A/N: I own a copy of at least one game from every Generation, but that's about it.
Chip Skarmory's commentary will be denoted by a "*" at the beginning and the end. (Example: *Oh, it's Magmar!*)
Crowd reactions will be BOLDED AND UNDERLINED
There was a flash of light. And then, a flash of orange. It soared directly into the air, at a speed so fast that Trodaire could not even see it. The crowd let out a suitable yell of awe and excitement. The orange blur looped through the air, buzzing the crowd on the left side of the arena, and then on the right. And then, it slammed into the ground in front of Excadrill. When the dust settled, there it was. Resting comfortably on its three-point landing, eyes closed with what looked like a confident smirk on its face, was Lance's Dragonite.
*Oh. My. Goodness! Making a stylish entrance is the big daddy of them all, the master of disaster, the colossus of clout, the undisputed people's champion…DRAGONITE!*
Lance was right. Trodaire had been dreading this moment since the beginning of his time with Steven. Because, deep down, the champion was right. Trodaire was smart and clever at out-cuting an opponent with developing techniques that one could call all but fighting dirty. But he didn't have anything for this. Nothing. The Pokemon in front of him was the grand daddy of them all, and what was worse was that it knew it. Even the most casual of battle watchers knew about Dragonite. It was the single most famous Pokemon battler in the world. And it had only been defeated once, yet that had happened so long ago and so few people had actually witnessed it that that might as well have been a myth. A cooked up story in order to make Dragonite seem human, and in retrospect even more likeable. Otherwise, it would be like rooting for a god.
Currently, it wasn't really paying too much attention to the stadium that it was in. It let out a yawn, and stretched a little bit. It turned its neck to the side, hearing a satisfying krrrck. Then it looked over at the little Excadrill in front of it, and cocked its head to the side. Trodaire could practically read the big Dragon's thoughts. This is the mope I have to go up against? It looked back at Lance as if to confirm that this was indeed its opponent.
*If I didn't know any better folks, the way Dragonite is sizing up Excadrill, I'd say that the Dragon doesn't think that this is a fair fight!...for Excadrill. I'm getting a knot in my stomach, ladies and gentlemen. What's coming next?*
"What do you say we even up the odds in our favor, old friend?" Lance asked. "You know what to do."
Dragonite rolled its eyes, as if to say in a bored tone Oh, all right. It then turned towards Excadrill, which was still bravely standing its ground against the much stronger opponent. Then, in a flash, Dragonite was gone. Trodaire blinked once in what was almost terror. Gone? How the hell could it just be gone? It had been there just a second ag-
WHAM SMACK BANG THUD SMACK WHAM WHAM SMASH BANG
Trodaire and Steven were treated to a surreal scene in front of them. There was Excadrill, getting battered and smacked around. But there was no opponent doing the punching. It was as if the little Drill Pokemon's opponent was the wind, and the wind was packing lead in its gloves. This shadow beat down lasted a good ten seconds, until once more there was an orange flash and Dragonite was standing in its original position again. Excadrill was lying facedown on the mat, battered and bruised and completely knocked the hell out. The Machamp ref ran over, turned to its human partner and threw up an "X" with its lower arms, which led the human ref to speak up.
"Excadrill is no longer able to battle! The winner is Dragonite!" He said.
The crowd exploded.
*Ahhhhhhh what did I just witness? Good Arceus almighty, as the Legendaries are my witness, Excadrill was beaten to a pulp by a ghost! I-I couldn't even see Dragonite use that Extremespeed take down! Oh my goodness!*
SABRINA
The Psychic master felt her throat go dry. She kept blinking and shaking her head, as if she'd been watching a bad nightmare. But it was real. It was real and Dragonite really did move that fast. Cynthia and Erika had covered their eyes in fright, and Misty was hanging on the railing cussing out the ref for allowing that beat down to go on as long as it did.
"That's bullshit, ref!" Misty shrieked, hanging so far over the ledge it was a wonder she didn't topple over. "That Pokemon's injuries are on YOU!" She pointed accusatorily, before sitting down with her arms crossed over her chest in a huff.
"Um, Misty, I don't think he heard you." Sabrina finally offered.
"Ah, shut up. I made me feel better." Misty retorted. Despite the situation, her friend's humor was enough to make the Psychic smirk a bit. Then she glanced back down at the pacing Orrean by the ring, and her worry returned.
