70

"Guys, I don't know what to say," Ash said, shaking his head. "Well... I guess 'that was awesome' counts. Thanks so much!"

Charizard spoke for all of them. "It was a lot of fun for us too."

Nods confirmed it.

"Thanks," Ash said again. "And... yeah."

He frowned. "Unfortunately, there's kind of too many of you for me to manage it like this next time. I guess we'll just make do."

"One time has been worth it," Suicune said. "I am glad to have helped you win the Conference."

"My daughter is right," Ho-Oh affirmed. "As before, I will be there if you need me – but consider calling on me if you merely want me. I hardly have a full schedule."

Ash nodded. "Right. I'll try to remember."

"I suppose that's the best I can hope for..." Ho-Oh sighed mournfully. He spread his wings, and set off west into the setting sun.

I should go as well, Ash, Lugia said. I can only echo what Ho-Oh has said – I am there if you require my help.

The Diving Pokémon beat his wings, and readied for takeoff.

I'll give you a lift if you want, Mewtwo volunteered.

Lugia's wingbeats stopped. That would be nice, actually.

Think nothing of it. Now... Ash, don't break anything I can't fix.

Both Legendaries vanished in a flash.

"As for us..." Suicune smiled. "Well, what do you think, brothers? A holiday in Hoenn?"

"Sounds like fun!" Raikou agreed. "Maybe we can get Entei into a contest, too..."

"Raikou..." Entei muttered.

"Yeah, it's Hoenn soon," Ash confirmed. "As soon as everything's sorted out, really... oh, that reminds me. Latias."

Latias looked up expectantly.

"I think it's time for you to go back to Altomare for now – I'll pick your brother up later," Ash told her. "That way you get some time to talk together."

"Thanks!" Latias squeaked. "It'll be nice to see him and Bianca. I wonder if he saw me on TV..."

"If he did he saw you battling a crazy Garchomp," Pikachu pointed out.

Latias winced. "Good point..."

"And I..." Keldeo paused, and then went on. "I still want to travel with you, Ash. But in a few months or so I think I'd rather head back to Unova."

"Just let me know when, Keldeo, I won't keep you from home," Ash told him.

"Home's where you want to be," Keldeo smiled.

Ash was touched, and took a moment before starting to speak again.

"Charizard?" he asked. "I guess you're headed back to the valley..."

"That's right," Charizard confirmed. "I expect I'll never hear the end of it about Raticate, but apart from that..."

There weren't many more goodbyes to handle, among Ash's Pokémon. Butterfree was off to his family, and Lapras to his, but most of them were staying either with him or with Professor Oak – in rotation.

Larvitar was a special case, as his carefully-written schedule showed.

But, before long, everything had been said.

Well, everything to Pokémon.

"I guess it's time to talk to Misty," Pikachu said, with a sigh. "It's going to be weird not having her around."

"Or Brock either," Ash pointed out. "Remember, he's off to Pewter to check in on things – we're meeting him later."

"Buy enough ready-made food for the whole time we're without him," Pikachu said promptly. "You can't cook."

"May can," Ash reminded Pikachu.

The Electric-type blinked. "Oh, yeah, that's right, May Pokémon food's on offer. Disregard what I said."

"Is this May really that much better than Ash?" Houndoom asked, curiously.

"Well, she's quite good, and Ash is best kept away from trying to mix up his own recipe..."

"So, Misty," Brock asked. "How'd the press conference go?"

Misty slumped down on a park bench. "That was exhausting!"

"...I guess not great?" Ash said hesitantly.

"Well, I think it went okay, but... I'm not used to that kind of questioning," Misty admitted. "I mean... my speciality's the Water type, that's about it..."

"Misty?" Brock asked. When she looked up, he continued. "You're one of the youngest Elite Four members there's been in a long time."

Misty blinked. "But... oh, right, the time thing."

"Yeah, they don't know about that bit, but you'd still be on the shortlist even counting that," Brock told her.

"Right..." Misty winced. "I guess that explains that..."

There was a moment of silence.

"Well... I guess this is goodbye, guys," she said, slowly. "It's been fun, but... yeah, I'm still pretty overwhelmed."

"I'll drop in whenever I get the chance!" Ash told her.

"You bet!" Pikachu confirmed. "Hey, we'll probably be challenging you before too long!"

"True..." Misty said, looking a bit worried at the prospect.

"It'll be fine, Misty," Brock assured her. "I'll make sure he writes."

