EPILOGUE

The next day at the Arjrabal Eastern Gate.

Scarlet readied his bike and dropped his bag in the baggage hold at the front before dusting his hands with a relieved sigh. "Well, that's all for my stuff. And now that the GPS works again, I know the right way for us to go without having to rely on White's wonderful navigation skills."

Turning, he looked at the vast expanse of environment and whistled. Everything contrasted now. A sandy desert lay to the left and right beside it was an endless sea from where the sun had finally started to rise, making it look like one of those beautiful piers in cape towns. Trees dotted the landscape too and mountains could be seen in the far distance. Pokémon also waddled or ran about too and the hunter made a small remark about how alive everything seemed now.

"White! We don't have all day!" he suddenly barked, turning to the gate. "We've gotta leave here before a sandstorm throws us off track!"

A second later, White popped out from the opened city-gates carrying a large amount of souvenirs with her that looked more like junk than artefacts.

"I'm selling those," he warned, seeing as she wanted to fit them in his bike. Pouting, she dropped them and picked up a blue pendant before tossing it around her neck.

"How do I look?" she asked, showing it off.

"The same. Now let's say our goodbyes and-OW! What was that for?!"

"Meanie! I hope you go bald in the near-future!" White grumbled, retracting her fist. "You should take a souvenir too, seeing as they're so fancy. I just found the perfect earrings for Jolteon!"

Jolteon shrank back in horror and scurried up Scarlet's leg before latching himself to the boy's face, yowling and begging for mercy. She and Nella had already subjected him to Arabian-styled makeovers and dress-ups last night and he was in no mood to be laughed at again.

"I guess this is it."

The trio turned to see Nella, Mana and Khan with their respective pokemon beside them, standing at the gates. What surprised them was that they were wearing normal clothes. Like plain shirts, jackets, shorts and stuff instead of the traditional Arabian apparel that made them look like they jumped out of an ancient tale.

"Surprised? We do have these clothes but weather conditions don't really allow us to wear 'em often," Khan explained and pocketed his hands. "Besides, I prefer the other ones."

"Jirachi says: Super weird!" Jirachi flew past them and pointed up to the pink and blue sky. "Look! The trio are going home!"

The group looked up and White waved as the legendary genie pokemon were seen, looking down on them kindly while ascending into a light-filled portal.

"Bye! I hope we meet again!" White called.

"Thanks for everything!" Nella shouted and waved, exposing her bare arms. Bare arms.

"Hey!" Mana pointed out as the trio disappeared. "Where's your henna, Nella?"

Nella laughed and flashed a grin. "The Kami Trio said there was no need to continue this awful habit of sacrificing and stuff so they promptly stripped me of my healing power and used it to restore Arjrabal, along with their own power of course."

Her friends gawked in surprise before replacing their expressions with that of joy.

"That means your lifespan won't be cut short anymore!" White squealed, hugging Nella. "You're normal now."

"I was always normal," the redhead replied with a sweatdrop and stroked White's hair. "So…it's time."

"Already? Aw man," the trainer bemoaned but brightened up and extended a hand. "You're right! Thanks for the supplies and stuff…and for also giving us a place to stay."

Nella took the hand and shook it heartily, lingering a little before letting go and turning to Scarlet. "Thank you Scarlet for lending us your strength as well as your smarts. Also, thanks for the advice on my little perfection-complex. I now know that wishful thinking like that gets people nowhere fast."

"All in a day's work, Nellie," he replied and scratched his chin. "I have to say…your fighting skills are top-notch. You'd make a good leader and protector."

"Hey! What about me?" Khan butted in, furrowing his brows. "I'm the bad-ass with the double blades remember?"

"Hmph. What a kid," Scarlet scoffed and sighed. "Hurry up and confess your love to Nella already."

Khan's eyes widened and he grit his teeth as his face reddened. "You…little…BRAT!"

As Khan chased him round the bike, White turned to Mana and extended a hand. "You're a great guy, Mana and I hope you'll continue to make your country happy…in the legal way."

Laughing, Mana took the hand and was promptly surprised by his own boost in self-confidence. Days ago, he could barely talk without stuttering unless he had his mask on yet here he was now, standing at his princess' side and openly laughing with friends. Precious friends.

Hey Mannie, you're crying, Claydol hummed and the boy gasped before withdrawing to wipe his eyes.

"I'm sorry!" he sobbed. "I just-"

"It's fine. I cried not too long ago," White replied, showing the tear tracks on her cheeks. "And you're not the only person who's sad."

Claydol hissed and turned away, trying to hide its own tear tracks but failing since it had eyes all around its head. Don't look at me like that! I'll miss them too.

Jirachi followed suit and wailed loudly to everyone's surprise. They had only met for one day and it was already bawling? Wow.

"Jirachi's gonna miss you guys!" it whimpered, flying into White's arms. "Jirachi loves you guys for helping it out!"

"We love you too, Jirachi," White replied, going bleary-eyed again. "But you've gotta play your part in the universe."

"Don't worry," Khan stated, coming up from behind White. "You'll meet better friends when next you get back. Hell, you'd have even forgotten all about us by then."

"No! Jirachi won't forget! Never ever ever!" it declared and smiled. "I'll never forget this adventure."

The moment was sad and Scarlet inwardly admitted to feeling a tiny pang in his heart.

