Chapter 46

Epilogue

It was the night after the Pokémon League championship match. All the trainers who had participated in the tournament were invited to the formal awards ceremony, held inside the Pokémon League headquarters. Since it was very formal, all the trainers were dressed up.

"Do you like my dress?" Giselle asked Joe, showing him her black dress she was wearing.

"I love it," Joe said, looking a little worried. "You look beautiful."

"Thank you, Joe," Giselle said. "You know, you don't have to treat me any differently from before… I'm still the girl you've always known."

"You're the Pokémon League champion now… you're a star," Joe said.

"I'm just Giselle," Giselle said with a smile.

The trainers went to the hall where the ceremony was being held. On the stage was a podium, where the four medalists would finally receive their medals. Once all the trainers had arrived and sat in their seats, Charles Goodshow addressed them from the stage.

"Thank you all for coming here tonight," Goodshow said. "I see we don't have all the trainers who participated in the tournament, but I appreciate those of you who did show up. Tonight I will give the medals to the top four finishers in the tournament. It is an achievement in itself to make it into this tournament, but it is something else altogether to finish in the top four. You have to be an excellent trainer to make it that far, and these four trainers have shown their excellence."

Goodshow reached over to a platform where the medals were sitting, picking up a bronze medal.

"The two trainers who reached the semifinal round but lost once getting there receive bronze medals," Goodshow said. "The first bronze medalist is… Lorelei."

The trainers started to applaud as Lorelei got up from her seat next to Lance and walked up to the stage. She stepped onto her place on the podium, and Goodshow put the medal around her neck.

"Congratulations, Lorelei," Goodshow said.

"Thank you," Lorelei said.

"The other bronze medalist is… Sabrina," Goodshow said.

The trainers began to clap again, while Sabrina got up from her seat next to Will, who had put his mask back on (as he refused to show his face to anyone but Sabrina). She walked up to her place on the podium, and most trainers could not help but notice a bit of disappointment on Sabrina's face.

"Congratulations, Sabrina," Goodshow said, putting the bronze medal around her neck.

"Thank you," Sabrina said unemotionally. She looked down at her medal… that bronze color looked awful. But she then looked over to see Will and the psychic twins clapping for her, and she managed to smile, realizing that she had achieved something.

"The trainer who reached the championship round but lost in the final battle receives a silver medal," Goodshow said. "No pun intended, but Silver, this is your medal!"

The trainers laughed and clapped as Silver stood up from his seat next to Jasmine and walked up to the stage. He got up on the podium, and Goodshow put the silver medal around his neck.

"Congratulations, Silver," Goodshow said.

"Thank you," Silver said.

"And finally… the Pokémon League champion not only receives that large trophy, but also a gold medal," Goodshow said. "This year's Pokémon League champion is Giselle!"

The trainers clapped loudly and cheered as Giselle walked to the stage to receive her medal, although a few Elite trainers did not clap with much enthusiasm. Giselle stepped up onto the podium, and Goodshow put the gold medal around her neck.

"Congratulations, Giselle," Goodshow said.

"Thank you," Giselle said.

"I present to you our Pokémon League medalists!" Goodshow said.

The trainers began to clap and cheer, before going into a standing ovation. Not even Sabrina could resist smiling. This was a great honor for the medalists. For Giselle, she felt the realization that she had accomplished the highest goal in Pokémon training- becoming Pokémon League champion.

After the awards ceremony, the trainers all went to tables, where they were served a meal. Goodshow came up to Giselle, who was sitting with Joe, Casey, and Sakura (as she had met the two Johto girls and made friends with them).

"Giselle, I have an offer to make to you," Goodshow said.

"Sorry, I'm not selling my gold medal," Giselle said with a laugh.

"Oh, it's not that," Goodshow said. "But I have this to tell you: as Pokémon League champion, you have the right to become an Elite trainer."

Giselle was taken aback by Goodshow's statement, especially given her criticism of the Elite. "What exactly does that mean?" she asked.

"There's a big, beautiful apartment where the champion gets to live, here at Indigo Plateau," Goodshow said. "That apartment would be yours, and you'd have access to everything here at the Pokémon League headquarters. You'd have food given to you, of course, and you'd be in charge of the Elite trainers here at Indigo Plateau. They are great trainers who take on challenges from time to time, while also making decisions that affect Kanto and Johto's Pokémon Leagues."

