The offical last chapter. this was so much fun to write this story. its a little different from most epilogues were the couple in the stroy get married etc. im kinda sick of reading those type of endings.

Well its sad that my biggest and longest fic is coming to the end. =( but this isn't the end for me. i'll write a new advanceshipping fic in the near future. until then!

~midnight

Shippings in this chapter: Slight Ikarishipping

Rating: PG (K+)

Epilogue

(Dawn's POV)

Sometimes I wished I had lost all my memoires. So that I can forget everything we shared together, the pain I've gained while we were together and the love I still have for you. But we all know it too well that dream of mine will never happen. At least I wouldn't have to see you suffer like that. Who knew that regaining all your memories was one very painful journey and along the way you found new things about yourself that you never knew before. Life is just full of surprises. It's just-

"Ouch!" I cried as I fell onto the carpet floor. I rubbed my painful spot right after that crash, my head. I opened one of my eyes and saw I had bumped into another passenger when I was thinking to myself once again. It was a habit I had to learn to stop or at least control. I got onto my knees and help the person I bumped into by gathering their luggage together. When I did that successfully I turned around to the passage that just started to get on their feet. The person that I just helped out was somebody I didn't expect. "Paul?" I replied in total shock.

"I should have known it was you." He grumbled. I handed his bag to him. We both got onto our feet. "Can't you see where you're going. Is bumping into other people something you like to do?" He asked with a slight annoyed tone in his voice.

"Look, I'm sorry." I apologized as I clasped my hands together, the same position people would do with their hands when they pray. "I was just thinking to myself and-."

"Save it for somebody who cares. I got to find my seat." And just like that he turned around from me, looking for his seat on the train. I crossed my arms, frustrated at him. I had never met with such an annoying man in my life.

A year had just passed since I broke up with Ash. Even though I still love him with my whole heart and soul we still can be able to be friends, just like we use to be back in Sinnoh nine years ago. He taught me a lot in my journeys so he was still a very important person to me. Ash finds me his best friend, well in fact he says that all his friends are his best friend and he has no favourite.

Typical Ash.

Ash and May had invited me back to Hoenn. Its was their daughter's fifth birthday and Ashlyn asked herself if I could come. Even I spent a short time with that cute adorable child, she finds me as her second mother. The thought of begin loved like that made my heart jump a little. Is this what mother's feel when their child calls them their mother for the first time in their life? Hm, maybe something similar perhaps?

"Let's see." I pulled out my ticket from my pocket and looked for the words that would tell me where my seat was. "Seat 27." I looked around me. I was still at the front half of the train. I continued to walk down until I saw the number twenty-seven above a empty chair. Normally I ask for a seat by myself without anyone beside me so I could just throw my bags at the other seat beside me.

But that wasn't the case.

"Please tell me you got the wrong seat?" Paul asked with his arms crossed. I shook my head saying he was wrong. "Just my luck." He took his bag off my seat and laid them in front of his feet and soon after gazed his attention the scene outside. The train began to move out of the station and out of the city. After a while of silence he spoke to me. Something I didn't expect from him. "Your invited to his kid's birthday right?" He asked.

"Yeah." I softly replied. I wasn't use to talking to somebody I haven't seen for awhile. A year ago we talked a lot but it didn't have that normal flow of conversation where you would as a question and reply straight away. Paul and I would wait for a few seconds before replying. "Are you?"

"Yeah. I don't know why though, I never liked hanging with him." He continued to watch the trees zoom past. Silence grew among us again. I heard a few sounds of the train running over the tracks before he spoke again. "So are you still with him?"

"And why do you care?" I asked.

"I didn't know that asking questions became a crime now." He replied once more, still refusing to look at me. I thought that getting mad at him by asking a simple question was stupid. I took a breath in and soon relaxed before answering his question.

"We broke up, its better that way." A sting of sadness and disappointment came back to me. "I loved him but I knew that he still loved May."

"And you're the little fool whose hoping that one day you will be back in his arms. Am I right?" I felt like I was hit with a pile of bricks. Why did that statement hurt me so much? What was Paul saying right? Was I still hoping that Ash and I will end up together once more? I shook my head quickly to get that horrible idea out of my head. The sound of a train entering a tunnel filled up the cabin and painted the windows black as Paul continued on. "Thought so." The train escaped the tunnel and the old classic country landscape filled up the windows. "Why do you do that?"

"Do what?" I replied in a confused manner.

"Hoping for the best, even though you know there is a small chance that what you want won't happen?" he glanced over his shoulder.

"I guess that's what I learn from Ash." I faintly smiled. "To never give up."

"But I'm sure he didn't teach you to be a fool. To ignore what's happening around you and let them pass you by." He turned his face towards me. "You can't be that dumb can you?" my face flushed with anger.

"I'm not dumb!" I yelled and waved my arms in the air numerous times. "You take that back you as-" but Paul stopped me by putting his hand over my mouth.

"You're pretty dumb to complain and yell like that. You yelling like that is, like admitting that you are dumb. Do you honestly think I actually mean that?" I paused as Paul took his hand away from my mouth. I blinked at him blankly and he just sighed. "Never mind." He sighed. "I take back what I said about you not begin dumb." Then I suddenly felt a certain eagerness to ask Paul something that I felt like I should have asked a long time ago.