"Hey!"

"That'd help," she nodded. "And – hey, that thing with Manaphy? Make sure I'm involved! That's my speciality!"

"You got it!" Ash nodded.

Another silence.

"Are you going to head back to the Cerulean Gym first?" Brock asked. "Check in on your sisters?"

"I think I will," Misty confirmed. "Ash – can I borrow Pidgeot?"

"Sure!" Ash said, taking a Pokéball and passing it to her. "Use her to get back to Indigo Plateau too, and then send her back to Pallet or on to Littleroot – that's where I'll be for the first day or so."

"Thanks," Misty said. "I could fly on Togekiss, we did find that out, but... it's kind of awkward for both of us."

"I can imagine," Brock nodded. "It didn't look too comfortable..."

One of Misty's Pokéballs flashed, and Togekiss emerged. Her eyes were a little wet, and she grabbed Brock with one wing and Ash with the other and pulled both of them into a hug.

"I'll miss you," she said. "Both of you."

"We'll miss you," Brock told her. "Take care of Misty for us, okay?"

"I'll try..."

"What did you just say, young lady?" Misty asked, indignant. "I do not need to be kept out of trouble!"

"That's not what I meant," Togekiss assured her, releasing the boys and twirling to face her trainer. "But you're going through a stressful time, and I'll be there for you."

"...oh, I see," Misty said, and reached up to brush away a small tear. "Then... thanks, Togekiss."

She switched her attention back to Ash. "And speaking of taking care of people... Pikachu, don't let your trainer get into any trouble he can't get out of!"

"And how do I tell what that looks like?" Pikachu asked. "On the list of things he can get out of we've already got the collapse of time itself and a fossil apocalypse."

Misty considered that, and laughed. It was a little forced, though, and ended quite quickly.

"So," she said, after a moment. "This is it, huh?"

"Guess so," Ash said. "We've come a long way from Viridian City."

Misty whispered something Ash didn't catch, and then took a deep breath. "I'll head off to Cerulean, then, make sure my sisters haven't broken the place." She left a pause just long enough to make the others wonder, then smirked. "Again, I mean, after you broke it."

"See, Ash?" Brock said, shaking his head. "If it's not the bike it's the gym."

"Actually, speaking of the bike-" Misty began, and then the whole group dissolved in laughter.

"I needed that," Brock smiled, when the giggles had faded.

"I think we all did," Misty agreed. With quick, decisive motions, she sent out Pidgeot and climbed aboard.

"You better not lose to too many gym leaders while I'm not there, Ash Ketchum!" she called, and then Pidgeot set off into the blue yonder – Togekiss cruising alongside, in a tailwind provided by the larger Flying-type.

"...is it me, or is it strange she's the one flying off on Pidgeot when her new house is, uh... there?" Ash asked, pointing.

"It's not just you," Brock confirmed.

"Nearly there," Misty said, watching as Mount Moon went past on the left.

Togekiss nodded. "It's going to be a strange visit," she said. "I lived there with you for a while, back when I was young... but this is just for a few hours. Then it's off to the new home."

"Do you like the room?" Misty asked. "I tried to furnish it with you in mind..."

"It's fine, Misty," Togekiss assured her, and did a little roll. "Really. You know my tastes quite well, and the hammock looks like fun!"

Misty smiled.

"I'm about to brake now," Pidgeot informed them, and the tailwind swirling around them began to weaken. "Just so you know... would you rather I stopped outside Cerulean?"

Misty thought about it for a moment.

"No, land me by the gym," she said. "Wait... look!"

Pidgeot looked.

"There's some kind of argument – those are your sisters on the right!"

White condensation clouds rippled around Pidgeot as she slowed herself. "How do you feel about a dramatic entrance?"

"I don't mind the idea," Misty said.

Togekiss peeled off, and Pidgeot swept low over the gym roof before pulling up in a lazy Immelman turn.

That shed the last of her speed, and she came flapping down to a hover just by the gym door.

"Misty?" Lily asked, blinking. "Where'd the Pidgeot come from?"

"She's a loaner," Misty replied, sliding off the Flying-type's back. "Who are these guys bothering you?"

"We," one of the teens said, "are the Invincible Pokémon Brothers – Kail, Kim and Kai! We're here to take over the gym!"

"...that's not how it works," Daisy sighed. "We told you. Twice."

