Okay, the response to the last chapter left me with mixed feelings. But overall, I am happy with the move I've made. Now without further ado...

Epilogue

The Road to be a Pokémon Master doesn't have any shortcuts - Ash Ketchum

"This match has taught me many lessons. I haven't felt the true excitement of a Pokémon battle since my challenge against the Elite Four. Thank you."

Those were Tobias's last words when we exchanged the obligatory handshake after the match. I congratulated him in return, promising that I would do my best to beat him the next time around.

The battle taught him a lesson, made him experience something new or so he said. But then, what did it teach me? The question was something I couldn't answer. Was it because I didn't learn anything important? Or was it because I wasn't thinking hard enough to find an answer. If anything, the battle left with me a whole lot of unanswered questions.

Why did I lose? The training with dad made me stronger, a lot stronger than I'd imagined. He taught me many things he learnt in those ten years away from home. I couldn't have been able to learn some of those lessons on my own. If I wasn't good enough to beat Tobias even after a special training like that, then could I even hope to become a Pokémon Master?

Clenching my fists, I suppressed the last question before it bothered me further. I should never think like that again, I told myself. I'll train more and become as strong as I can until…

A soft touch interrupted my thoughts and brought me back to reality. "Pika," the rodent's paw was on my hand, balled into a fist. The little guy was probably worried about me, just like always. In return, I patted him gently on the head and put up a smile to ease his anxiousness.

I was in the dressing room, alone with the exception of my little friend. We found our way back there after my brief interaction with Tobias. Going back to the hotel to take a rest was something I preferred over sitting in the dressing room doing nothing. And I probably would've done that if it weren't for all those friends of mine, who waited outside the stadium. I didn't want to face any of them yet.

"Excuse me," a soft voice called for my attention. A woman in her mid-twenties, stood by the entrance, wearing a sheepish smile on her face. She was one of the stadium maintenance crew, I guessed from the uniform she wore. "I'm sorry to disturb you but…" she pointed at someone standing behind her. "The next match is about to start and the trainer would like to…" The women paused when I stood up in response.

"Sorry I drifted off," I said, rubbing the back of my head in embarrassment. She looked somewhat guilty at this.

"Let's go, Pikachu." I beamed at the rodent, motioning him to jump onto my shoulders. The Pokémon sprang up with an equally excited 'Pika', taking his usual place on my shoulders. "Alright, we'll be leaving then," I said, grinning at the woman as we walked out of the dressing room.

As I walked past her, "I think you were really good in today's battle," the woman said out of the blue, an encouraging smile on her face. "You may have lost the match but…"

"Thanks," I said, acting embarrassed. "But Tobias was a lot better."

The woman's smile dipped a bit. "Yes," she said, nodding in acknowledgement. "It was an exciting battle to watch. Good luck with your future matches. I hope you make it to tier six."

I smiled in response, and turned back to make my way towards the exit.

Was there anything good about losing? I wondered as we retreated back.

"Losing huh," I muttered, feeling down as the words the referee uttered while declaring Tobias's victory echoed in my mind. The disappointment of losing was something I was familiar with. I remember crying after I lost my match in the Indigo League. I guess I had gotten better at handling the feeling but…

I still didn't like it.

The long corridor leading to the exit split in two directions. One leading to outside the stadium, and the other to the stands. I knew my friends were mostly waiting for me outside but my mind prodded me not to go that way. I wanted to be left alone for some time. Even Pikachu didn't complain as we took the latter route, leading back to the arena. The little guy probably knew I wasn't planning to go back anytime soon.

Solitude welcomed us once again at the stands of the Lily of the Valley Stadium. The bright afternoon sun punished us with its intense heat, making me instantly regret my decision. The railing felt like a hot steel rod fresh out of a furnace when I wrapped my palm around it, making it seem like burning hell. However, there was silence all around, and that was something I wanted the most at the moment. Even if it came at the cost of such discomfort.

