Epilogue
Some people say good days are just a coincidence, but for Ash and his Pokémon, today was their day.
After helping Nigel free every last Dark and Shadow Pokémon and leaving him to return them to their owners, Ho-oh was surprisingly understanding and even agreed to help Nigel find the Pokémon's owners. Later, Ho-oh told Ash that the reason she wanted to help Nigel was because she had seen a similar evil before in the king of Pokelantis and was willing to help because, that time, she had no choice but to imprison the king of Pokelantis forever. Ho-oh told Ash she wished she hadn't done it and wanted to help Nigel so that she could defeat this evil instead of imprisoning it.
This brings us to the little town of Altomare. Ash, his Pokémon, and his friends Misty and Brock were staying there to wait for the Silver Conference to restart. Plus, it allowed Latios and Latias to visit with Bianca and Lorenzo, whom they hadn't seen since they had left with Ash to earn the Rising Badge.
"Too bad Professor Oak and Professor Birch couldn't make it," commented Misty.
"They're probably having the time of their lives publishing all the discoveries they made," said Ash, "They won't miss it."
"I hope they don't mention Jirachi," said Latios, "He wouldn't like tons of people crowded in his cave, hoping to get a wish."
"Don't worry," said Brock, "even if they do say something, I doubt anyone will be able to get past all those riddles."
"Sounds like you guys sure had a lot of fun," said Lorenzo.
"I wouldn't call it fun," said Ash, "just..."
"Interesting?" suggested Latias.
"Yeah, that," said Ash, "Guess you can put this one on the list now, Pikachu."
"Already did," replied Pikachu, "Two tally marks on the 'legendaries saved' list, one tally mark on the 'saved the world' list, one tally mark on the 'saved a life' list, one tally mark on the 'evil teams thwarted' list, one- no two tally marks on the 'almost died' list, and two tally marks on the 'legendaries caught' list."
All of Ash's Pokémon promptly broke into laughter.
"What are they laughing about?" asked Bianca.
"It's nothing," said Ash, "Pikachu keeps a list of all the crazy things we've done, and I think we just hit a new record for things added in one go."
"You probably wouldn't believe some of the things we've been through," said Brock.
"This was sort of out of the ordinary, at least for us," said Misty, "I didn't expect to see a Latios or Latias until we got to Hoenn."
"Why don't you tell some of these unbelievable stories?" asked Lorenzo, "We've got all day."
"Yeah, we could swap stories!" said Latias, "Latios and I haven't heard about many of your adventures either since we've been so busy lately."
"I don't see why not," said Ash, "where should we start?"
"How about your first day as a trainer?" suggested Brock, "Fighting hundreds of Spearow with a Pikachu you just got is pretty exciting."
"Can't we just skip that one?" asked Ash, "That was embarrassing."
"Oh no you don't," said Pikachu, "we are sharing every last detail."
"Including the part where you made me drag you by a clothesline?"
"That was not my fault," Pikachu huffed. "You wouldn't listen to me."
"I didn't speak Pikachu back then." Ash countered.
"I was being obvious," said Pikachu, "but you couldn't even catch a Pidgey! How were you supposed to understand me?"
"Exactly," said Ash, "Hey, wait a minute!"
The rest of the group laughed as Ash and Pikachu continued their mock argument. Though the debate over whether it was Ash or Pikachu who let the Pidgey get away remained unsettled, one thing was for sure: it was good to be back together. Together, as a not-so-normal, but always loving, family.
The End
~~~
Thank you for reading!
If you've enjoyed this story so far, consider leaving a review and joining my Discord server! You can stay updated on my stories, chat with me and other fanfiction writers, or just hang out! (discord.gg/eX4k3bV2au) (link on my profile page if it doesn't work)
P.S. If you are reading this version of my story on any platform other than webnovel.com, you are at risk of a malware attack, or this story has been stolen, or both. If you wish to read this story in its original, safe, form, please go to https://m.webnovel.com/book/true-eons_33457776008937305. Thank you.