C'mon, Dust boy, make a miracle again…
STEVEN
"Go, Armaldo!" Steven shouted, tossing out a Pokeball and releasing his first Pokemon back into the ring. Thankfully, Armaldo had not actually witnessed the brutal beat down Dragonite had administered to its friend, so the intimidation factor was not there.
Yet.
*Armaldo returns to the field, folks! Can it withstand the ferocious onslaught of Dragonite's combination of speed and power?*
"Armaldo, get it with a Take Down!" Steven shouted. His faithful comrade nodded, lowered its shoulders, and charged its foe. Dragonite did not fly out of the way (though it was tempted to, but thought that somewhat cowardly), and instead took a deep breath and clenched its fists, focusing. Armaldo crashed into the Dragon, but instead of driving it to the ground like it had with Haxorus, Dragonite was instead still upright, backpedaling towards the ropes. As soon as they had collided against the ropes, Armaldo grabbed the Dragon's arm and threw in the direction of the opposite ropes. While Dragonite was sent barreling in the other direction, Armaldo took a deep breath and reared back. Dragonite turned its back around, and thus used the ropes again as a springboard towards Armaldo. Though it was too late to do anything, for the Bug/Rock type had already gone past the point of no return. With a cry, Armaldo threw the punch.
THWACK
It was a hell of a punch. It sent reverberations through the stadium, and could be heard clearly through the cheers of the crowd. In fact, the aftermath caused the crowd to fall silent. But it was not because of the punch itself.
It was because Dragonite hadn't even flinched.
Armaldo had thrown a shot that would have scrambled any lesser Pokemon's stomach, and here was Dragonite standing there like nothing had happened. The crowd was still silent, and with another cry Armaldo tried again.
THWACK. THWACK. THWACK.
Every time to the solar plexus. Every time completely ineffectual.
Then Dragonite did something. It stared at Armaldo, smiled a little, and began wagging its index finger at the smaller opponent.
And the crowd went ballistic.
*Oh my Arceus! Four punches to the gut and Dragonite didn't even feel them! And look at him taunting Armaldo! Whatcha gonna do, Armaldo? This crowd KNOWS what's coming! Here we goooooooo!*
Immediately, Dragonite's arm lashed out and grabbed Armaldo by the throat. As the Bug/Rock Pokemon struggled to pry the Dragon's iron grip off of its neck, Dragonite lifted it off the air effortlessly. And just as effortlessly, he threw Armaldo back-first into the mat.
*CHOKESLAM! What a slam by Dragonite! Oh, and let's add a little more!*
Dragonite grabbed the prone Armaldo off of the ground, and with a roar tossed its foe into the air. With a whoosh, Dragonite took off after him. He tackled Armaldo in midair, flipped so that they were both upside down, and with a flap of the wings propelled them both downwards. It threw Armaldo down so that the Bug/Rock type hit the ground first, with Dragonite coming in right after with its elbow leading the way.
*SKY DROP! SKY DROP! The most electrifying move in Pokemon fighting today! And Armaldo is staggering! It's almost over!*
Dragonite picked the dazed Pokemon back up by the scruff of the neck, slapped it across the face (drawing a WOOO! from the crowd), and then tossed Armaldo towards Steven. Before the poor Pokemon could hit the ground, Dragonite had taken a deep breath and let out…well, it wasn't fire, that was for sure. But it was something. Something purple and static-like. It struck Armaldo right in the chest, and the poor Pokemon finished ragdolling to the base of Steven's podium, completely out cold.
*Sky Drop to Dragonbreath, this match is TIED! What's next for Steven Stone? Is there anything left?*
Steven was silent as he recalled Armaldo. He looked down at the ring to see the clearly bored Dragonite polishing its nails, and then up to its supremely confident trainer. Lance met his eyes and smiled.
"Go ahead and send him out, Steven." Lance said. "It's your best chance, really. But then again, what kind of chance is it, considering what happened last time?" He asked. There was something innocently honest about the way he was speaking, but it was still incredibly grating to listen to.
SABRINA
Especially to certain red-haired Water masters.
"LET-ME-AT-HIM-I'LL-KILL-HIM!" Misty snarled, as Cynthia and Erika struggled to keep their friend from vaulting over the railing and delivering a Sky Drop of her own. Sabrina didn't even bother.
TRODAIRE
"Ref, can I have time?" Trodaire asked. The referee looked at him like he had three heads.