"Actually..." Misty got an idea. "Hey, Daisy. I'll take them on. They win, they get the Gym."

All three older Sensational Sisters turned to their younger sibling and gaped.

"What?" Lily gasped.

"Misty!"

"That's just-" Violet began.

"We accept!" said Kai promptly. "You can't back out now!"

"I don't intend to," Misty informed them.

"Misty?" Violet said, grabbing her elbow and pulling her away from the gym door. "Can we talk?"

"Yeah, like ask what the heck you're doing!" Lily added.

Misty pointed at Daisy. "Hey, sis? How long has this argument been going?"

"Uh..." Daisy frowned. "I can't remember, but I'm pretty sure it started hours ago."

"Pidgeot?" Misty went on. "How long did the flight take?"

"About twenty minutes."

"Good." Misty raised her voice. "Cerulean park, ten minutes, boys!"

"All right!" she heard Kail say. "We're going to beat her for sure!"

Ten minutes later, Misty stepped forwards to face the first brother – Kim.

There was quite a crowd. Word had spread quickly, though the Brothers didn't bother even trying to get much information about the young Waterflower they were going to face.

If they had, they might have not turned up.

"Okay, boys," Misty began, tossing a Pokéball up and down in her hand. "Who among you knows how someone gets to be a Gym Leader?"

"Easy!" Kail said. "They beat the previous Gym Leader!"

"Wrong," Misty told them. "They have to battle – and give a good showing against – a member of the Elite Four."

She paused for a moment, enjoying the muttering in the crowd – most of whom had been watching the news – then went on. "Fortunately, I'm qualified. Beat me and – yes, you're officially gym leaders."

"Pardon?" Kim asked, blinking.

"But... that means..." Kai frowned. "You'd have to be a member of the Elite Four."

"Oh, you passed?" Daisy asked. "Cool – way to go, Misty!"

"The heck?" Kail asked. "She is a member of the – what?"

Misty threw the Pokéball, and the middle and little fingers of her other hand toyed with something for a moment. "Gyarados!"

The big blue Water-type appeared, and let out a long, loud roar – he recognized these three.

"...so what, you can't beat all of us!" Kai said. "Everyone at once!"

Three Tentacruel materialized, along with a Hitmonlee, a Hitmonchan and a Hitmontop.

In reply, Misty smirked.

And an orange glow shone across the field.

When it died down, all three brothers took a step back.

A Gyarados was intimidating enough. This Gyarados was huge and spiked and black and giving a very displeased glare.

In the silence, Kim muttered "...oh, hell..."

"Don't hurt them too much, Mega Gyarados," Misty reminded him, and got a rumbling growl. "Water Pulse!"

"How'd you make them do that thing where they went flying into the distance?" Daisy asked, some minutes later. "I think they landed right in the deep water off the Cape!"

"Practice," Misty replied, with a chuckle. "Lots and lots of practice..."

She shook her head. "Anyway – yes, as you probably gathered I've passed. I'm now officially a member of the Elite Four. I was coming over mainly to let you girls know – and to pick up some stuff from my room, too..."

She hugged Lily, then Daisy, then Violet. "Take care of Cerulean for me, okay?"

"After that performance, I'm afraid of what you'll do if we don't..." Violet joked.

Misty snorted. "Oh, girls – bit of advice? Get a Psychic-type like a Slowbro or something, those clowns might be back."

"Good idea," Daisy agreed. "Okay, sis – and good luck! Invite us over some time, we'll eat everything in your fridge for you."

"I might do that," Misty agreed. "Bring rebreathers."

"...why?" Lily asked.

"You'll see..."

As she left the gym about an hour later, Misty turned back to give it a good long look.

"It's been fun," she said, and Togekiss nodded.

"Excuse me?"

Misty turned, and saw a woman in a thick coat which concealed her face.

"Yes?" she replied.

"I was wondering – you're Misty, right? The Gym Leader here?"

"I was," Misty corrected. "I've been travelling for a few years – almost since the qualification – and now I'm no longer really eligible to run the place except if all my sisters are away..."

"Right," the woman said, accepting the correction. "I'm with the Gym Inspection Agency – I've been checking out the Kanto gyms, it's taken ages..."

"Yeah, some of them were actively dangerous when Ash and I went through," Misty agreed. "I hope Cerulean's fine?"

"No worries there, though there's room for improvement," the agent said. She drew back her hood, revealing herself to be one of the Joys. "I wanted to ask, though – but you said, you're one of Ash Ketchum's friends?"