At a distance, a couple of the people from the maintenance crew were yelling something to their coworkers as they inspected the freshly replaced grass field. The view from where I stood was perfect, as it covered either sides of the arena perfectly well. No wonder Paul stood here throughout the match, I thought when I noticed that. Speaking of which…

I promised Paul I'd become strong. I did become stronger. But was it enough? Just how strong was strong enough? How long before I reach my goal? Where was I on the road to be a Pokémon Master? Am I lost? Would I even worry about these things had I won today?

The questions kept coming one after the other, each of them digging out more. But it was okay, I told myself. It wasn't wrong to question oneself, my dad said. The more you question, the more you'll know about your flaws. The more flaws you identify in yourself, the better you can become. Even if I was unsettled by the loss, I'm glad I was at least holding my cool. That was an improvement in my eyes. Buried deep in those thoughts, I couldn't hear the sound of the faint footsteps approaching me.

"Pikapi." the rodent however, seemed as vigilant as ever. He tapped on my shoulders to point out that someone was approaching us from behind.

Turning back, I wondered if another of those maintenance guys wanted me out. Except, the person standing behind was a familiar face, who froze upon noticing us. He seemed to be lost in deep thought as well, because he didn't even notice us standing in the open. The said person looked just as surprised as me, as his thick purple eyebrows weren't collected in a frown. Instead, he looked taken aback by my presence, an expression he immediately covered with a bland stare. Let alone smiling, I was still having a hard time getting used to Paul not frowning at me all the time.

A strange silence followed that, the cause on my part being the gloomy train of thought I was having. What should I be saying, anyway? When he last parted with us, he told me to get stronger. And here I was, unsure if I was strong enough or not. Besides, how could I declare I've become stronger when I lost a match not ten minutes ago?

He probably remained silent because he was expecting me to greet him like I always did.

"Why are you still here?" I asked at last. The stadium was otherwise empty, and most of the crowd had already found its way out. The next match was due to start in fifteen minutes or so.

He raised an eyebrow at this, scanning me with a suspecting gaze. I knew I asked the question only to greet him one way or the other, but did he really have to look at me like that?

"I was talking with my brother on the phone," he said, after some brief hesitation.

Now, that seemed strange. What were they talking about in the middle of a battle, especially in a noisy arena? If it was the payphone in the stadium, then Paul must have been the one who made the call.

"What were you guys talkin' about?" I asked the same.

His expression darkened a bit at the question. "Nothing important."

I remained silent, realizing he didn't like the line of questioning. I knew they probably had a lot to talk about, but why would they talk right in the middle of a match? I still wondered. But I decided to hold my curiosity for a while.

Another moment of silence passed as neither of us said anything to continue the conversation. "Alright then," he muttered, before turning around and walk away, hands in pockets.

"I thought I've gotten stronger," I said, all of a sudden. His footsteps halted.

I wasn't really sure if I could talk to him about it. As much as I'd like to consider him as a friend, we weren't really close. We didn't know much about each other outside of the brief interactions we had through our battles. Paul was a difficult person to approach….and a much difficult person to share your feelings with. But, he was the one who told me to get me stronger in the first place. Maybe he would know the answer to the question bothering me.

"You have," he said, not turning around. "So what?" He sounded somewhat annoyed.

'I have?'

"Then why did I lose?" I asked, somewhat worked up when he acknowledged my growth. "Does this mean I've to grow a lot stronger? After all the training, if all I could do was just beat four Pokémon, then how can I ever win against Tobias?" The questions reverberating in my mind for a while gushed out like a flood as I clenched my fists in frustration.

He turned back to face me, the trademark sullen expression returning back to his face. "If that's what you think," he said, his eyebrows knitted in a frown. "Then give up."

'Give up?'

I looked at him in disbelief. Of all the things he could say…he simply told me to 'give up'.

