"Goh!"

"Pika!"

"2.0's back?!"

"And the flower twerpette, too!"

"Dey made it!"

"Wobbuffet!"

Gathered on the beach not far from where the fortress came down were Ash, Pikachu, and Team Rocket. All of them looked like they had been through a lot, with their clothes looking scorched in various places, and the Pokémon looking like they had been through a tough battle.

"You guys are safe, too!" Goh said, rushing through the sand to Ash and the others. "Have you seen Danika and Quillon?"

"They're heading to check in with Professor Amaranth," Ash said. It was then that they all turned to notice the floating Mythical Pokémon nearby.

"Goh..! Is that…!"

He laughed. "Remember that Porygon?" Goh asked. "Seems that Mew was doing a bit of undercover work!"

"Myuu!"

"I thought I recognized 'em!" Meowth said. "I'd never forget a face like that in any of my nine lives!"

"Who'd have thunk it?" Jessie asked.

"Certainly not me," James added.

"Not to take away from this," Chloe said, "but can someone explain what's going on with the vibrating fortress?"

"If it's the weapon," Ash explained, "then we busted it up. It shouldn't be working anymore now."

"That gun is gone," Meowth quipped.

Goh blinked. "Wait… but then how is it going to expel all that excess energy that it's built up?"

He saw everyone's faces pale as they thought about the obvious outcome.

"It's simple," came a voice from the fortress. "It will explode!"

Lawrence stood in the hole that Mew made, cackling mad.

"You!" Ash shouted.

Team Rocket did a double take. "The Lugia guy?!"

"Wobbuffet!"

"Since you all have done such a great job in ruining everything," Lawrence said, "the machine's overloading, and without a safe way to release the energy, it's going to explode everywhere!"

Goh felt his blood turn ice-cold.

"N-No!"

"There's no way you'll be able to escape," Lawrence gloated. "This is the power to wipe out an entire city, and that's more than enough to erase this entire puny island from the face of the map!"

Chloe fell to her knees in the sand. "N-No…! W-We're…!"

While she couldn't get the words out, Team Rocket all began hugging each other tightly and screamed out their thoughts bluntly.

"We're all gonna die!"

Ash stepped forward, pulling on his cap. "We're not givin' up, right Goh?"

Goh saw the resolve in his friend's eyes and nodded. "Right. There's got to be a way out of this situation. No matter what, we've got to try!"

"B-But what?!" Chloe asked. "What can we do?"

"Myuu…"

Mew floated down towards Goh and tapped their small paw against his hand. Goh blinked and looked in his hand, and in it he saw the pink crystal with the swirl shape in it.

"The Mewnium-Z…?"

It represented a power that no one should have, not even him, but faced with this situation… would it work? Would this power be enough to save them all?"

"Mew… are you really sure you want to try?"

Mew looked Goh in the eyes and nodded. "Myuu…"

"Then… maybe we have a chance."

"Goh?"

Chloe put her hand over her chest and watched him. He took the Firium-Z off of his Z-Ring and replaced it with the Mewnium-Z.

"I'm going to do it. We're going to use Mew's power in the form of a Z-Move!"

Chloe opened up her mouth to protest, Goh wast sure. There were a thousand and one reasons not to rely on a power so devastating it wiped an entire country off the map.

But he also saw in her eyes that she believed in him, and that if he thought this was the best way to save them, she would do whatever she could to help.

"Do it, Goh!"

"Mew, get ready!"

He crossed his arms in front of himself, and the swirling symbol on the crystal flashed as the Mewnium-Z lit up on the Z-Ring. Following the pose in his mind that he had practiced with Ash, he pointed to his head and held his hand out. A pink aura of psychic power formed around him and traveled from him to Mew, who took the power into themself.

But before the power could begin to manifest, Mew fell to the sand on the beach, their body still crackling with electricity.

"Mew's still paralyzed!" Chloe gasped.

Goh grit his teeth. "And that battle's totally worn them out. They might not even be able to use the Z-Move even with the Mewnium-Z now!"

"So we've just gotta restore Mew's energy, right?" Ash asked.

Goh and Chloe looked at each other, and Chloe's hand went to the pouch she wore.