"That's right," Misty confirmed.

"Well – he used a Latias in the Silver Conference, and I was wondering where he met her," the Joy explained. She looked briefly unsure, then went on. "Mine's a bit lonely, and-"

"You have a Latias?" Misty blinked. "Huh, I guess that's why they give you the hard jobs..."

"She's a dear," Joy agreed. "She's gotten me out of a few scrapes..."

"Well..." Misty thought about it for a moment. "Sorry I'm so suspicious – can I see her?"

There was a flicker as the Latias dropped part of her camoflage for a moment, and Misty nodded. "Yep, that's a Latias. Okay... you know Altomare? The museum curator's called Lorenzo – let him know you've got a Latias and that I sent you, he'll decide..."

"So you'll make sure to turn up as soon as you can?" Ash asked.

"Of course I will, Ash!" Brock said, for the third time. "Relax! You won't be forced to rely on sandwiches for long."

"Sandwiches are overstating it," Pikachu said, with a stifled giggle. "Try bread."

"...Pikachu, make sure Lucario makes the food," Brock advised.

"Hey!" Ash laughed. "I'm not that bad, not really!"

Pikachu stuck his tongue out.

With a wave, Brock set off. Ash watched him head to the station, and thought he saw Professor Ivy there for a moment – before both she and Brock moved out of sight.

"Just us for a while, huh?" he asked Pikachu.

"Yeah," Pikachu nodded. "For, what, an hour? Until we meet the Maples for the flight back to Hoenn."

Ash shrugged. "It's still a big thing."

He took a deep breath. "Man, but I hope I'm ready for helping teach Max..."

"It'll be okay," Pikachu assured him. "I'll help."

"Now I know it'll be fine," Ash chuckled. "What with all your experience as a trainer and everything."

"I train! It's just that I mostly train myself. And Raikou."

"Yeah, but can you throw a Pokéball?" Ash asked. "Wait, don't answer that, I taught you how to punch rocks in half... of course you can throw things..."

Pikachu laughed.

"Well, here we go," Philena Ivy said, as they stepped out of the Pewter station. "I guess this is goodbye and back to the long-distance relationship."

She leaned in and gave him a peck on the cheek. "It's been fun."

"Not so fast," Brock told her, and she blinked.

"Pardon?"

"I've got a plan," Brock explained. "Come on, it's not far to the Gym..."

"Why are we going to your gym?" Philena asked.

Brock shot her a grin. "I've got to introduce you to my parents some time, haven't I?"

Ivy blinked, and her eyes went a little wide. "Brock? You mean-"

"Philena," he interrupted. "I'm sorry for springing it on you – there is a reason, I promise. But... yes, I do think we're ready for this."

He squeezed her hand. "Really. I'm going to be down in Hoenn, then up in Sinnoh, and that might be a problem. But... you should get to know my family, because I intend to be serious about this."

The professor blushed, touched. "Brock..."

She shook her head. "Sorry, I must sound very silly. I'm flattered, really I am – thank you. And... okay, lead on. I'll just start mentally preparing myself..."

"Preparation's good," Brock agreed.

"Should we do some training?" Pikachu asked.

"Doesn't seem worth it, with only half an hour left," Ash replied. "I wonder..."

He looked around the open space, and frowned. "Hey, there's someone I saw in the quarter finals... and so's that! Look!"

Pikachu looked. "Oh, hey, it's Casey!"

"Yeah – hey!" Ash called, waving. "Casey!"

"Ash!" Casey called back, and hurried over. "I was just about to Fly back home – not sure where I'll be going after that, though..."

"It's always a tough choice," Ash agreed. "Ever been to Kanto?"

"Only on holiday, not as a trainer," Casey told him. "I might do that, though..."

"The Gym Leaders are pretty good... most of the time," Ash winced. "I had trouble with a couple..."

"I know what you get up to," Casey shook her head. "You probably broke their gyms, didn't you?"

"...in a few cases, yes," Ash admitted.

He snapped his fingers, and rummaged in his bag. "Oh, yeah, I was going to... give you... aha!"

"I'm vaguely worried," Casey quipped. "Last time you did something for me I became a target for poachers."

She shrugged. "But Riolu's worth it. What's the..."

Casey stopped, staring, as Ash pulled the object out of his bag.

"Ash..." she said, blinking. "That's a Mega Stone, isn't it?"