"Uh, what?" He asked. Trodaire rolled his eyes.
"As pursuant to the rulebook, section 13 part A, 'a trainer is allowed to consult with his team's specific trainer if properly notified before the next round begins.' I'd say we're in a suitable timeout period, don't you?" He asked. The referee looked at him blankly, and then looked at Lance. Lance raised an eyebrow.
"What are you looking at me for?" He asked. "The kid's right. It's just a little-used rule because few trainers can afford a team trainer." He finished. The ref shrugged.
"Fair enough. Team Steven Stone has requested a time out!" He said. There was a groan in the audience at this pause in the action, but the fans acquiesced to this.
STEVEN
He turned around to see Trodaire scamper up the podium, but before he could say anything Trodaire was right in his face.
"You've got one chance to tell me what he's talking about or I'm going to knock you out on live television." Trodaire snarled. "What happened last time?"
"Uh…" Steven began, thinking of a way to put it lightly. Then he gave up and told the truth. "The last time we fought, Dragonite put Aggron in the hospital."
There was a pause. Trodaire looked like he was about to have an aneurysm.
"And you're telling me this now?" Trodaire hissed. "Don't you think that's important information?"
"Well I told you he was battling his demons in the gym all those weeks ago-" Steven said before being cut off.
"This is completely different!" Trodaire hissed, doing his best to keep people from seeing how furious (and panicked) he was. "You realize that you're not sending out a Pokemon next, but a grudge-driven beast, right?" He asked. Steven nodded slowly.
"Well, when you put it that way…" He said sheepishly.
"NO! Not 'when I put it that way.' That's the truth! Aggron is gonna come out here swinging like a madman, Dragonite is going to let him tire himself out, and then knock him over with a finger poke! Hell, we might as well forfeit now! Unless…" He said, looking Steven directly in the eyes. "Unless…"
"Unless what?" Steven asked.
"Unless you tell Aggron to wait for Dragonite to throw the first punch…es." Trodaire said.
"Are you nuts?" Steven said. "Look what good that did Excadrill!"
"Excadrill is tiny. Aggron is big and bulky. There's a chance!" Trodaire said.
"20 seconds remaining, Team Stone!" The referee said. Trodaire took a deep breath.
"Look, it's like what I told you at the very beginning. We can't outrun Dragonite. We can't escape him. We have to let him come to us, tire himself out, and then punch him HARD."
"But Aggron will take a load of punishment." Steven protested. "He'll be battered beyond belief."
"Ten seconds, team!" Referee said.
"Then let me ask you this: how badly does Aggron want to settle the score?" Trodaire asked. Steven replied immediately.
"You can't even begin to imagine." He said. Trodaire grinned.
"Then he'll be willing to do it." He hopped down from the podium, and walked back to his position.
"Time in!" The referee said. "Steven, select your Pokemon!" He shouted. Steven nodded, unclipped his last usable Pokeball, and threw it.
"Go, Aggron!" He shouted.
There was a flash, and then there was Aggron, letting out a loud and metallic roar.
*There he is, ladies and gentlemen! Steven's pride and joy, Aggron! The last time he fought Dragonite, it went hideously for the Steel type fighter. But I've been informed from an insider source that Aggron has been preparing for this rematch for months. We'll see how it goes!*
Aggron saw Dragonite, snarled, and with a roar was about to charge its hated foe head-on. But then there was a command.
"Aggron, NO!" Steven said. Confused, the Steel type stopped and looked at its master. Steven shook his head, and took a deep breath.
"Let him come to you. Then strike." He said. "Iron Defense, go."
Aggron looked wounded, as if his pride was being told to go suck it, but it nodded with a sigh and got into position. It held its arms in front of its face like a wall, shielding it from headshots. Then, with the fingers of its left hand, it motioned for Dragonite to come forward. The implication was clear.
Bring it.
The crowd let out an "OOOOOHHHHHH" and Lance thought it was rather humorous.
"As you wish. It's your funeral. Dragonite, oblige Aggron." Dragonite nodded, and with a whoosh took off towards its foe. Aggron let out a grunt of defiance.
Dragonite struck.
Each punch and kick had the power to fell a thick tree, and given a half hour Dragonite probably could have cleared a forest. Most of the punches were blocked or knocked aside by Aggron, but every now and then one connected. But instead of that uncomfortable sound of fist on soft tissue, it was the sound of fist striking metal.
