Thank you, readers.

Epilogue: Overture

"You're going out, Miss?" Dan was cleaning up. The weekend was hitting very soon, and he'd prefer not to stay here for too long. What he didn't expect, however, was for his gym leader to be in such a rush.

"Yes, would you take care of the pressure pads for me?" Sabrina had already dressed up for the night. It was not something her assistant got the chance to see too often, but he knew better than to comment on it. "Some people have told me that they don't work properly. Now, it's most likely that they're just dumb, but take a look at it anyways."

"It's only a month into the season, I doubt these things are damaged in any way at all." Dan laughed it off mostly. He wasn't doing much while the League was on hold but taking care of the Gym, so he knew these equipment inside and out. "I have to say though, it's nice to see you active."

"You're just glad not having to clean up the candle wax." Sabrina was still a psychic, but a lot of her practice was now done remotely, since she wasn't hanging around the place too often. She heard a honk outside. "That's probably my cab."

"Going to see Ms. Erika again, Miss?"

"Naturally, but not alone." She was prepared for this day. It promised to be a great occasion before too long. "We're seeing an old friend… and an even older one."

"You're not talking about your mother by any chance, Miss?"

Sabrina did not answer, instead headed to the cab waiting for her.

…

Sabrina now stood in front of the second biggest restaurant in town. The people she was meeting would not settle for anything less. They most likely had already arrived, since they were in town for a visit and having nothing to do. Erika was going to come as well, but the botanist would arrive a bit later due to some responsibilities with accommodations.

Just by staying there, she was gathering quite a bit of attention. A lot of people in this town known her as the gym leader, but few have for now, it was Sabrina's turn to entertain the guests.

"Honey!" Penny was absolutely ecstatic to see her daughter again after quite a few months of separation. She also noted that her daughter did not have a visible scowl on her face walking in. "How have you been?"

"I've been fine, mother." Sabrina sat down at the dinner table. It was at the back of the second floor. This was not quite the VIP section, but it might as well be. With such a wide view of the Saffron City night, it was tough to beat. "You, on the other hand, don't seem to have changed one bit."

"Oh, I wouldn't say that." Penny was initially too caught up in catching up that she almost neglected to pave ways. Turning to her side, she nudged at her companion. "Saying something, Ren."

"Ms. Sabrina." Ren has been sitting there in silent all this time. She was not too interested in making nice, but in the context of a pleasant evening she was obliged to make an effort. "I see you're doing well."

"Same to you, Ren." This was the first time they have met since the encounter on Mt. Silver. Later on, Erika did explain to Sabrina about the situation between the botanist and her butler, so the psychic was understandably reserved. However, she was still trying to be friendly. "Have foreign lands been treating you well."

"It has." Penny chimed in, spotting the tension creeping up. Over the past few months she had been trying to make Ren more sociable. It hasn't been amazingly successful, but it was at least progressing. "She's actually adjusting very well."

"The climate does seem like it suits me more." As Ren was not originally from Kanto, it was not hard to believe she fit better elsewhere.

"Great."

The conversation abruptly ended. Neither of the two had anything left to say, and while Penny was very capable of joining in and striking up a conversation, she wanted this to be an organic bonding experience. If what she planned was becoming true, then these two will have to see each other a lot more often.

However, waiting was not getting anywhere.

"Honey," She grabbed her daughter's attention. "Where's Erika? I've been waiting for a proper introduction."

"She said she'll be a bit late." The psychic was glad that her mother was willing to distil the awkward air. She was not sure if these details should be shared, but it was better than a complete lack of socialisation. "She was taking care of some deals with our apartment."

"Oh, you're moving in together?" Penny grabbed her daughter's shoulder endearingly. "That's great. I was hoping you could stop living in your gym. It's a nice place and all, but definitely not suitable for staying."

