Chapter 60:  Epilogue (Part B) by Michael Keens/ Exodus  

“Championship material Pokémon.  The Boss is gonna be so happy.” chuckled 
Claus.  
“Give them back or else!” shouted Veronica, as she, Rick and Chad had caught 
up.  
“Oh Lookie, its the former member o’ that moon wotsit crew.” grinned Cletus, 
“Well we’re about ta upstage yer group wit’ this sheer number o’ experienced 
valuable Pokémon, they’ll fetch us a pretty price.  Hyuk hyuk!”  
“No! They can’t get away with my Pokémon, I won’t let them! Twinkill! Double 
Edge!” I yelled.  
“MIE!!!” it wailed as it shot upwards like a shuriken, but the Elites were 
prepared, and a strange cannon was produced.  
“Twinkill!” I shouted out.  
A huge sphere of electricity hit Twinkill hard and the shock rendered it 
unconscious.  
It simply dropped down rapidly, and sadly I wasn’t quick or close enough to 
catch it, and it hit the ground hard.  
“Twinkill!...  Twinkill, speak to me...” I shouted to it as I held it in my 
arms.  
“Star...” it groaned, weakened immensely by the drop.  
“Guys! Use your Pokémon! Please!” I called, “Blossom’s in as much trouble as 
the Pokémon!”  
“We can’t!” shouted Rick, “We left our Pokéballs in her research centre for 
safe keeping, there’s not enough time to get them and stop the Rockets!”  
“Oh don’t worry about the silly professor, we’ll drop her off somewhere safe, 
but the Pokémon are ours!” laughed Cassie.  
“Everyone! Try to get out! But be careful with Blossom!” I called to the other 
Pokémon.  
The various Pokémon attempted their specialty attacks but each one did nothing 
against the seemingly weak metal ropes and any projectile attacks fizzled out 
on a blue shield formed in the holes of the net.  
“We’re not the same old Elites anymore, we’re winners now.” explained Cassie, 
“And as such the Boss spent a little money to build this net, its stronger than 
it looks and the forcefield prevents any of your Pokémon’s attacks from 
working!”  
“I thought all this Rocket business would stop after I beat Bryan...” I 
groaned.  
“Turquoise, he’s the least of your problems now, Bryan is no longer a Rocket 
after failing the promises he made to the team, so we’re back at the top of the 
Boss’s list and as we’ve proven, we’re out to take your championship Pokémon to 
prove ourselves.  Goodbye now...” chuckled Claus.  
“We can’t just let them get away.  Twinkill, can you fly up there?”  
Twinkill tried to stand and position itself to leap up, but it became 
unbalanced and fell.  
“Too much for you in your weak state, huh?” I sighed.  
“Tetsubo!” shouted Falkner, “Use my Pidgeot! I never let its Pokéball out of 
my sight, but since its the only Pokéball I brought out with me, you’ll need 
another to attack that balloon.”  
“Twinkill can handle it, just not the flight up there.” I figured.  
“Then its settled.” nodded Falkner, throwing his Pokéball out.  
“Pidgeot!!!”  
“Pidgeot! Allow Tetsubo to ride you and do whatever he tells you.” ordered 
Falkner.  
It nodded and bent down to make climbing and mounting it easier.  
“Let’s go!” I called, the speed of the launch upwards was faster than I thought 
so I had to hold on to both the Pidgeot and my Starmie.  
“You can do it Tetsubo...” called Emily, just as worried since her Pokémon were 
also in danger, “I know you can...”  
We reached the Elites’ level but needed to get closer, unfortunately, they 
noticed us and opened fire with the cannon, along with some extra guns that 
fired sticky goo that would probably cause Pidgeot to plummet if any hit its 
wings.  
“To the side!” I shouted.  
Pidgeot completely turned itself to the right and I had to grip tighter as we 
swerved out of the way of a shock ball and several goo shots.  
“I know I’ll regret this, but Pidgeot, barrel roll left and right until we get 
closer...”  
It did so, and I wished Falkner had attached some sort of rope to his Pokémon, 
as everything spun around me, but more importantly the Pidgeot and we circled 
and parried the incoming shots until we finally got close enough.  
“Ah don’t believe it!” screamed Cletus.  
“We would have gotten away with it if it hadn’t been for that meddling 
Pidgeot!” 
complained Cassie.  
“Stop shouting! He can’t do anything to the balloon while he’s on that bird, 
we’re in the clear!” comforted Claus.  
“I think you forgot something...” I said darkly.  
“What?...  Oh right, ‘Turquoise’ can’t do-”  
“Not the lousy nickname, This!” I corrected.  
“Star!” screamed Twinkill as it spun itself through the air, first tearing 
through the balloon, and then cutting through the bottom of the basket.  
“Whoa Doggie!” exclaimed Cletus as he and the others grabbed and held on tight 
to the side of the bottomless basket, the balloon beginning to fall.  
“Oh no! My shoes!” complained Cassie as her expensive high heels dropped, 
“You’re gonna pay for that! Those cost me a month’s salary!”  
“Do something Turquoise!” shouted Claus, “Your Pokémon and professor are in as 
much trouble as we are!”  
“Don’t worry.” I replied, catching Twinkill and holding it out as a Psychic 
attack shot forward and twisted the metal around the plummeting balloon until 
it snapped and fell apart and away from the net.  
“This’ll be a strain I realise Pidgeot but please catch that net and get it 
down safely, think of it as a huge but valuable egg...”  