"Wow," Giselle said. "You know, I knew about some of this, but I didn't know I'd be one of those Elites… okay, I'll take it!"

"Okay," Goodshow said. "We'll have your apartment set up by tomorrow."

"Thank you," Giselle said, before Goodshow walked away.

"Congratulations, Giselle," Sakura said.

"That sounds awesome!" Casey said. "I bet you have some big televisions… I'd love to watch my Electabuzz on them!"

"It sounds really nice," Joe said.

"Yes, it's going to be great," Giselle said, before pausing for a moment. "Wait a minute, what about you, Joe? Where are you going to be living? You're not going back on a journey again, are you?"

"Giselle, you've become a great inspiration to me," Joe said. "I made a terrible decision by dropping out of school. I am going back to Pokémon Tech and enrolling in the advanced class, so I can get my diploma. I may already be allowed in the Pokémon League tournament, but there is still much I have yet to learn."

"You're a very smart boy," Giselle said to Joe. "I'm going to miss you."

"I'll keep in contact… I'll call you on the videophone twice a day," Joe said.

"You stay away from those Tech girls!" Giselle said with a laugh.

"Why would I want one of them when I have the most beautiful Tech girl as my girlfriend?" Joe said.

Giselle and Joe kissed, while Casey and Sakura laughed.

Gary and Melody sat at a table with Ash, Misty, and Brock. Ash and Gary had newfound respect for each other after their battle against each other, so they were getting along much better.

"So, what are you planning on doing now?" Gary asked Ash.

"I'm thinking of going to that Hoenn region to see what kind of Pokémon I can capture there," Ash said.

"I'm planning on coming along, as there's probably a lot I can learn about Pokémon breeding there," Brock said.

"What about you, Misty?" Ash asked Misty.

"I'm sorry, Ash, but Lorelei agreed to teach me how to become a better Water-type trainer if I stayed here and trained with her," Misty said. "I wish you the best of luck in Hoenn, though."

"Good luck, too, Misty," Ash said. "I'll- I mean, we'll miss you."

Misty gave a smile towards Ash, who looked a little embarrassed.

"So, Melody, where are you going to go now?" Gary asked. "Thanks to that whole thing with Team Rocket, we were never able to find a permanent place for you to stay."

"I don't know," said Melody. "When I escaped from my home, I never thought about trying to find a place to stay- I just wanted to get away."

"You know, I'm not going to be at home, and I bet my mother wouldn't mind having you stay there," Ash said.

"Really?" Melody said. "Oh, thank you!"

"My place is at Pallet Town, which is Gary's hometown too," Ash said.

"Even better… I won't have to go far to see you," Melody said to Gary.

"Thanks, Ash," Gary said to his rival.

"You're welcome," Ash said.

Flannery, Tabitha, Winona and Wallace were sitting at their own table. Winona and Wallace were amazed at how much Flannery had changed Tabitha for the better.

"Flannery," Tabitha said, "do you know a place in Hoenn I can live? I was a part of that miserable Team Rocket, and then Team Magma, and we just lived at bases before."

"Oh, I'm sure there's a place that you can live in my home of Lavaridge Town," Flannery said. "I don't want you to run away from me."

"Trust me," Tabitha said, "that's definitely not something I want to do."

Will, Sabrina, Liza and Tate were at a different table, all talking to each other telepathically.

I am going to Saffron City to train as Sabrina's apprentice, Liza said. Would you stay in charge of the gym, Tate?

I see that you really want to train with Sabrina, so I won't argue with you, Tate said. I'll learn how to battle better on my own, and I'll take good care of the gym.

Thanks, brother, LIza said.

You're going to Saffron City, Will said to Sabrina.

That's right, Sabrina said.

Would you mind if I bought a home in Saffron City? Will asked.

Why would I mind that? Sabrina said. I'm just happy you now think the same way I've been thinking.

I must resign my position from the Elites, Will said. But I'd rather be in Saffron City, where you are, than be here without you.

It's no mystery why I like you so much, Sabrina said.

Will got up from the table and walked over to the Kanto Elites' table, where Lance, Lorelei, Karen and Bruno were sitting.