"Yeah, our hands were kind of forced." Sabrina didn't say it, but they all knew what happened. It was not long since Ren left that Erika was removed from her family mansion. She could take of herself, as she was adequately employed, but they needed a better place to live. Sabrina's place, as cheap and accessible as it were, was utterly unsuitable for Erika to reside. The botanist naturally had a lot of plants, so she needed to stay somewhere with actual windows, for one. "Since she had to find a new place, I figured I might as well come with her. It's kind of my fault, I might as well try my best to shoulder a part of her burden."

"You've grown, honey." Penny displayed the most satisfied smile. Just a year ago, she could never have imagined her daughter expressing such caring sincerity. Now, it was the best feeling a mother could have. "I'm sure you'll do fine."

"Thanks, mom." Those words came out slow, but genuine.

Shortly after, Sabrina felt her pocket ringing. Knowing it was her phone, she excused herself from the table.

…

"Hey." Sabrina found herself in front of the restaurant once again. Only this time it was to greet the person she had been waiting for.

"Hey." Erika's cab left behind her, and the two were now alone. They had only seen each other the week prior, as both were busy with League duties. Right now, however, they had this moment to themselves.

"You're beautiful." Sabrina felt no need for reserve. Her girlfriend was just standing there, in the most breath-taking dress, strikingly different from her usual traditional attire. Her hair was lusciously black and dead transcendent, residing at her left shoulder. The collar was cut short around her neck, laying it bare. The psychic could not help but stare, and subsequently made Erika blush.

"Please don't stare so much." She shyly covered the front with her arms. She was not used to such Western clothing, having worn traditional pieces all her life. It was rather revealing, in her opinion, but Sabrina absolutely adored it. "It's really embarrassing."

"Sorry, sorry." Sabrina just laughed it off. There's still a lot of hardships she could see, but at least she had someone amazing to stand behind her. She softly took Erika's hand. "Come, Ren and my mother are waiting for us."

"Wait." The botanist did not appear to want to move. It required attention. "We're going in just like that? You're introducing me to your mother!"

"I hadn't really thought of it that way." Admittedly, Sabrina would never thought of her mother as the harsh type, but it was understandable for her girlfriend to be nervous. First impression was indeed important. "Well, just be yourself. She'll love you. I'm sure of it."

"Ok…" Erika replied sheepishly, and followed into the establishment.

…

"Hi!" Penny was already standing up and waiting by the time the couple arrived. "You must be Erika."

"Yes, ma'am." The botanist was trying so hard to be courteous, it became awkwardly hilarious. "Nice to meet you."

"Oh, don't be so formal. Call me Penny."

"Hi… Penny."

"Don't be so stiff dear, I'm not going to chew your head off." Erika only nodded ruefully, which only added to Penny's amusement. She turned to her daughter. "She's a very sweet girl. How did you ever get someone like her?"

"Mother!" It was time for Sabrina to be swept away by the conversation.

"Sabrina… your daughter's… she's a very kind person, ma'am… I mean Penny."

"Really? She must love you very much then!" The couple was completely mortified. "You'd never see her be kind to anyone else."

"Please, mother, at least let Erika sit down first." Sabrina begrudgingly protested.

"Yes, of course, sorry dear." Penny, with a beaming smile on her face still, led them to their table.

Ren was still there waiting. As all four of them finished seating, it was easy to see that all of her attention was on her old mistress.

"Ren."

"Mistress." She had been preparing for this moment. The least she could do was not mess this up. "Glad to see you're doing well."

"You too Ren." Erika sighed at the sight. Her ex-butler seemed to be relatively healthy, which was the best she could hope for. "I've missed you."

"I'm sorry to have left so suddenly, and left everything for you to deal with, mistress." It was easy to spot the guilt in Ren's voice. "At the time, I wasn't thinking clearly…"

"It's ok Ren. I understand. " Erika placed her hand on the blonde's. "Also stop calling me mistress. You're my friend, Ren. Please treat me like one."

"Yes, mistress…" Before she could finish, Erika stood up, and drew her in for an embrace. "Mistress, I mean, Erika?"

"I'm so glad you're alright." Ren did not reply, instead wrapped her arms around the botanist.