As Pidgeot dived down, the Elites, without the metal to weigh them down and a 
hole in their balloon, and their transportation was blown away by the wind and 
flung them some distance before they descended.  
“This is gonna be a rough landin’!” screamed Cletus.  
“We needed those holes in the balloon as much as we needed holes in our 
heads!” added Cassie.  
“For the last time this year...” spoke Claus.  
“Elite Rocket’s crashing down agaaaaaiiinnn!!!...” they all said as they 
disappeared.  

The weight was difficult but luckily for us all, Falkner’s Pokémon was well 
trained and held on tight to the top of the large heavy net while flapping its 
wings furiously, there were around twenty Pokémon in the net, and most of them 
fairly heavy, the ground came up fast and that’s when the Pidgeot put all its 
effort into it.  
It was lucky that the forcefield was still active, as what little damage by 
touching down on the ground at the slight speed it plummeted was nullified by 
the shields, keeping the Pokémon, and Blossom safe until we came to a full 
stop.  
Twinkill and I fell off Pidgeot shortly after it crashed to the ground 
exhausted.  
“Tetsubo!” I heard many people call, as my closest friends plus Falkner came 
running into the forest we’d landed in.  
I turned to Twinkill and ordered, “Twinkill, Psychic attack.”  
“Star.” it nodded, a second blue aura surrounded the sphere and fought against 
the forcefield until it shattered and disappeared, after that, Fire, Electric 
and Grass attacks from the Pokémon inside was enough to break apart the thick 
wiring, which had previously been protected by the shielding system.  
“Blossom...” I called as I lifted her out of the group of Pokémon, “You okay? 
You kind of got quiet during all this...”  
“Its... okay...  Just my claustrophobia catching up with me...  Thank you for 
saving us...” she replied.  
“You know me, I never let anyone down...” I grinned.  
“Pidgeot, Return.  You did a great job...” spoke Falkner, “Everything okay 
there Tetsubo?”  
“Uh huh!” I called back, “I think we’re even now...”  
“Oh Tetsubo...” comforted Emily as she ran to me and checked me over, “I was so 
worried...”  
“Its okay Emily, I’m not going to leave you...” I replied.  
“What a story!” called a new male voice, one I didn’t quite recognise, “I got 
it all on tape.”  
It came from a man with brushy dark green hair in brown clothing holding a 
video camera.  
“Dad?!” exclaimed Emily, “What are you doing here?”  
“Maybe we should get back to your party and relieve the remaining guests of 
their worries, then I’ll explain...” he replied...  