"That's right," Ash confirmed. "You said you wanted one..."

"Where'd you get this?" she asked, examining it – pale blue stone, with a near-black and yellow striping on the fleck inside it. "Do you just trip over these or something?"

"Those jerks at Altomare tried to use it on their Beedrill," Ash told her. "But they didn't have the right kind of bond-"

"Are you about to give me a Beedrill Mega Stone? A Beedrillite?"

"You're the only person I know with a Beedrill," Ash told her matter-of-factly.

Casey sat down hard. "Well, Ash," she said, in a faint voice. "Being friends with you is... an experience."

She shook her head. "I can't take it, Ash, it's too much like charity-"

"There's no Key Stone with it, I passed that on to someone else," Ash interrupted. "Seriously, Casey, it's you or I've no idea what I'll do with it."

After a few moments of intense thought, Casey took the Mega Stone. "Ash, you're probably going to regret this... but if you insist."

"Casey, if you manage to use Mega Beedrill against me I'd consider it thanks enough," Ash told her. "They only work if you've got a great bond with your Pokémon."

Casey nodded, absorbing that. "Well... okay, I guess."

She looked up. "Riolu? When did you come out?"

"A couple of minutes ago," Riolu informed her, sitting across from Lucario in seiza. "I was taking the opportunity for a talk with my cousin."

"Fair enough," she said, and chuckled. "Well, I guess... yeah. It might take me a moment to really get to grips with this..."

She clenched her fist. "And next time I'll beat you, Ash! Just send out Charizard last, we'll beat him!"

"I think he might try to incinerate me if I did that," Ash chuckled.

"I know you said how many brothers and sisters you have, Brock," Ivy admitted. "But seeing them all at once like that was... different."

Brock chuckled. "How do you think I got so good at cooking? Hey, Forrest, how's training going?"

"Pretty good!" Forrest replied. "It's been interesting training Rhyhorn, I think he's pretty close to evolving – we've been working on Dig for now."

"It's a good move in the gym," Brock agreed. "Remember, the walls are rock too – they're deceptively thick, so you might be able to squeeze Rhyhorn in there."

"Thanks!" Forrest said, nodding earnestly, and Ivy chuckled.

"Starting them young?"

"Misty's been a gym leader for a few years, and she just – well," Brock shrugged, and Ivy nodded.

After a moment, she cleared her throat. "Brock?" she asked. "Why did you come up with the idea of visiting your family at the last minute?"

She frowned. "And where's your mother? You said she was at home usually nowadays..."

"Oh, she usually is," Brock agreed. "But she's been out today – due back any minute now..."

He nodded to Yolanda. "That's right, not long now!"

Brock's oldest sister smiled happily. "I can't wait!"

Now completely mystified, Philena wondered what was going on.

A few minutes later, the door opened.

"Hello, everyone!" Brock's mother called, with a smile. "I'm back!"

Her younger children came running, Yolanda in the lead, and she chuckled. "I know, I know, I've been gone a long time... excuse me... thank you, Cindy," she nodded, as one of the girls took her bag and put it on the table. "Very polite of you."

Cindy beamed.

"And – ah, here he is! Welcome back, Brock!" Lola said, stepping forwards and giving him a quick hug. "How are you?"

"It's nice to be home," Brock admitted. "Everything okay?"

"Yes, the trip back went fine," Lola answered. "Someone challenged me to a battle, and Blastoise and Mantine got a bit of a work out..."

"It's good to stay in practice," Brock said.

Lola nodded. "And I see you've brought your girlfriend."

Philena was unsure whether to curtsey or bow or whatever, and settled for a nervous smile. "Hello, Mrs. Slate."

"And hello to you too, Professor Ivy," Lola winked. "Brock's told us a lot about you – all of it positive!"

"Okay..." Philena said, still quite nervous. She raised her hand. "Sorry, I'm a bit-"

Lola nodded, and stepped back a little. "Sorry, this must be all quite sudden for you."

"It is, a bit," Philena admitted. "But... I feel like I shouldn't feel this-"

She shook her head, and forced a smile. "It doesn't matter, I'm just worrying for no reason."

Lola nodded. "It's always a scary moment, meeting the parents. Don't worry, I don't bite."

She clicked her fingers. "Oh – Brock? I think we'll do it before dinner, there's no point making Yolanda wait too long."

"Do what?" Philena asked Brock quietly. "I'm really confused..."