"We can do it. We can give Mew the strength they need!"

"Chloe, I'm counting on you!"

She took the pouch off and opened it up, revealing the glowing three colored sand within, blessed by the powers of nature. She held the pouch over her head and poured the glittering sand onto her. Once it came into contact with her body, it sparkled and vanished, and Chloe herself became enveloped in an aura of fire, electricity, and water that swirled around her.

Goh saw the pained expression on her face as she took the power into herself once more, but despite the searing flames, sparking lightning, and chilling water swirling around her, she stepped forward, towards Goh who was still holding the Z-Move's pose.

"This is the best way I can think to transfer the power to you," she said, stepping right into Goh's face. If he didn't know that the glowing girl was his childhood friend, he'd have thought she was a miraculous angel. "Give everything you can to Mew and save us all. I love you."

And with that, she leaned in and pressed her lips against his.

At first, it only felt like an awkward kiss, shared between two people who loved each other and knew each other completely. But then, he began to feel the spark. Electricity felt like it was traveling down his spine, and flames seemed to travel down his arms and legs. The only part that seemed cool and not in pain was his mind as this power took hold.

He opened his eyes and saw his reflection in Chloe's emerald eyes. Now he was the one glowing. She stumbled backwards onto the sand, but remained sitting where Grookey and Eevee rushed over to her.

She had done her part. Now it was time for Goh to do his.

"Mew, let's try this again!"

"Myuu!"

Goh once more crossed his arms in front of him, and the Mewnium-Z again flared to life, only now instead of the pink glow of psychic power, Goh saw the Mewnium-Z light up with every color he could imagine.

More so, he felt the power of nature - the power of the world he shared with Chloe, Ash, Grookey, Cinderace - with everyone he knew and cared about.

He motioned his arms forward before touching his finger to his temple once more. He felt the painful power coursing all through his body, but he wouldn't be deterred.

"Mew! Take this power!"

He pressed forward with his arm, and he felt the power burst forth from him, this swirling rainbow of power connecting him to the mythical Pokémon he dreamed about.

This time, the power cloaked Mew like a flaming aura, burning away any weakness or impurity, and Mew absorbed the strength and made it their own.

"This is the power of the world, the power of humans, and the power of Pokémon! The power of all living things that make their home here! All these things give birth to the world we love! Feel the power of bonds with this world and one another!"

Mew began flying in circles, and as they did, small globes of psychic power formed in the air around them, each one a different hue. As Mew raced around, the spheres began to follow Mew around before splitting into two lines. Mew began to spin with these lines around them, and the lines began to spin together as well, forming a double-helix shape until Mew was above the island as well as the fortress. The spheres all began colliding with each other, combining until one, final sphere of glowing rainbow energy that dwarfed Mew and the fortress was all that remained.

"GENESIS SUPERNOVA!"

Mew flung their arms forward, and the giant, swirling sphere of power sailed down towards the fortress. Just as the sphere reached its destination, the fortress began to explode, firing rays of purple-tinged light slicing through its metal exterior as surely as something within the fortress was failing to hold the generated power in check. A flood of Porygon, all fleeing the destruction, all poured out of the fortress and onto the island as Mew's attack clashed against the power escaping the confines of the weapon.

In Gohs' mind, it was much like how a stream of water could spray out, highly pressurized, from a leak in a pipe.

"Mew, push through!" Goh shouted, still holding the pose, continuing to pour his strength into the move alongside Mew. "This is the only way to protect this island!"

"Myuuu!" the mythical Pokémon shouted, pouring all of their strength into pushing the sphere of destruction forward.

The fortress began to buckle under the power of Mew's attack, with the walls and structure breaking away as the pressure brought on by the Z-Move overtook the power being released by the destroyed weapon, and the light consumed it.

Then, there was an explosion of purple smoke and fog that covered the island that blew Goh off of his feet and into the sand, lying on his back. He saw Ash, Pikachu, Chloe, Eevee, and Grookey likewise knocked to the ground, all together. A wave of psychic pressure burst over them, feeling like for a moment, Goh's entire body was being crushed. He saw the pressure wave catch Team Rocket in its entirety, launching them away and into the rapidly darkening sky, where he could have sworn he saw them turn into a star in the sky.