CLANG CLANG CLANG
Finally, after a few moments, Dragonite stepped back. It was breathing a little heavily now, but that was understandable. But then it did something that sent a rush through Trodaire's stomach. It winced, and shook out its left hand, as if it was smarting.
"Keep it up, Steven!" He shouted. "Dragonite felt those just as much!"
"Alright, Aggron, go get him!" Steven said.
Aggron took a step towards Dragonite, and threw a jab that connected with Dragonite's stomach. With an 'oof', Dragonite was knocked slightly back. But then it came back with a hammer fist strike to Aggron's ear. The Steel type blocked the move with its elbow, and threw a one-two combo to the stomach and then the chest. Then, it ducked under another haymaker and connected with Dragonite's jaw.
There was a gasp as Dragonite was lifted into the air, spun once, and landed flat on its face. Lance looked aghast. Clair looked terrified. The crowd began to murmur amongst itself, and then let out a roar as the realization hit them: this was the first time that Dragonite had ever been knocked down in a fight.
Dragonite got back up, but instead of streaking towards Aggron again it instead took off into the air. It smirked, knowing that Aggron couldn't fly. But then its smirk turned to a look of shock and then pain, as Aggron had grabbed onto Dragonite's foot and was yanking the Dragon-type down.
*My goodness, Aggron is trying to keep this fight to the ground! Dragonite is struggling to stay aloft, fighting off Aggron and –OH MY GOSH DOWN THEY GO!*
They both landed with a crash on the mat. Dragonite was the first up, though it was wincing badly in pain. Trodaire saw why. One of its wings looked rather battered, almost sprained. One thing was clear, though. It wasn't taking off into the air for another Sky Drop.
Then Aggron was back on its feet, and once more assumed its defensive boxing stance. Dragonite snarled, and lunged again. Though one of its wings was hurting, that didn't change the fact that Dragonite was trained in numerous styles of fighting. One of these was Throh and Sawk-style wrastlin'.
It grabbed Aggron and threw the Steel type over its shoulder. As it landed on top of its foe, Dragonite was about to throw a punch when a steel-plated fist hit it in the nose. Staggering backwards, Dragonite looked up at its opponent. Battered, bruised, and bleeding a little bit…but Aggron was still standing. Still coming at him.
Then Dragonite noticed something. There was something wet on his face. It felt its nose, and was stunned to see red smears on its paw. It was bleeding from the nose.
*He's cut! Dragonite's cut!*
"Finish him off, Dragonite!" Lance said. There was a sense of panic in his voice. Now the crowd was beginning to go ballistic. This was unlike anything that they had ever seen. Dragonite was meeting its match? Was that even possible?
But then Dragonite began to gain the upper hand. It threw a series of punches and strikes and kicks, and though Aggron blocked a good percentage of them, it could not stop them all from hitting their mark. Dragonite finished its combo, and with a front thrust kick planted Aggron firmly onto the mat.
But the damned thing just. Wouldn't. Give. Aggron staggered back to its feet, and though it was bruised and battered and blood was starting to trickle down its nose, it still smiled like a crazed man. And it threw another punch. And Dragonite hit the canvas again. It clambered back up to its feet, and with another cry threw a blistering series of moves. Close Combat, Low Kicks, Comet Punches, everything. It could have put down an army of Team Rocket grunts with that series. It was so destructively beautiful that it could be framed as a masterpiece.
And Aggron got back up.
It let out a roar. Dragonite threw a punch. Aggron countered it with an elbow block, and then threw a blistering uppercut that sent Dragonite flat on its butt. The crowd was going crazy. Chip Skarmory was about to have a heart attack in the booth. Dragonite sat back upright, and looked at Aggron.
And that's when Trodaire saw it.
Dragonite no longer looked like the champion, the great grand daddy of them all. Its eyes were slightly dazed, but bright and wide. And there was no mistaking the emotion behind them. Fear. Trodaire looked in Dragonite's eyes and saw its innermost thoughts.
Wait a minute. This one could beat me.
And it was the most beautiful thing Trodaire had ever seen.
"Enough of this!" Lance snapped, getting Dragonite's attention. "Finish him off, NOW!" He nodded, and Dragonite understood the subtle cue. It got back to its feet, and took a few steps back. Aggron was too exhausted to pursue, and was instead contemplating its opponent with confusion. Then Lance spoke three words that chilled Trodaire and Steven to their core.