"We're always with you," he spoke up, surprising everyone at the fact that he was actually reassuring somebody. "And you'll always be with us." The hunter thumped his chest and grinned. "So long as we've got these beating hearts of ours, we'll never be alone. Cos we're soul friends. Our souls are wound nice and tight like the tightest of shoelaces."

Jirachi stared before grinning broadly and hopping onto Scarlet's head. "Jirachi says: Thanks Scarly! It was cheesy but at the same time, very original! Jirachi'll always remember those words and will keep you in my heart forever and ever!"

Sweatdropping, Scarlet lifted the Wish Pokémon off and held out a fist to Nella.

"Remember those words and let them be your consolation at the fact that we'll meet again. If not here, then in the next life. I'm sure all your answers to life will be found there."

Nella nodded and bumped fists with him. Mana, Khan and White did the same and the five teens raised their hands to the air before giving a final whoop.

"Let's go, White! Two more towns to go and then Twist Mountain awaits!" Scarlet stated, breaking off from the group and hopping unto his light cycle.

"Bye!" White called, jumping behind Scarlet as he revved his bike. "I'll miss you! Keep wishing and maybe we'll find this place again. I'm itching to see how big it would've grown!"

"I'll keep wishing and praying!" Nella cried, feeling the tears finally spill. "And I'll be strong for my country! We'll expand and show the world that we exist!"

"I'll keep fighting for Arjrabal's sake!" Khan yelled as the bike revved. "And I'll help everyone unite fully! Just you watch, White! I won't be a coward anymore!"

With a roar, the shot forward and White looked back to see Mana smiling and holding up his pinkie.

"I'll never forget you," he mouthed. "Pinkie promise."

White smirked and held up her own pinkie. "I won't forget you guys! Pinkie Promise!"

(Begin credits).

Jirachi zoomed along with them and looked up before gasping.

"Look! Look!" it cried ecstatically. "The Vibrava have come to take me back!"

Puzzled, Scarlet, White and Jolteon looked up and their eyes suddenly widened.

A gorgeous aurora borealis spread across the sky and several dragonfly pokémon danced across the lights, joining hands and circling the sky. Nella saw this and held her breath as the Vibrava let out their mesmerising songs and began to glow. Suddenly, Bu twitched and she noticed the longing in his big, red eyes. Yeah…he too had wanted to participate and had always watched eagerly for this day.

"Bu," she stated and patted his neck. "Go."

Bu looked to her before letting out a tearful moan.

"You'll be much happier. But promise to come back from time to time, okay?" Nella asked, giving a teary smile. "I want to hear about all your adventures."

The Mystic Pokémon needed no third push and he gave her an eskimo kiss before taking off towards its evolving brethren. At the same time, Jirachi suddenly became cloaked in light and it felt itself being lifted away from Scarlet, White and Jolteon.

"It's time for Jirachi to go," it stated and gave a peace-sign. "Jirachi'll tell your descendants about you guys if fate allows it!"

Scarlet blinked. "Descendants? HEY! Are you implying-"

"The Vibrava are evolving!" White butted in, standing on her foot hold and looming over Scarlet to get a better view despite the fact that the cycle was still moving.

The Vibrava circled Jirachi's glowing form and increased the tune of their melodious chirps before starting to glow in resonance. The aurora also transformed into a spiral of light that tore through the clouds and pierced the heavens. Through the light, the teens could see Jirachi enclosing itself in its steel shell while the Vibrava took on new shapes and increased in size. With a joint cry, they dispelled their evolutionary light, revealing the very pokemon known as the Desert Spirits in all their glory. And Bu was now one of them. Together, they fired off brilliant, multi-coloured Dragon Breaths that decorated the pink skies and cast another magnificent aurora curtain that dazzled the observers greatly and reminded them of all the joys, sorrows and determination that brought them here. As the lights gradually dimmed, Jirachi's steel shell ascended with its train of Flygon following close behind. The scene was inspiring, just like the picture in the scroll and five people were caught in a brief moment of philosophy.

"The Stairway to Heaven is very narrow and nearly impossible to attain," Scarlet remarked, viewing the brilliant morning star that appeared where the pokémon had disappeared through.

"Some say perfection is what is needed to attain it," Nella murmured to herself as her friends turned and headed back into their homeland.

"But now we know that determination and the strength of our individual wills count far more than some imaginary goal when needed to pass it," Khan whispered and cast a smile to the sky.

"Nobody is perfect. Not even pokemon. But if our resolve is true and in the right direction, then something far greater awaits. All we need to do is keep our hearts set on chasing it without straying from the wrong path," Mana said and looked back at the tiny silhouettes of the people who had helped him realise it.

White looked back and noticed that Arjrabal had disappeared from view now. She knew that it was pure fate that made them chance upon such a utopia and she doubted they'd meet again…at least in this life. But she'd never forget them and all the trials they'd gone through together. Raising a hand to the sky, she imagined herself touching the morning star and was finally struck with that brief philosophical wave that made her and everyone else realise a very important truth.

"Perfection is not attainable. But if we chase it hard enough…we can catch the dazzling excellence." The trainer grasped the star and let the wind whip past her face as the mysterious trio made their dramatic exit, eager to face whatever knew challenges awaited them.

FIN.

Thanks for reading and take a lesson from it if possible.

A SIMPLE POKéMON MOVIE: STAIRWAY TO HEAVEN. 2012.