The rumbling ended, and the smoke cleared, and Goh looked up at where the fortress once was. There was clearly a gash in the island, now, a scar the land would bear until the efforts of time and Pokémon restored it. Due to their numbers, it was impossible not to see the mass of Porygon gathered on the island now, with their former fortress home now completely obliterated by the Genesis Supernova.

Though, as he sat up and glanced around, there didn't seem to be any trace of the fortress itself remaining. And likewise, no trace of Lawrence himself.

He clenched his hands into fists, feeling tears prick the corners of his eyes.

"You could have lived with us in our world, if you'd only opened yourself up…"

"Goh?"

Chloe was sitting in the sand now, too, shaking sand from her hair. Grookey and Eevee were shaking themselves all over, as were Ash and Pikachu.

He shot his girlfriend a smile. "It's okay," he said. "I think it's over now."

"Not quite…" Ash said, looking up.

And the sight made Goh stand up, his eyes going wide.

Drifting down, surrounded by a fading, sparkling psychic bubble, was Mew. The mythical Pokémon set themself down on the sands of the beach, clearly exhausted from the days events. Not even transferring the power of nature to them was enough, apparently, to fully restore their strength.

Or, perhaps, Mew had poured all that strength and more into the Z-Move, and was now too weak to do anything else but lay still.

"Mew…" Goh said. He took a step towards it, but then stopped.

"Goh…?" Chloe asked. "What are we going to do?"

Ash pulled on the bill of his cap. "If you wanted… Mew's weak enough now. You could probably catch 'em if you wanted to."

"But Mew didn't come here to be captured!" Goh protested. "They were only trying to take back the Mewnium-Z! And now…"

"Looking at how weak they are… maybe catching them would be for the best?" Chloe supposed. "We could get Mew medical attention that way…"

"Chuu," Pikachu said, sadly watching Mew breathe.

"Grooki…"

"Eievui…"

"All I've wanted to do since I was six years old was catch Mew," Goh said. "...but it wasn't supposed to be like this. Mew and I were supposed to become friends! And if we battled, sure, but it would be a fight we could be proud of, one that we could both smile about afterwards, no matter what. Catching a Pokémon helps you learn about them. That's what I still believe… but there's a right way and a wrong way to catch. And catching Mew now… it wouldn't be right."

"Then Goh," Chloe asked, "what can we do to help them?"

Goh closed his eyes and thought. All the fighting, all searching, all the research and finding treasure, all of it lead up to this moment. Did he have anything at all that he could use to help Mew? At this point, it felt like it would take a miracle to restore Mew's strength.

And as the thought entered his head, the pieces all fit together.

"There is a way. We have a miracle right here!"

He took out the GS Ball and held it up under the setting sunlight.

"W-Wait are you gonna catch it?" Ash asked.

"One of the components of the GS Ball is the Sacred Ashes," Goh explained. "The same things that brought Chloe back from death. If anything can restore Mew's strength, it would be those!"

"But, Goh, even if we could break it down," Chloe protested, "won't that destroy the GS Ball? You worked so hard for it!"

"But I shouldn't have it," Goh replied, looking down at the ball in his hand. "A Poké Ball that can catch any Pokémon, no matter how strong, and force them to obey you? That isn't something anyone should have. And so…!"

He reached into his pockets and pulled out four balls, throwing them into the air. In three flashes of light, there stood Cinderace, Inteleon, Argent, and Zoroark

"Ash, I'm going to need Pikachu's help with this too," he said.

Ash nodded. "You've got it, Goh! You know we've always got your back!"

Goh nodded, taking the GS Ball into his hand. "Now, go Cinderace! Use Pyro Ball!"

He tossed the ball to his first partner, who kicked the ball between his feet and chest, causing it to glow red hot and into a ball of fire before kicking it high above Mew's head with a shout of "Cin-der-ace!"

"Now, Argent, use Wish! Ash?"

Ash nodded. "Pikachu, use Thunderbolt!"