"I'm resigning from the Kanto Elite," Will said.

"You're kidding," Bruno said.

"We just got told that Giselle is our new leader, and now this bad news?" Karen said.

"Sorry, but I'm moving to Saffron City," Will said.

"It's okay," Lorelei said. "Good luck, Will."

"Thanks, Lorelei," Will said, before walking back to his table.

"You know, whether you like Giselle or not, she's earned her position," Lorelei said. "I think she is very good at training, and she proved it against me."

"Yeah, I guess you're right," Bruno said.

"We can't do anything about it," Karen said.

Lorelei noticed that Lance had not been talking, and it was usually on the topic of Giselle that he would talk the most. "What's wrong, Lance?" Lorelei asked.

Lance reached into his pocket and pulled out a small black box. He opened it to reveal a ring.

"Lorelei," Lance asked, "will you marry me?"

Lorelei looked absolutely shocked. "Oh, yes, yes, of course I will, Lance!" she said. The two then kissed each other passionately.

Silver, Jasmine, Gold and Whitney sat at their table, eating and talking about their plans, as they and the other trainers who did not live at Indigo Plateau were all planning on leaving the next morning.

"It's a long walk back to Olivine City," Silver said. "You two have a shorter route."

"Yeah, our walk is a bit shorter," Gold said.

"It's a long walk nonetheless," Whitney said.

"So, Whitney," Gold said. "What are we going to do now that we're both gym leaders, and both live in separate cities?"

"Oh, we'll still see each other a lot," Whitney said. "They aren't very strict on the whole gym battling thing… you can always take days off and visit me. And of course, we'll talk on the videophone all the time."

"Okay," Gold said. "I'll make sure to call you often."

"How difficult will it be for me to buy a house in Olivine City?" Silver asked.

"Not hard at all," Jasmine said. "They've recently built a bunch of new houses, and I'm sure if you paid the money you received from the tournament up front, you'll be able to move in immediately. These houses have televisions, beds, refrigerators, and other things already in them, so it will be an easy transition into your new home."

"That's great," Silver said.

"How much did you win?" Gold asked Silver.

"¥12000000," Silver said. "I saw a paper that explained that the prizes started at ¥120000000 for the champion, and decreased in increments by 90. So that's why Jasmine received ¥120000, and you two received ¥12000 each."

"That will be more than enough to pay for a house in Olivine City," Jasmine said.

"Good," Silver said. "I can't wait to finally have a home."

The next morning, it was time for the trainers to leave. They said farewell to each other, and took off in their separate ways. Giselle gave Joe a last kiss before he headed back to Pokémon Tech.

"I'll always be willing to help you," Giselle said.

"And I know you'll always be able to help," Joe said.

As he left, the Johto trainers started to make their way back to Johto. After a long walk, lasting well into the evening, they arrived at Goldenrod City.

"Well, this is it," Whitney said. "It's sure been fun traveling together all this time, and going through all those adventures, but it's finally time to go our separate ways, if only temporarily."

"Yeah, and we were able to get along, for the most part," Gold said.

"We'll see you," Jasmine said to Whitney and Gold.

"So long," Silver said.

"And I'll talk to you tomorrow," Gold said to Whitney.

"You too," Whitney said.

Gold went off towards Mahogany Town, where he was going to take over the gym, and find a place to live there. Jasmine and Silver walked off towards Olivine City, while Whitney returned to our house.

"Not that much farther to go," Silver said.

Jasmine and Silver arrived at Olivine City about an hour later. First, they went to the new homes, and found a person selling the homes. Silver presented the person with the money up front, and he was given the keys to his new house.

"Well, I guess it's time for you to go home," Silver said.

"Yes," Jasmine said. "I know you're tired, so I'll walk home myself. Good night, Silver."

"Good night, Jasmine," Silver said.

The two shared a kiss, and then Jasmine walked off towards her home.

"Wow… a television that comes with the house," Silver said. "Let's see what's on."

Silver turned on the TV. A movie was on. Two boys and two girls were walking on railroad tracks.

"I'd better go to yawn bed," Silver said. He then turned off the TV and went to bed. Before falling asleep, he thought about how thankful he was for what he had: friends in Gold and Whitney, a girlfriend in Jasmine, and a house to live in. For the first time in his life, Silver was home.