Back at the party we returned, and I wisely recalled all of my Pokémon, 
including Twinkill, to their Pokéballs to rest from this encounter and kept 
them safely hidden away in Blossom’s lab.  
Emily was talking with her father, and mother in private, who had both 
unexpectedly turned up.  
I didn’t know too much about her parents and barely remembered them, they were 
busy people, much like my own parents.  
Her father was a reporter, and her mother a busy nurse, Emily didn’t see as 
much of them recently as she would have liked to, which is probably why she got 
into the first group of people as she could, even though they eventually turned 
on and abandoned her.  
Emily hadn’t returned home since the League, she assumed her parents wouldn’t 
be around, my parents were happy to let her stay and I was willing to offer my 
bed, even though the couch turned out to be less comfortable than I 
remembered.  
I couldn’t have slept in Cody’s bed as he’d come home with me, and as for my 
other sibling’s room, well, my parents didn’t want a thing moved out of place 
until she came back to us...  
Anyway, I wondered Emily and her folks were talking about while Blossom and I 
were checked over by the Nurse Joy of Fuchsia City.  
“Okay Tetsubo, there’s just a couple of grazes but you’ll be fine, and 
Blossom’s just a little faint from her claustrophobia, I’ll remain here with 
her so go enjoy the rest of your party.”  
“Are you sure you’ll be okay Blossom?”  
“Yes, I’m not big on parties anyway, go, enjoy, and I’ll make sure your Pokémon 
are safe.”  
I nodded as I headed out towards the garden to see the others.  

Soon after explaining that I was fine to everyone, the party resumed, although 
my closest friends had to head off one by one as the journey to their homes 
would take some time.  
We all traded contact numbers beforehand so I could talk with my close friends 
whenever I wanted, and I was left with lesser known friends and acquaintances 
to hang out with.  
I didn’t quite get the chance, as Emily was heard complaining at the top of her 
voice.  
I investigated it at one of Blossom’s storerooms where her parents had taken 
her and knocked politely on the door.  
It opened abruptly and Emily stormed past with tears in her eyes.  
“Emily, what’s wrong?” I called.  
“I’m sorry Tetsubo, I don’t want you to see me this way...” she sobbed before 
pushing past me and running into the forest area.  
“Emily! Wait!” I shouted, with one hand stretched as if I could reach out to 
her from here.  
“Tetsubo, isn’t it?” came her mother’s voice.  
“Could we please speak with you?” asked her father.  
I sighed and walked forward to sit with them.  
“This is hard for us to say, we saw you two together on television and how 
happy Emily looked, but we haven’t any choice in the matter...” said her mother 
sadly.  
“Just say it already...  And I’ll decide what to think then...” I requested in 
a firm but worried tone.  
“Its the family situation...  Emily’s mother and I have recently made a 
decision to move away, in order to get better jobs but still have time for our 
daughter...” explained Emily’s mother.  
“Our jobs have kept us away from Emily in the years which define and shape the 
woman she will become, and during this year we’ve worked hard to change 
everything to make things better for us...” added her mother.  
“And you want me to break up with Emily so that she can spend more time with 
you...” I concluded.  
“No, not as far as that, but maybe you could talk to her and convince her to go 
with us, something tells me you’re the understanding type, though I realise how 
hard a decision this would be to you...” corrected Mr Whyte.  
“I just want Emily to be happy...  I’ll see what I can do...” I sighed.  

I searched the forest area through and through but found nothing.  
“Please don’t tell me Emily ran away...  I-  Rain?” I questioned before feeling 
another drop of water fall on me, I looked up to see Emily perched in the 
branches above, and offered an uncertain smile to get her to come down.  
She fell into my arms and I gently put her down and walked her to a tree stump 
where we sat.  
“Your parents told me everything so there’s no need to explain.”  
“Tetsubo...  I’m not going with them...” she replied firmly.  
“What?! But Emily...” I spluttered.  
“I wanna stay with you Tetsubo, you’ve always been there for me ever since we 
started seeing each other again, you’re more amazing than anyone I’ve ever 
known and probably more than anyone I ever will know...” she pleaded.  
“Emily, what are you getting at?” I asked.  
“I love you Tetsubo and I won’t let anyone break us up, we can run away 
together and go on more adventures, only, together together...” she suggested.  
“Emily...  I can’t do that, I won’t.  What you’re asking for aren’t our simple 
adventures, you’re asking me to leave everything I care about forever.  I love 
my family so I couldn’t just up and disappear and permanently live on the run.  
My family has been through that already ever since my sister just up and left.” 
I answered.  
“I’m sorry, I didn’t think...  Then... then we’ll tell my parents that I want 
to be with you...” Emily said.  
“Emily...  You’re really rushing into decisions I don’t think you truly mean.  
I know its not fair to have to choose lover or family, but your family 
obviously loves you and just wants the opportunity to spend more time with 
you...” I sighed, explaining things through to her.  
“But they want to move to the west continent of Johto, don’t you realise how 
far away that is?”  
“Emily, you’d be making a mistake if you abandoned your family for me, I can’t 
guarantee what the future holds, but wouldn’t it be better to have your family 
to fall back on when things go wrong?” I questioned.  
“So what are you saying Tetsubo? That we should just end things so that I can 
go live with my family all alone?” Emily challenged.  
“You won’t be alone Emily, and no, we don’t have to end things if you don’t 
want to...” I corrected.  
“But I’ve heard that long distance relationships rarely work, and-”  
I kissed Emily gently on the lips and then pulled back to speak, “And why 
should we listen to what anyone else says? I love you too Emily and I’m quite 
prepared to remain in this relationship even if I can’t see you as often as I’d 
like.  If we’re meant to be Emily, then we will be, no matter what life throws 
at us.  But if we are meant to be, then I’d like to have the consent of your 
family I might become a part of, instead of being some guy who stole you away 
from them...”  
“Tetsubo...” sobbed Emily, having come to a decision, “I...”  
“You don’t have to speak Emily, your eyes tell me more than words could...  
We’ll make it work...  You’ll see...”  