Argent howled into the night's sky, and the stars began twinkling over everyone's heads, and over the now flaming GS Ball in particular. Pikachu leapt from Ash's shoulder, slapping his own cheeks to generate sparks before releasing an enormous blast of electricity that combined with the flames surrounding the GS Ball, making the ball glow even more brightly, like a miniature sun.

"Inteleon, Snipe Shot! Time it just right!"

Inteleon covered his eyes with the nictitating membranes once more and aimed straight at the GS Ball. As the stars above it began to drip down into energy, Inteleon took his stance and prepared to fire. When the drop of healing power fell from the stars and towards the ball, Inteleon timed the shot of pressurized water to hit the ball at the same time, creating an explosion of sparkling steam around it.

"And Zoroark, use Slash!"

Zoroark sprang into the air like a white blur, until he was at the height the GS Ball was at. With his glowing, extended claws, he sliced at the GS Ball over and over, each time his claws slicing through it until all of the components - the crystal, the Silver Wing, and even the Sacred Ashes, were all reduced to dust that fell straight down onto Mew.

The dust all collided with Mew and threw up a cloud of sparkles, but in the middle of the cloud, Mew's body glowed a bright, healing green for a moment, and the living myth rose out of the sand, racing around cheerfully, energy fully restored.

"Myuu!"

"They're healthy again!" Chloe cheered.

"Eievui!"

"Grooki!"

"That's awesome!" Ash said. "Great thinkin', Goh!"

Goh reached down to his wrist where he wore the Z-Ring, and he pulled the Mewnium-Z off.

"Here, take it!"

He tossed the Mewnium-Z to Mew, who caught it with their little arms.

"Wait, Goh?!"

"What're you doin'?"

"Myuu?"

Everyone was surprised, even the Pokémon who could wield that power, but to Goh there was no mistake in his actions. Giving the crystal to Mew made sense.

"There are some things no one should have," Goh said. "And the power of that crystal is one of them. We aren't gods. None of us are - people or Pokémon. We're all alive and we share this world together, and so if a problem comes up, then we should be the ones to solve it, not praying for a god to help."

"But Goh?" Chloe asked. "What about Project Mew?"

"That's why Mew needs to take it with them, and put it somewhere no one could ever find it again," he said. "I know I'll probably get in trouble for this, but saving the world is bigger than this. Besides…"

He turned his gaze to Mew and smiled.

"I know, no matter what happens, I'll meet Mew again. It's my dream. My future! And I hold that future in the palm of my hand!"

With that, Mew nodded to Goh and turned towards the setting sun, now little more than a glimmer over the horizon, and zoomed off across the sea, disappearing from view.

Goh and the others recalled all their Pokémon except for Pikachu, Grookey, and Eevee and returned to the carrier, where Professor Amaranth, Danika, and Quillon were, and Goh had to do his best to restrain himself from laughing. The force from Mew's Z-Move toppled the helicarrier over onto its side, with its legs sticking up into the air as the two Urshifu were still trying to lift it back into the proper position.

"Hey, guys!" Ash called. "Do you need a bit of help?"

The Chasers looked back over at Goh's group, and Goh didn't miss the look of surprise that flashed through Danika and Quillon's faces.

"You… made it out alive?" Quillon asked.

"I… I thought you…"

It was only a few moments before the two Chasers dropped everything and approached them.

"Challenger Goh!" Danika shouted. "Report! What happened?"

Goh had been rehearsing what he would say in his mind as they made their way around the island, and so he knew exactly what he would say.

"Mew was here."

Everyone went quiet. The only sounds were the quiet sounds of the tide and the whisper of the sea breeze through the trees.

"Mew… was here?" Quillon asked. "Did you capture it?"

Goh shook his head. "No, I let them go. And I gave them the Mewnium-Z as well."

Danika's eyes were as wide as saucers. "But… But Challenger Goh, Mew is the entire point of Project Mew. That crystal was the result of the end of the long chain of research you did all over four regions. Why in the world would you give them both up?"

"I haven't given up on catching Mew and I know I'll meet them again someday," he said. "But… the Mewnium-Z was too dangerous for any person to have it. It belongs with Mew, where it can be kept away from those who would misuse it."