"You'll see," Brock assured her. "Think of it as a surprise."

She nodded, dubious, and followed Brock into the main room.

On the table there were two boxes, both with colourful wrapping paper on them and the ribbon done up in neat bows.

"Now, you get to choose!" Lola told Yolanda. "So pick carefully!"

The girl nodded, smiling, and visibly considered.

"I want... that one!" she said, pointing, and picked the box up.

"That means the other one's yours," Lola added, nodding directly to Philena and indicating the other wrapped box.

"Mine?" Philena repeated. "Uh... okay?"

She took it hesitantly. "Is it Yolanda's birthday? It's not mine..."

"No, it's not my birthday, silly!" Yolanda giggled, and tore off the wrapping paper.

Unfolding the top of the cardboard box within, Brock's oldest sister took out-

A Pokéball.

As Philena blinked, Yolanda opened the 'ball with a deliberate motion, and a flash of white light coalesced into a big-pawed Litleo.

The cub shook its head, looked up at her, and gave a very small and high-pitched roar.

"She's so cute!" Yolanda beamed, and pulled the Fire-type into a hug.

Then there was a flicker of flame as the Litleo sneezed, and Lola's Marill hurried over to extinguish a small fire on the discarded wrapping paper.

"Now you open yours!" Yolanda said, scratching the Litleo and earning a satisfied purr.

Philena looked down at the box, and slowly undid the ribbon before breaking off the tape sealing the wrapping paper and unfolding it.

Inside her box, just like in Yolanda's one, there was a Pokéball.

She looked at it, then glanced at Brock. "How do I-"

Brock indicated the control. "There."

The Pokéball opened with a flash, and revealed a blue-black-and-yellow Shinx cub. With a purr, the Electric-type stepped forwards and rubbed against her arm.

"Brock," she said, in a startled tone of voice. "Is this-"

"Yolanda's old enough for her first Pokémon," Brock explained. "And I thought it would be nice if you got one as well – so I got Mom to get two at once."

"They're cute!" Tommy said, looking between the two Pokémon. That drew their attention to one another, and the two growled at one another before Litleo was distracted by another scratch.

Shinx didn't seem all that focused either, and returned to asking for the same kind of treatment from Philena.

"Do you like her?" Lola asked. "I got them from the fostering agency connected to the Shikoku Reserve."

"This is..." Philena began petting the Shinx, still a bit amazed. "I'm flattered – especially that you'd just give me one outright. Thank you."

She shook her head. "But... sorry, it's all a bit overwhelming."

Brock tapped her arm. "Philena? Can I have a word in private?"

At her startled glance, he shook his head. "Nothing bad. Just... a talk."

The scientist nodded. "Should I bring... Shinx?"

"You may as well," Brock decided.

Brock led her into the kitchen, and closed the door.

"Philena, there's something I've been meaning to tell you for a while," he said. "It's private, and... I'm not sure if it's really mine to tell, but I think I should explain why I'm so serious about this."

"That would be nice," Philena admitted.

There was a quiet flash as Ninetales came out of her Pokéball, and began playing with Philena's brand-new Shinx using her tail for keep-away.

The laughter of the Electric-type made Philena smile, and she took a deep breath. "Okay, let's hear it."

Brock cleared his throat. "Celebi? Last chance to stop me."

Nothing happened, except Philena getting deeply confused. "Celebi?" she repeated. "What-"

Her boyfriend took a deep, steadying breath.

"I've time travelled," he said. "From a couple of years in the future by now, to a couple of years ago."

"...well, I suppose that explains why you said Celebi," Philena admitted in a faraway voice.

She blinked. "Wait. Does that mean – did you only-"

"No!" Brock interrupted her firmly. "I didn't only – but..."

He shook his head. "Okay, I'll start with the important bit. Last time around, I turned up on the Orange Islands at the same time, and stayed at your lab while Ash was going around the Islands."

Philena nodded along. "So you were following the same events as the first time to reduce the divergence?" she asked. "Preventing the Butterfly Effect as much as you could?"

"That's right," Brock confirmed.

She frowned. "Did we... it was, what, a month after you arrived that we started going out? Was that deliberate? Pre-planned?"

"Philena, I..." Brock shook his head again. "I... you may not know this, but before I met you I kept going after every woman I saw. It was stupid of me, but I did. But when I met you... there was something different. I don't know. Maybe it's just that I was in one place for a few weeks and didn't need to move fast to have a chance..."