"Dragonite, HYPER BEAM!"
Dragonite took a deep breath, and suddenly its chest began to expand more than physically possible. And the lights began to darken. Somehow, this move was messing with the energy in the air. Trodaire didn't know how this was possible, but quite frankly was too scared to ask. Then Dragonite's face began to glow, and whatever was in its mouth was glowing the brightest, as if it had swallowed the sun. And that was the only light in the arena.
Then Dragonite exhaled.
Trodaire had heard some terrifying sounds in his life. He'd heard gunshots at night. Women screaming, children crying, even Pokemon whimpering. But the sound that Hyper Beam made was unlike anything he had ever imagined before. It was beyond explanation. A shrieking, screeching noise that seemed to dig itself through his eardrums and into his brain. The audience was feeling it. Sabrina and the girls were feeling it. He was feeling it. Trodaire was feeling it. Lance felt nothing.
And Aggron was going to take it.
A pure white beam of light, enough to completely engulf a Pokemon whole. Which is precisely what it did to Aggron, who barely had enough time to throw up its arms in feeble defense before being enveloped. Steven screamed his Pokemon's name in horror, but he was drowned out in the sound of the attack.
There was an explosion, and a cloud of dust hovered over the arena.
And all was quiet.
For a few moments, no one said anything. Only terrified murmurs from the crowd. Dragonite let out a mighty whine of pain, and hunched over and put its hands on its knees. It was done. Completely spent.
The dust cleared. Lying on the mat, in a crater from the blast, was Aggron. He was…he was moving? He was moving. Barely, but he was moving. The crowd began to roar like banshees.
*HE DIDN'T DROP! HE DIDN'T DROP! AGGRON IS STILL CONSCIOUS! IF HE CAN GET UP, IF HE CAN GET UP-* Chip Skarmory's ecstatic screams were drowned out by the frenzied roars of the crowd.
"C'mon, buddy!" Steven shouted. "You can do this! Get up! Get up!"
AGGRON
Ears were ringing.
Heart was beating. The only sound it could hear at first. Muffled, like someone had stuffed cotton in its ears. Bu-dum. Bu-dum.
It was conscious. It was alive.
Pain. Pain was what it felt.
But it was alive. It was awake.
It opened an eye. It was on the mat. Why was it on a mat? Oh, the championship.
The championship!
Where was its opponent?
It didn't know.
It just knew pain.
Something was telling it something. What was it?
…It could win?
…
It could win.
But how?
How could it win, lying on the ground?
It had to win. It must win. It knew it could win.
And then, there was something. A little tickling in its ear.
A whisper. A little angel.
What was it that the trainer had said?
It's not about how hard you hit, but how hard you could get hit, and keep moving, and keep moving…forward.
"Get up you son of a bitch! I didn't hear no bell! Get up and fight!...cuz Trodaire loves ya."
Get up.
STEVEN
Steven watched in awe as his friend's eyes snapped open. It looked around, as if assessing its situation. Then, it shuffled. First it tested one leg. Then the other. One arm, two. It rotated its head.
Come on, you son of a gun. You got this, buddy.
Then Aggron pressed its arms against the mat, earning screams from the crowd.
And then it sat up.
They say the scream from the crowd at that moment could be heard high at the summit of Mount Silver, to the slopes of Spear Pillar, and perhaps even beyond.
Aggron got up to its feet. It looked in front of it. There it was. The opponent. Resting its arms on its knees, completely spent.
The end was near. It just had to get there.
Step one. Step two.
Closer…closer…
Almost…there…
Arm's length away.
It towered over Dragonite, and for once the mighty champion seemed small.
And through the white noise of the crowd, of the screams of anguish from Clair, the stunned squealing of Cynthia and the girls, of the ecstatic howling of Trodaire…one voice rang clear.
Master.
"AGGRON, MEGA PUNCH!" Steven shouted.
Aggron reared back. And it let loose the greatest punch of its entire life.
There was a crack as it connected with Dragonite's chest. The Dragon was sent skittering across the mat. It lay on its back, eyes open, breathing heavily. It was completely stunned. The referee went over to it. Could it still fight?
It groggily sat up. It glanced at the referee trying to get its attention. But this little man didn't matter. Where was its master? Where was its leader?
Where was its friend?
There.
It looked up at Lance behind it, and for a moment neither of them made a sound. Lance's face was stunned, Dragonite's was battered and melancholy. It gave a sad expression, as if to say something.