"Paul." I began. "Are you concerned about me?" I felt like he jumped up a little right after I asked him that question. "You never talked to me like this before." He didn't bother to reply and went back the landscape, watching more countless trees and rocks zoom past the train's window. I pulled out the invitation from Ash and May. There was a picture of Ashlyn holding a chocolate muffin in her hands with her Torchic by her side. I looked back at Paul.

He was an interesting man. I always thought of him like that ever since we first met. He always looks so stressed and angry at nearly everyone. He hardly talked with anyone without making them feel upset towards him. But when he did talk it always seemed to be the truth and so honest, even though his says it in a harsh way. He isn't a liar. I guess he talks to people like that to help them improve, maybe because that person reminds him of himself a lot? I continued to look at him. He didn't seem to notice at me starting at him so blankly.

Every time he would talk to somebody else. He would be angry and frustrated but when it came to me, it was a completely different story. He would still have that arrogant tone in his voice but he wouldn't have the yelling tone towards me. Why dose he treat me so differently?

"So are you going to Ashlyn's fifth birthday party?" I asked. Bring a new topic into our conversation.

"It would be rude if I didn't." And just like before, he replied to me without looking back at me. It felt like he was counting on how many trees the train had already passed. Just to pass the time quicker. "But I'm going to take a long route over there. This train is going to pass a town where I've heard has a lot of rare and strong Pokémon. Ever heard of Meteor Falls?" I shook my head in response that I have never heard of that place. "Hmp, typical." He shrugged.

Then I wondered. I needed to catch Pokémon of my own and I somehow felt I needed to travel in a new region once more. I had travelled through the Hoenn region once, but it was mainly rushed. Not like when I travelled with Ash we went through nearly every house in nearly every town we would come across, every forest Sinnoh had to offer and met nearly anybody we would help. It was such a fulfilling journey. And I wanted to do the same but this time, with a new companion.

"Can I come with you?" I asked. Why I did was something like that was something needed to clear myself on.

"What for?" He asked in his usual arrogant tone of voice. He turned around to face me in such shock.

"I want to travel through Hoenn again but this time with you." I winked. "I think you're not that bad of a person that you made me believe back in Sinnoh. So whaddya think?" He didn't respond. "come-on, give me a chance to prove to you I'm not as useless as I made you to believe back when we were ten." And once more, he didn't reply. I sighed. "Please?"

"Just don't get in my way." He crossed his arms and looked away from me.

"This is going to be so exciting." I cheered to myself.

After that I finally understood why I asked myself to join Paul. I wanted to forget about my feelings to Ash, my anger I had against May. I wanted to rub away the painful guilt I had inside of me and the depressing memories I still had inside of me.

"But we are still going to Ashlyn's birthday right?" He nodded as he pulled out a novel from his bag. I guess looking out at the scenery outside was getting a little repetitive. I soon heard my poke gear ringing.

I looked at the bright flashing screen. On it was a picture of Amelia, Ash's younger half sister. I had just recently received this poke gear from Lyra who sent it to me by mail. She didn't have time to visit me back in Twinleaf since she was busy getting ready for the Sinnoh league. The last time I heard from her is that she is dating a guy by the name of Jimmy. I always knew she had an interest in love but I never knew it took her awhile to actually start dating. I answered the call and placed my pink poke gear near my ear.

"Hey Mimi." I had got use to calling her by that name. "What is it?"

"Nothing much." She replied in her usual bubbly voice. "Just wanted to know if you are coming to my adorable niece's fifth birthday?"

"Of course I'm coming. I treated Ashlyn like she's my own daughter." I smiled. Ashlyn always knew how to bring a smile on anyone's faces. You just had to smile at that young five year old.

"That's great. I'll tell Ash that right now." I felt like she was about to hang up the phone but I quickly stopped her.

"Wait!" I called out. "How is everyone over there?"

"Well Alex has just been invited to become a battle frontier brain, Max is now the gym leader at Petelburg and Misty is helping him out. May's dad, Norman is starting to learn to walk again by therapy. Ash is training is team really hard since Cynthia has just invited him to be part of the elite four in Sinnoh and May is expecting another child."

"Wow." I gasped at the many new events that had happened in just one year. "And what about you?"

"Nothing much really. Just staying here, deciding what I should do next." Amelia sighed. "Well, I've been thinking lately to hold a trainer school back home. Do you think that's a good idea?"

"That would be a great idea. You can teach children around Ashlyn's age to learn about Pokémon."

"Okay then. I'll ask my brothers as well. Anyway see you here in a few days okay?" She asked. I could hear the excitement and cheerfulness in her voice.

"No need to worry. Paul and I will be there." I replied back and disconnected the call. I looked back at my new travelling companion, Paul. He was still reading the book he had got out earlier. "So what are you reading?" I asked.

"One hundred and one ways to deal with annoying children." He glanced at me. "This book is really useful. I might use some of their tips they have in here." I felt my blood boil. I knew he was talking about me.

"Arghh!" I grabbed by beanie from my head and pulled it down in anger. After that I quickly put it over his head.

"No book can tame a girl like me!" I replied in anger. "Just learn to deal with it Mr Paul Hayden!"

"Hmp, I think I can manage that at least." He took off my beanie and threw it at my face. "But can you do deal with me?" I placed the beanie back on top of my head.

"I think I can manage." I sighed.

End