He shrugged. "It's hard to tell, it was about... nearly six years ago for me, by now. But I started to fall in love with you, and I'm pretty sure you felt the same way about me..."

Brock trailed off.

"Did it go wrong?" Philena asked.

"Yes, but not in the way you're probably thinking." Brock made an inconclusive gesture with his hand. "Remember the resonance experiment?"

"That... yes," Philena said, frowning. "You hit a lot of Unown with that crowbar of yours-"

She went pale. "What happened last time?"

"I wasn't ready for it," Brock told her. "I hadn't been paying attention to your research, so I wasn't able to tell when you got to it this time until it happened... but last time I reacted quickly. Just not as fast as this time. Not fast enough."

His hand came up to his face, and there were tears in his eyes. "You got pulled into the portal, and lost – and I don't know what happened to you after that. What happened to Doctor Hale makes me think you might eventually have come out, but... I didn't know that, then. And..."

He slumped. "After that I went right back to my old ways. I think you're the only person I ever really fell in love with, and..."

Brock fell silent.

Philena swallowed.

That did explain a lot. And she wasn't sure how to feel about the idea that Brock had 'known' they would fall in love...

But... thinking about it, he hadn't really pushed it. He'd made sure she was interested before reciprocating, at least until they'd reached a certain point and it had all gone much faster.

And if that was the point they'd been at when it happened...

"I'm sorry I didn't tell you," Brock spoke up again. "I should have. But... this is bigger than us. Ash got sent back and pulled us along, and it was to stop the literal end of the world-"

He stopped again. "Sorry. That's just excuses."

Philena considered the whole situation, carefully, thinking it all over in depth.

When she was done, she had a few questions.

"Why didn't you do something to stop me running the experiment?" she asked, first.

"I didn't know which experiment it was," Brock told her. "There was a whole battery of them, and I knew at least two of them had given you crucial results... but I didn't know which one caused the problem. And I was deathly afraid that if I changed things, you'd get around to that experiment when I wasn't there. If I'd been so much as out shopping-"

Philena winced.

"That's the same reason why you and your friends haven't changed anything else much, is it?" she checked.

"It had been," Brock replied. "Celebi showed up recently and told us she's trying to keep us all on course – so we meet the same Pokémon again, that kind of thing... but of course we'd stop the man who did it if we could find him."

A shrug. "But we can't. We've been looking – quietly. But we don't know any of his movements from last time until next year – and as soon as we can, we come down on him like Rayquaza."

Philena nodded. "That makes sense," she said.

She glanced down at Shinx, who was looking back up at her with worry clear in her eyes – even if the concepts were going over her head, the tones of voice were clue enough something was wrong.

Philena Ivy thought about what she'd learned, and came to a conclusion.

It was surprisingly easy.

"Hey, Brock, are you two done?" Forrest called, opening the door. "It's dinner – ulp!"

He shut it again, blushing. "Sorry!"

Brock's eyes were a little wide as Philena released him.

"I guess I can forgive you for saving my life," she said, and kissed him again.

Next to them, Ninetales smiled with satisfaction.

"What's going on?" Shinx asked, looking up. "I don't understand..."

Ninetales chuckled. "I think it's called a happy ending," she said.

"Ash!" May called, waving. "Over here!"

Ash came jogging over, Pikachu running alongside. "Sorry I'm late!" he said, slowing to a walk as he got closer.

"It's okay, they've not called us for boarding yet," Norman assured him. "It's close, though."

"Is that the plane?" Ash asked, inspecting it. "Those are big wheel struts... wait, is this a flying boat?"

"Yep!" Max nodded. "They're common around Hoenn, we've got so much water it's easier than building loads of runways. But they've got wheels in the floats so they can land on land as well."

"Neat!" Ash grinned. "Kind of like a Water-Flying type!"

Pikachu muttered something, and the trainer grinned.

"Ash?" Norman said. "I've got a suggestion for your-"

He was interrupted by the PA. "This is the first boarding call for flight 201 to Petalburg City. First boarding call."

"I'll tell you on the plane!" he decided. "Let's try and get the good seats."

"Sounds good to me!" Ash agreed, as he joined the Maples heading for the roll-away stairs.

As they walked, Ash let out a happy sigh.

It was time to go back to Hoenn. Old friends, new friends, adventure and battle awaited.

He could hardly wait.