I'm sorry.
And then it turned to the referee and shook its head.
"Dragonite is unable to battle! The winner of this battle is Stev-"
HRRRRAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHH!
The crowd exploded. Chip Skarmory broke his equipment screaming, and began banging against the glass of his desk.
Steven sank to his knees in shock, his hands on his head. And then there was a flash. His team of Pokemon, even the ones that had been defeated, had willed themselves out of their now-useless Pokeballs. He'd have to buy new ones later.
He didn't care.
They hoisted him, Cradily and Armaldo did, atop their shoulders. Metagross floated down towards Aggron, psychically lifted the battered warrior in the air, and gently set it down on top of its head. Aggron looked down in confusion at Metagross' willingness to support such weight, but was quietly grateful. And in the middle of the team, Steven and Aggron embraced.
Then, like extras on a pirate movie, the crowd descended on the ring. They vaulted the rails and surrounded Steven, screaming and cheering and clapping. Chants and songs and cheers and noise and every sound in existence all directed towards him.
He got down from his Pokemon's shoulders, and began pushing through the crowd, screaming a name. He found her. First they embraced, her makeup running from the soft tears on her face.
But then he got down on one knee.
And her tears turned to sobs of joy. She didn't even wait for him to say anything.
Trodaire saw it all, and smiled. Attaboy, Stevie. He looked into the crowd, and saw that the Dragon clan had not moved from their seats. Clair looked disconsolate. She was weeping and crying and making an utter fool of herself. At that moment, Trodaire made eye contact with the Grandmaster of the Order. Arach and Trodaire stared at each other for a long while completely expressionless. But then Arach broke the stare down.
He looked at Trodaire thoughtfully, and then gave him a wink. He smiled slightly, and gave a thumbs up. Trodaire nodded, and made a motion like doffing a cap.
But then he realized something. He needed to find someone too. So he began to shout.
"Sabrina!" He shouted. "SABRINA!"
In the middle of all of this, one figure was left alone. It was sitting upright now, its head still ringing and nose still bleeding, but it was there. It looked around and saw the sea of people running through the ring.
Ignoring him.
It looked down in sorrow, until it realized that a pair of feet were in front of it.
A pair of feet in ornate boots.
It looked up slowly, ashamed to make eye contact with its master. But it did. And Lance looked upon his greatest fighter, his oldest Pokemon, his greatest friend. Dragonite opened its mouth, as if to say something.
But Lance knelt down in front of him, and put a finger to his lips.
"Shhh." He said. "Don't apologize."
Dragonite looked confused. Lance had a blank expression on his face. And then it became a small smile.
"Don't you dare apologize to me after a fight like that..." He said. "…And don't you dare think that I don't still love you as my greatest and closest friend."
And he pulled his beaten friend into a hug, completely oblivious to the world around them.
TRODAIRE
He kept pushing through the crowd.
"Sabrina!" He shouted, his voice becoming hoarse. "SABRINA!"
He couldn't see anyone. Not Cynthia, not Steven, not Misty or Erika. And especially not her. He started to panic at the sight of this crowd. They were all moving so fast that they might as well have been a sea. And he would lose her. He couldn't lose her. Not now. Not like this.
There.
She was standing next to Misty and Erika, who were both squealing like schoolgirls at the sight of Steven and Cynthia embracing. She was just smiling a little bit, no doubt completely blown away with what she was a part of. He knew how she felt about crowds. This must be absolutely terrifying for her. He couldn't blame her. It was absolutely terrifying for him, too. But when Sabrina looked towards Trodaire she smiled. She'd never smiled like that before. It was the most beautiful thing he'd ever seen.
Slowly, he made his way over to her, and she followed suit. They got closer and closer, until they were standing about a foot away from each other. And then, he took her hands in his and looked her in the eyes. He saw that she was crying. He felt moisture on his cheek and realized that he had been crying too.
They stood there for a long time, holding hands and with their foreheads nuzzled against one another. There was so much to say. There was so much to tell. There was so much to confess. But neither of them said a word.
And they didn't have to.
For the look they shared in that moment, dear readers, said everything in the world.
A/N: And I'm back. Why did this take so damned long? Because I wanted it perfect. I hope it was good enough. And there is one final epilogue coming, dear readers, that will officially put an end to this story. I hope you've enjoyed it.