CHAPTER 14: INTO TOMORROW, WE SOAR!
As the pale, grey light of dawn was carried over the mountaintops the next morning, it was time for a parting of the ways. Over the course of the night all but a handful of the clones have decided to depart from Mt. Quena, and so had used the shadowy hours to exchange fond farewells and exchange promises to meet again someday. Each disperser gave their regards to Briar, Mewtwo, and little Acacio, who cease to delight no one, and once sunrise encroached, a majority of the pack, now dismantled, headed out in a world bathed in pure, vibrant light. Of those who remained, all chose to cross the take (or delve into the lake itself) and enter into the wilderness there, at last coming a part of the nature which called for them since "birth." Only Pikatwo, Meowthtwo, and Vulpixtwo lingered, for they had decided to depart, as a trio, only once the sun had risen over the mountains and bathed them in its golden light which, once, they had believed themselves unworthy to tread within. As such, they were part of the farewell party who saw off the visitors come daybreak.
Jessie, James, and Meowth gave their regards and headed towards Kanto, where they would resign from Team Rocket and rejoin James' estranged family. Eventually, after much internal debate, James would convince his parents that he would pursue a career in medicine, not law as intended, and said quite firmly that while a huge wedding and lots of grandchildren would be perfectly acceptable, he would be sharing both experiences with Jessie and not her near clone. Jessie and Meowth, happy enough with this set-up, happily entered into the acting field and did quite well for themselves—so for the long destitute and suffering three, matters ended happily…at least one the parents retired and went vacating in the Orange Islands for months on ends.
As for Ash, Misty, and Brock, once they departed in the Pikachu balloon they'd won in a contest, they continued on in their adventures…with the energetic boy and the fiery redheaded growing ever close all the time, with their enthusiastic "older brother" figure warring between keeping them from doing irresponsible things and completely egging them on…. Before they left, however, they asked the young family this:
"So, where are you three headed?"
And Briar, and Mewtwo, with Acacio over Mewtwo's shoulder, smiled, contemplating that. They could do anywhere in the world now if they so wished…and having such a wide door open was, to them, positively alluring. Briar, stepping forward to pet Pikachu, said, "Home, Ash—we will find a place we can call home, and raise our son there."
And leaning forward, kissing the boy on the cheek, she murmured, "And thank you for keep your promise—it means everything to us that you did."
Ash, grinning widely at the kiss and the thanks, said, "No problem! Now come on, Mist', Brock, let's get going!"
Together they launched their hot air balloon from the cliff's edge it was perched upon, and, as the alpha, omega, and their progeny watched, they soared up into the clear sky towards their destiny…as they would as well, soon enough.
After seeing off Pikatwo, Meowthtwo, and Vulpixtwo, Mewtwo and his mate wandered through the vacated caves, which gaped, hollow and cool and far too quiet without the pack members within them. For a while, they discussed whether they should depart or not as the rest of the pack had, weighing the procs and cons of such a choice. If they stayed, they had access to the water of the spring, the warm waters of the ones belowground, an abundance of food, an already set up living quarters for them and their baby…and they would not be leaving so many memories behind. Yet staying included the risk of invaders, both pokémon and human alike…and, most daunting of all, was the isolation. At one time in both of their lives, Mewtwo and Briar had craved such seclusion—yet now, missing a pack and mindful that their child needed playmates to grow and be happy, they realized the advantages of being near others…including humanity, which Briar, in the depths of her soul, required for her inner peace. Besides, Acacio should know both sides of his ancestry—by learning about both, he would come into his own, as parents would wish for all the children.
In addition, they always have the option of returning home…but for now they, like the others, wished to begin something fresh and new. So, taking turns attending to their son, Briar and Mewtwo packed their meager possessions and walked through the island complex for the last time for a long time…and then, together, they disappeared, reappearing at the base of Mt. Quena. There, Briar glanced into the cabin, and spying that Calix and Luna, despite their amnesia, had nonetheless struck up a deep affinity for one another, she chuckled and merely snitched a local map. When she returned and unfolded it before her partner, he lifted his brow as if to inquire, "Where to?"