"But Mew destroyed Pokélantis, correct?" Quillon said. "What makes you think that the world is safer with Mew holding onto it than with us sealing it away?"

"Because… Mew is a part of this world."

It was the answer Goh had realized after everything.

"All this time, we've been thinking of whether or not Mew is a god. When you think of a god, you think of someone who can treat the world as their plaything, who could even destroy the world if they wanted to. But we've lost sight of what's really important! Mew isn't a force outside the world, Mew is a living being inside of it. We all are. And so, Mew's got just as much reason to want the world to be safe as any of us do. Humans, Pokémon, and even gods… We're all in this world together, and so, I'll trust that Mew will keep this world safe from harm. Because Mew lives with us in it."

"I don't think I could have said it better myself."

Stepping away from the overturned helicarrier was Professor Amaranth with Mime Jr. on his shoulder. He looked a bit banged up, like he had taken a great fall, but Goh realized that this was probably the result of him being inside the craft when it turned onto its side.

"Professor…"

Amaranth stood behind Quillon and Danika with a grin on his face. "Mew is a part of this world, and its unique traits of having the DNA of all other Pokémon make it a fascinating research subject of mythological proportions, but both of these things can be true without diminishing the other. I'm honestly glad that we can put this talk of gods behind us and focus on the mystery that Project Mew was formed to investigate for a change."

"You mean," Chloe said, "about the origin of life?"

He nodded. "Where did it all start? Where did we all come from? Was it really a random chance that life came to be in this world? Was it a Pokémon who spurred everything to start? Or was it really a god who created the world? I don't think we'll ever really know the answers for sure, but we can certainly learn more about the world and the mysterious beings we share it with, don't you think?"

"I hate to bring this up, Professor Amaranth," Danika said, "but if Goh had used his GS Ball to catch Mew, we would have had all we needed. Letting Mew go at that point, with the crystal to boot, has to have some consequences, right?"

"It may have been the right thing to do," Quillon added, with his arms crossed and eyes closed, "but even so, it's a betrayal of what Project Mew is about. If there's no punishment for this, I have no doubt we'll have other challengers calling our process into question."

Amaranth scratched his chin. "That's true… but we can't just disqualify Goh from being a Challenger for doing the right thing, either."

Goh felt a chill of terror go down his spine at even the prospect of being completely disqualified being on the table, but he calmed himself down with the thought that at least it was discarded.

"I think I have a good compromise," Danika said. "Goh's research work looking into the temple and the work he did reconstructing the story that ties Mew to Rota and Pokélantis isn't without merit, but everything since he called us and we went to Alola has pretty much turned into a wild Swanna chase. So perhaps a retraction of some Tokens is enough."

Goh felt his heart sink. "H-How many…?"

Amaranth thought to himself. "Let's see… right now Goh has ten Tokens, right…? Yes, that makes sense. A demerit of two Tokens."

He swallowed. "S-So I'm back down to eight…?"

"It's where you were a few days ago, back before we went to Alola, right?" Amaranth said with a grin. "There's still time for you to make it as a Chaser, Challenger Goh. And I have no doubt that you'll make it."

While the loss of two Tokens was definitely not something he was happy to hear about, Goh felt something very different from the fear and anxiety he felt on the way to Rota only a few days ago. He felt like he had gained much more than he had lost over the past few days, meeting and befriending Zoroark as well as unraveling a mystery that was tied to Mew. He felt newfound confidence in himself, and in his ability to work together with others.

"I know. Thank you."

Amaranth gestured to his lab, which was still on its side despite the best efforts of the Urshifu. "So… do you think you kids can help get this set back the right way?"

After enlisting just about every Pokémon all of them had between them to put Amaranth's craft back in it's proper orientation, Goh left the organization of Amaranth's research materials to the professor and his Chasers while he sat next to the campfire that they had cooked curry over on the beach. Ash and his Pokémon were all sleeping, huddled together in the soft grass just up from the beach, while all of Goh's Pokémon were also lying around in the sand. He noted to himself that carrying seven Pokémon at once was definitely an infraction he'd receive against his Trainer's license, but since they were headed back to Vermilion City and the Cerise Laboratory first thing in the morning, he wasn't worried much about it.