But Paul continued, "Frankly, I don't think I'd have won today either." He closed his eyes, retreating his hands out of the jacket. "But there are people in this tournament, who can win against Tobias right now. They'll all crush you in no time. You have no hopes of winning against these people. None at all."

He watched silently as I continued to stare at him, blank-faced. Everything he spoke was the truth. If I couldn't stand a chance against Tobias as he's right now, I can't hope to beat someone like Jason, Cynthia or Lance. If the Sinnoh Elite Four brought down Tobias to his sixth Pokémon as well, then they were clearly as good as me or even stronger than me. Cynthia has defeated each one of them by a huge margin. And there were more who all happen to be as good as her, or some even better than her.

But still, telling someone to give up was the worst advice you could give to anyone. It's true that we weren't good enough yet, but that didn't mean we had to give up.

Give up. That phrase irked me.

"What about you then?" I asked, close to yelling. "Are you going to give up too?"

He turned around wordlessly, and began walking down the stairs. "Answer me!" I exclaimed, taking a step forward.

"It's not about how strong you are," he said, raising his hand lazily to wave a goodbye.

"What don't you answer my—"

'Wait a minute.' I froze.

It's not about my strength? "Then why did you tell me to get stronger!" I yelled at my rival, who eventually disappeared out of my sight. "Paul!"

My cries echoed in vain, leaving nothing but silence to respond me. 'What was wrong with him?' I wondered. Why couldn't he just answer a simple question? Did he mislead me when he told me to get stronger?

No, that wasn't it. Hadn't he told me those words, I probably wouldn't have been good enough to put the performance I had shown today.

Then what did his words mean?

If I didn't win because I didn't lack the strength to do so, then why did I lose? Why was I being left with more questions to answer? Why couldn't I simply find the answers instead?

"If it's not strength," I muttered, mostly to myself. "I'll find out what it is."

"Give up."

He admitted that he couldn't have won against Tobias either. He told me to give up, but he never told he had the intention to do the same. 'I'm not weak anymore, Paul.'

If it wasn't because my Pokémon lacked the raw power I needed to defeat someone like Cynthia or Lance, then what was it that I lacked? How did Paul arrive at an answer while I was still struggling to find one? Was it perhaps something he had been thinking for a long time?

That's true. At some point, all trainers reach a point where their Pokémon were more or less at the same level. But there's a reason why some trainers were better than the others. The gym leaders had something that made them stronger than ordinary trainers. The Elite Four had something that let them surpass gym leaders by a long mile. And the champions had something that made them the best trainers of their regions.

Everyone had a secret that made them better than everyone. What was this something that these people have, and how do I get my own to be able to defeat them? The key to my goal lied in these questions.

'That's right. Once I find the answer to this question, I can become the strongest trainer in the world.'

Little did I know finding the answer wouldn't be so easy.

Regardless, I was determined to find the solution. "I'll figure out the answer to that question," I said, exchanging a determined glance with my best friend. You'll have to wait till that day, I told, referring to both Paul and Tobias. Once I clear out the fog blocking our road, all I had to do was charge forward at full speed and grab that championship.

That's right. I wasn't out of the tournament yet. If I win against the rest of my three opponents, I could still make it to Tier Six. I'll win and clear this road—

The Road to becoming a Pokémon Master!

Author's Ramblings: Yeah, this marks the true end to RTBPM. I hope you all enjoyed read everything until now. The next instalment will be much more entertaining and hopefully higher in terms of quality.

And the points I've mentioned at the end of the last chapter. I think I'll club 2,3,4 and post them at once. (A few spoilers to book 2 and a final author's note, acknowledging the flaws.)

Just a heads up to you guys, I am planning to write Book 2 in a way that people reading it won't even know it's a sequel to RTBPM. Well of course the events that took place in the book have happened, but they will be mentioned for being clear. Unless I re-write RTBPM, you don't need to read RTBPM.

Ah, sorry guys I edited out the name suggestion thingy. I decided to do that in the next update instead.