"Are you getting jealous?" Penny poked her daughter.

"Mother!" Sabrina retorted, but she didn't want to admit her mother was correct. She knew perfectly well that Erika had chosen her, but perhaps a part of her was still not confident enough. Something like that could only be fixed through time.

"Don't worry honey, it's perfectly natural." Penny gave her daughter a slight tap on the wrist. At this time, the food she ordered had arrived, so she called them all in. "Food is here, girls. You can get back to the reunion later."

…

The dinner was a peaceful one. They recalled their past few months apart, and their plans for the future. Soon enough, the night was aging, and it was time to leave.

Before that, Penny pulled Erika away from the table, to have a private conversation.

"Why are we alone, Penny?"

"I wanted my daughter and Ren to have some time together. If there are still bad blood between them, they need to work it out on their own." Saying that, Penny seemed quite confident. Both of them were good people, so she believed they could reach an understanding, or at least a disagreement.

"Since we're here, I wanted to thank you." Erika gave a slight bow. "You were there to help Ren when I could not. I'm in your debt. She's a very important friend of mine, and I know that it's by your efforts that she stayed well."

"Don't mention it, dear, since you'll be taking care of a far bigger burden for me." Penny chuckled at the thought. "I and Ren, we're travel partners. The girl's a bit rough around the edges, but she can take care of herself. You, however, have to stick with my Sabrina for the rest of your life."

"Ah, yes." It could've been interpreted as a blessing for marriage. "Thank you for supporting us."

"It's you who should be thanked. Sabrina had never been an easy kid to raise." Penny snickered. "Do your best to take care of her."

"I will, Penny."

"I know you will."

…

"Where is mistress and your mother going?" Ren asked conservatively.

"If anything, I'm pretty sure it's just an excuse for her to force us to talk." Sabrina was a lot more willing to open up now that she'd downed a few drinks. "I don't think she'll leave it until we do."

"Well, I guess that's what we should do then."

A moment of silence.

"Where are you going after this?"

"Penny planned to bring us to Sinnoh." Ren was not too sure of those plans herself, but it did sound reasonable. "It's somewhere west of here."

"I see." Sabrina sighed. There was going to be a difficult part of this conversation, and she was going to have to get it out of the way. "Look, Ren. Erika had explained to me the nature of your relationship. I sympathise with you, but I would never let her go."

"It's quite alright. I've been thinking about it a lot for the last few months. I was quite worried about my mistress at first, actually." Ren was finally able to crack a smile. "But when I came back to see her, I could see her smile. It was a smile of genuine happiness, and I'm glad to know that at the very least you can bring her a life she would have wanted."

"Thank you, Ren. That means a lot to us."

The two of them finally were comfortable enough to exchange a handshake. That was the cue for Penny to drag Erika back.

"Well, it's nice to see the two of you getting along." She was very delighted that these two could work out their differences. "It's time to say goodbye, but we will see each other again."

"Goodbye." Ren looked at her old mistress, and did her best to give a reassuring smile. "Erika."

"Goodbye, Ren." Erika nodded.

They parted.

As Penny and Ren disappeared from view, the couple was finally left alone. It was a fun, albeit exhausting night. However, it turned out perfectly manageable.

"Should we head back?" Erika enjoyed the night, but her dress was not the most comfortable. "I would like to get out of these clothes."

"I've just the place." Sabrina smiled coarsely, and led Erika away. They walked past the concrete borders of the city, and found themselves in a quiet gathering of trees. "Come."

Sabrina motioned the botanist to lay down with her, which she did without the slightest protest. It was Friday night, and the place was awfully quiet. They stared at the moonless sky, nostalgic.

"I remember this." Erika chuckled slightly. "It's just like the first time I dragged you out in the forest and made you watch the stars with me."

"I could do that." Unbeknownst to her girlfriend, Sabrina grabbed her by the hips and gradually pulled them closer together. "But I'd rather watch you instead."

The night sang their symphony.