Flygon was curled up next to the fire, with Aerodactyl completely splayed out across the sand. Cinderace and Inteleon were also passed out, with Grookey curled up on the rabbit's belly. Even Argent was asleep, his rings gently glowing in the firelight as he stayed nearby for warmth. Zoroark was similarly curled into a mess of fur, but farther from the flames, which made sense for a Ghost-type, Goh thought.

He couldn't help but smile. Despite none of them being the slightest bit awake, and the only sounds being the waves, the wind, and the crackling of the fire, Goh didn't feel alone. Not in the slightest.

He did hear someone walking through the sand, though, approaching him. He didn't doubt for a moment who it was though, and when he saw her set her sleeping Eevee in the sand next to Argent, he scooted over on the log they had pulled from the forest to give Chloe a spot to sit next to him.

"I guess this is all over now, isn't it?" she asked quietly.

He shrugged. "Not quite everything. We've gotta call some international organizations to relocate all the Porygon left on this island."

"Do you think you want to go catch one?" Chloe asked.

He shook his head. "I think they've been through enough for a while. I'll still have plenty of time to catch a Porygon later."

She nodded. "But other than the Porygon?" Her hand went to the now-empty pouch she still wore as a necklace.

Goh smiled at the sight and nodded. "Yeah. The mystery of the Clear Wing… no, of the kingdom that worshiped Mew, is over."

"I feel like we've been on this adventure for a long time…" she said. "But I still have to go back to school. And Ash still has the Masters Eight tournament. And you still have to join Project Mew as a Chaser."

He nodded at each of those. "That's right. Even though this feels like an ending, it really isn't. We all have a lot to do to really reach our dreams, even if it means we're still figuring our dreams out."

She giggled, brushing a hand through her hair. "Well… since we are at the end… I was wondering, Goh…"

He looked at her, blinking. "Wondering what?"

She looked up into the stars, and Goh knew that whenever Chloe wasn't making eye contact, she was probably thinking carefully about what she wanted to say.

"...Goh, are you really happy with how things worked out?"

He had an inkling that this would be what she wanted to ask about. "Oh," he said, looking back at the fire.

"I mean… I'm sorry," she said, shyly. "It's just… you had a chance to finally meet Mew again after all this time, and you didn't even think twice about wanting to catch them. You let them go and you let them take the crystal that was the result of all the research you had done - all of your hard work after all this time. Doesn't this feel like… you know, like you let it get away?"

Of course she was worried about him. Even with all her teasing and how sharply cold she could seem at times, Chloe Cerise was a warm-hearted, kind girl. It was one of the many things that made it easy for Goh to accept to himself that he loved her.

"To tell you the truth, yeah… there's a part of me that wishes I had caught Mew. But then, I remember what Kurt told me back in Azalea town.

"What Kurt told you…?"

He chuckled. "Right, it was me and Horace there when he said that."

She inched closer to him and he put his arm around her shoulders.

"What did he say?"

"A Poké Ball's supposed to be the promise that a Pokémon and a human make together. That it's a mutual agreement, even if it's a silly little promise like being able to live together. You can't ever force it. If you try to, you're no better than poachers or other bad guys like Team Rocket."

"And so you felt like Mew wasn't in a position to argue, right?"

He nodded. "I could have caught Mew and offer to let them leave later, like I did with Suicune and Absol, but the difference is that Suicune and Absol were both in immediate danger. With Lawrence gone, there wasn't anyone who would be around to take advantage, and we were able to heal Mew, anyway. And so if Mew wanted to come with me, that's their choice."

Chloe giggled. "Sounds like you'll have a hard time convincing every Pokémon in the world to let you catch them if you want their complete permission first."

Goh, however, shook his head. "I don't think so."

"Why not?"

"Because… we're all a part of this world together. Humans and Pokémon. I know that out there, there's Pokémon I haven't befriended yet, but they're open and waiting for someone to be friends with. No one likes to be lonely, after all. Not even Mew."

"I guess Ash's positive thinking has really rubbed off on you, huh?" Chloe asked, nestling her head against his shoulder.