And, with a little bit of thought, Briar decided that she wished to first return to the town of her birth: to find closure and begin anew. With a nod, her beloved told her to envision the place clearly in her mind and hold onto him…she felt static race across her skin as he charged his abilities…and then, as his gaze focused on the scene in her inner eye, he teleported them into the woods just outside of the house where Briar had been raised. Working with the animals outside was a woman who greatly resembled Briar—her mother—and the woman's partner, Jennifer. As Briar stepped away from her mate and child and out of the grove, approaching the women, she mused that they looked older, wearier somehow, even…dare she believe it?...sad? As they heard someone coming up the path, they stood and peered down the way…and then began to stare. Only when Briar faltered, nervously, some fifteen feet from them, and called out to them a hesitant "Hello" did they move or speak.
When they did so, the energy of the movements and cried startled Briar—she hadn't thought them yet capable of such rapid dashes and bone-crushing hugs, or that they would shriek the name they'd given her so loudly. She hugged them back timidly, wincing a bit at the pressure they placed on her swollen breasts, but nonetheless held a wide, happy, relieved smile upon her face; from their tears and their responses, she understood, at long last, that they truly had missed her and had wanted her back. And she hadn't realized how much she'd ached for them before either….
"Hey Mum…hey Jenn…it's been a while," she murmured.
"Oh god, Rose, we were afraid we wouldn't see you again! You just vanished and we looked everywhere and…oh god, I'm just happy you're back, sweetie! I was so afraid we'd lost you forever…!" Her mother cried, with Jenn nodding in fierce agreement.
Briar merely sighed, "I have a lot to tell you both—why don't we go and sit down somewhere?"
And as they turned away, clutching her between them, Briar looked back towards the woods and smiled, nodding to the ones watching her from the woods. They'd meet again in a couple hours…for now, papa and son should just relax in the shade….
In the following hours, Briar, roughly, conveyed what had occurred over the past year (had it truly only been that short a time…?). She told them that she had needed to go off on her own for a while to pull herself together, how she had been hired on to a group as the caretaker of its pokémon members, how she had subsequently befriended those in this group and had, eventually, fallen for the man in charge, and he with her. Though at first she hesitated to admit it, she eventually informed them that they were (very) newly made grandparents and how her son was with his father at the moment, staying in a place a little out of town…and, most of all, she conveyed to them that she was deeply and truly happy. For her parents, this was a great deal to take in, but in the end, they congratulated her and said that as long as she was happy, they would support it…provided she keep visiting and bring the family with, of course.
Knowing that they'd have to work up to that, Briar nonetheless smiled and agreed, and for a little while reveled in the time she got to spend with those who raised her after so long apart…and by the end of the visit, she promised to return soon. As she met up again with her mate and son, she confided that it had gone well, and asked her partner, "Where next?"
With a smile, he said that he knew just where to build their new home…but that site, he stated, would be a surprise. For now, they would remain within a small cabin he'd managed to build while she was visiting, and so, while he worked on the mystery spot, she could remain near her family and have a place to look after Acacio while he was away. After they stocked their supplies, this even became quite a comfortable arrangement, with they three of them spending their mornings and nights together, while Mewtwo went to construct their lasting have in the afternoon as she and Acacio went to explore the town and visit her folks, her son hidden under the guise of being a baby pokémon she had hatched on her travels (her parents, however, were not so gullible…but after the initial shock wore off and it was made quite clear that her relationship with the father was devoid of perversion, they accepted it and contented themselves with fawning over their adorable grandchild).
A few months passed in this manner, until, at last, Briar, Acacio, and eventually the grandparents, were invited to see the home which Mewtwo had built: a place of multiple bedrooms, a couple of bathrooms, a sprawling living area, kitchen, and dining area…and with an entire island as the backyard. Surrounded by a warm sea, the area was only a few miles by ferrying from the mainland, and gave them the necessary solitude they required to raise their child in peace, and never enough to access a community each day if they so desired….
True, Kanto was a bit of a distance from where the grandparents lived…but that was, naturally, what teleportation was made to bridge. And so, content and with a future full of potential before them, the alpha, the omega, and their son savored their years together and missed out on no wonder as they soared into each new tomorrow, and so knew nothing more of the regrets and sorrow that had, once upon a time, so haunted Mewtwo and his Briar Rose.
For neither bore any further reason to wish to fade into nothingness. For now, they found, they had everything to live fore…both in the moonlight and beyond.