship. The deck was windy but not overly crowded as Arthur and Blaze leaned against the railing watching the coastline appear before them. Both were saddened however, as their time was coming to an end. Soon Arthur would be beginning his next adventure, but it would be with a different team. The only Pokemon coming with him from home was the egg which was given to him from Lyra. She had pointedly refused to tell Arthur what type of Pokemon it contained however.

Blaze was quiet, not wanting this time to come. He knew what Arthur was doing was right and important. He believed in his trainer, no his friend. The fire type also knew that, should something befall Arthur, or someone try to get at the young man, his family needed protection. That still didn't take the feeling away of sadness at seeing his closest friend leave him. Together they had achieved something unheard of. Something neither of them had even dreamed of. Together they had become something more. Together they had become…

Legends.

End of Book Two

And here ends a shorter story of Arthur's post game adventure through Kanto. Some serious info packed in throughout there though and I hope you enjoyed the teaser to my next story. Arthur will be returning, but my next focus shifts to a different protagonist instead. Which means there's going to be a wait to find out what's in the egg! Guesses are welcome though.

Please do let me know what you think of the stories thus far. Good and bad, I'd love to hear it all. And also, please do let me know if there are Pokemon you'd like to see used in the future. I am still coming up with various teams for run through's and would love to add in characters that you as the reader would like to see.

Lastly I'd like to throw out a few more nods to some amazing other works on here.
The Nuzlocke series by mangaluva. Most recent work is Calamity Calls.
Touching the Sky by Alphinia. One of the best character development stories I've read on this site yet. Definitely worth a read.