"I think so," he chuckled. "But it's more than that. It's faith. I have faith that I'll meet and befriend every Pokémon, and that I'll one day catch each one, and that will end with me meeting Mew again."

"It just seems so… enormous…" Chloe said. "Every Pokémon? How many are there?"

"I don't think even Mew knows the answer to that one," he laughed.

"And you still have faith that you'll be able to do it?" she asked.

"Yeah. I will."

"Why?"

He looked down at her, seeing her sparkling emerald eyes in the firelight.

"Why do you have this faith, Goh? Where does it come from?"

In his heart, Goh knew the answer. He knew it because he was surrounded by people and Pokémon whom he cared deeply about, and who deeply cared about him. After spending so much time alone and in pain, he was finally surrounded with love.

And love, he discovered, is necessary for faith to be born.

With these thoughts in his mind and his love in his heart, he leaned down and gently kissed Chloe, hoping that somehow, through this intimate gesture, he would be able to confer to her exactly what he understood.

Because there are some things you can't put into words.

Hello there. This is Purim, the author of this story, as well as all of 'One Who Chases'. If you've read this far, thank you for reaching the end of the story. And if you've been here since 'Temple of Stone', thank you for joining me on this long journey we've taken together. It feels so long since Goh and Chloe were bickering on the slopes outside of Stone Town, doesn't it? It certainly feels like a long time to me. I would like to thank the artists who have helped me bring One Who Chases to life: rikirinka, rohanite, jessu_uu, and Laura (nerdinsandals). I would also like to thank those who have helped as beta readers: mezamun, pennychu_, and Viroro-kun.

When I started 'One Who Chases', I had a few ideas where the story would go and how it would develop. As the story was written, though, it changed before my eyes into something different. I'm surprised at how much remained from my initial ideas draft and how much was borne from snap-decisions as I wrote. The more I wrote for the story, the more I saw Goh's loneliness. While it's a part of his character I had in mind, I didn't originally plan on it being the 'theme' of this story: How loneliness and being alone shapes us, and how the people we choose to surround us with can help us get through that loneliness. Goh, Argent, Zoroark, and Lawrence all were lonely beings for various reasons, and they were all hurting because of that lack of connection. Goh, with help and inspiration from Chloe and Ash, was able to learn how to reach out to help others, and in that way he connected with Argent and then Zoroark, saving them from loneliness. And in his words after Lawrence was destroyed in the Genesis Supernova, he wished he could have connected with Lawrence as well. But Lawrence would not let himself connect with others, only with objects, and it is that loneliness that led him down this path.

The other major theme of this story (Faraway Island) and the entire series is the role of gods in the world. The entire series deals with forgotten gods, gods of our own making, gods who are still actively worshiped, gods who are present, and gods who are absent. Ho-Oh, Lugia, Celebi, and Mew all have different relationships with the humans who treat them like divinity, and it was through this lens that I wanted to explore their role in the world. I think the conclusion reached by Goh fits my own world view enough, at least for talking about how it relates to the world of Pokémon, but maybe you have a different set of thoughts.

With that in mind, I think this is a story that I could have only written with a main character like Goh.

From the start, I wanted to write a story where Goh is the main character, and I hope you've enjoyed watching him grow with me as we've made our way. If you haven't before, I would appreciate it if you left a comment/review on the story and told me what you really thought about it. This project has been going for almost a year and a half, and making sure every update came wasn't always the easiest with everything else going on in my life. In fact, I'd say the beginning of 2023 has been incredibly difficult for me. It's been difficult to sit down and write since the end of January.

That's why I am announcing here that after the next two side stories, I'll be going on hiatus for a while as I work on the next chapter of what I want to write. One of the side stories will be two chapters long, so there's still a bit of time left with Goh and Chloe. I want to thank you all for joining me for this story as we enter what is effectively its epilogue; like Professor Amaranth said, we're leaving the talk of Gods behind and returning to Project Mew, with an eye to the future that waits for all of us.

As an aside, I would urge you to seek out the 'Archive of Our Own' version of the last chapter to this story, which has an extra surprise not found in the other versions for technical reasons.

I hope you all enjoyed this journey with me. I'll see you all at the next horizon.