A week after the party, I stood on the balcony of my house, and let the rare 
summer winds blow through my hair and on my face.  
Emily and I would do our best to keep our love going and remain loyal to each 
other despite the distance between us now, being with her in this way gave me 
an indescribable feeling that set my spirit free and gave me a strange peaceful 
and serene feeling, yet so full of energy because of her, and I wasn’t going to 
break her trust, I was going to make this meaningful relationship between me 
and my childhood friend work.  
She’d left already, and had moved away to the western continent of Johto, a 
place I’d visit a while after she settled in, and definitely in the future in 
order to participate in the League there.  
I had faith that we could keep our love alive and grow closer to each other 
while allowing her the chance to spend time with her family while she could, 
and then in the far future we could move away from our homes and live together, 
and all the rest...  
We’d planned to travel together in the Johto region at some point as many new 
Pokémon were known to inhabit those parts, but that League had already started, 
and would start over in around six months.  
As for my other friends, Abby had gone home with her parents, and would surely 
remain with them for a while, I was glad she finally had her family back.  
Scott had still been absent after his sister was saved, I was sure he’d figure 
things out and come back to her, and then us at some point, not to pay back the 
money though, but just to see the group, I didn’t win the League for the money, 
I did it to prove how great of a trainer I could be and to make a name of 
myself.  
Chad had hastily decided to continue participating in leagues until he got the 
first place rank in one.  
Rick had also decided the same, determined to live out his dream, though 
whether or not he’d done so with Veronica by his side wasn’t clear.  
Those two had gone through some things neither had told me about, something 
that made things awkward between them, but I was sure Rick would tell me when 
he was ready to.  
Carrie and Eve decided to return to their home for a time.  
Finally, my parents had returned to work and my brother Cody had left to train 
again in order to surpass me someday.  
So where did that leave me? Here at home, all alone, truly thinking about what 
had happened.  
I’d done it.  
I’d really done it.  
I’d gone out into the world, and accomplished my dreams, so why did I still 
feel empty inside? As if coming first in the Kanto Pokémon League didn’t mean 
as much as it should...  Probably because I wondered if the outcome would have 
been the same had Bryan not interfered in the tournament.  
I had the title of Kanto League Champion, the money was used for a good cause, 
and the trophy I had won was soon to be transported to the Pewter City Museum, 
to stand with many other trophies won by Kanto League Champions, including my 
sister, whom before this journey I never realised she’d donned a hood and 
competed under the name Discord.  
I’d used six years of my life to get to this level, and I wanted more, the 
process of training Pokémon, and the thrill and challenge of Pokémon Battles 
still called me for more.  
I looked back at my backpack, along with six of my Pokéballs lying on the bed, 
and was one hundred percent certain of my next choice.  
I retrieved the leaflet I’d been given and opened it up to reveal a map of the 
Orange Islands, with the money I’d gained from interviews alone, I could 
purchase Beryl’s boat services once more, and within three months, gain the 
four necessary Gym Badges of the Orange Archipelago, and compete against the 
Orange Crew champion for a place in the Orange League Hall of Fame.  

My Pokémon Journey was far from over, it had only just begun...  

End of Chapter 60B and of the first series of Pokémon Journey  

Back to Chapter 60A
Back to Story List #41 - #60
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