Chapter 14 and 3/4: Five Years Later

"Bradley, is that a toaster you've got there?" Lizard Man asked in a surreptitious manner.
"N-no, Mr. Lizard Man, I swear!" the young boy answered.
"It's all right, don't worry," Lizard Man responded with a smile. "Even though other certain members of the faculty may not understand the need to have warm toasted delights in the morning, I'm on your side. Just don't let anyone else see you with it."
"Boy golly, gee whiz!" Bradley exclaimed. "You're the awesomest teacher ever! See you in class tomorrow, Mr. Lizard Man!" And at this, the boy skipped away, happy as could be. Lizard Man just smiled; it was moments like these that reminded him of why he had decided to become a teacher in this post-Blood-Eyed Cat Syndicate world. He then walked on, remembering his appointment that he had to keep.
Lizard Man got in his car, started the engine and made his way to the retirement home where he was to pickup grandpa Dustin; the silly old man didn't have much time left in this world now, but he had one last request that Lizard Man had promised he would help him fulfill. Aside from that, he himself hadn't been to the destination they were to be headed towards in a couple years, a secret he guiltily kept to himself. As he drove on, he turned on the radio, tired of the silence surrounding him. The song that came on was Kiss From a Rose by Seal, one of Lizard Man's personal favorites. It also reminded him painfully of Quincy O'Snappers, and he briefly wondered whether him and Stacy had ever found the happiness they so rightly deserved. He did not have long to dwell on these thoughts, however, as he pulled into the parking lot of the retirement home and saw that grandpa Dustin was already waiting for him on a bench. Lizard Man got out and helped the old man into the car, got back in and drove off to their next destination.
The two drove on in silence for a few minutes, until grandpa Dustin gave an unwarrented "Touché!" Lizard Man debated internally whether he should respond or not, but decided that getting him riled up would probably not be the smartest choice of action, especially in a moving vehicle. Finally, after a few more pained moments of silence between the two, they arrived at their destination: Grumbles Memorial Cemetary.
"By boogy this place is neato supremo!" grandpa Dustin said with glee. He opened his door and rushed out of the car with surprising vitality for a man his age. Lizard Man hurried after him, afraid that Dustin's senility would cause him to get lost in this beautiful graveyard, much like a small child might get stuck in the big plastic tubes at Chuck E. Cheese. Sure, there wasn't anything particularly wrong with such a thing, as getting lost and finding one's way out is a trait that most children would do well to obtain. But then if the kid got lost in the never ending maze of plastic tubes and chutes that smelled of a combination of feet and feet-smelling pizza for over half an hour, the parents would have to get an employee to come and rescue their child, or (even worse), get the help of an older rapscallion to go spelunking in search of their lost child, like a miniaturized version of a collapsed mineshaft.
Lizard Man and grandpa Dustin eventually made their way to the center of the graveyard, where a large statue stood in memoriam of their fallen comrade Grumbles the bear. The two stood there for a moment of silence, both wondering what life would have been like if things had gone just a tad bit differently than the way they did. At length, Dustin took his wallet out and took a card out. Not just any card, however; it was Grumbles' first Pokemon card - his holographic Snorlax. Marveling at its beauty for only a moment, Dustin placed it upon the statue. Lizard Man followed suite, taking a card out of his own wallet. This card, however, was a Charizard.
"I know how much this meant to you, Grumbles," Lizard Man said to the statue. "It took me a while to hunt down, but here it is; I hope you know just how much we all cared about you, you crazy talking bear." Lizard Man then placed the Charizard on the statue next to Snorlax, emitting a loud sniffle as he did so. Grandpa Dustin grasped his shoulder and squeezed, and Lizard Man put his own arm around Dustin's shoulder, and the two made their way back to the car.
"Hey, wanna go to Wal-Mart?" grandpa Dustin asked, his old goofy grin re-awakening on his face.
"As long as you don't try to steal more Jell-O Pudding Snacks this time," Lizard Man said sternly.
"Daaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah haaaaaaa," was all grandpa Dustin could respond, for his smile was too big to allow for any kind of actual words to be formed. As the two got back in Lizard Man's car, the wind seemed to blow the branches of the surrounding trees, giving the impression that they were being waved goodbye to. The Snorlax and Charizard cards, however, stayed firmly in place.