Hey guys, I have some unfortunate news for you all...

I was hoping to make this a 10-chapter story, as all of my stories have been (aside from one-shots). However, I am sorry to say that I've been extremely busy juggling my time spent with school, sports, family, and friends. I'm now a junior in high school, and taking four AP classes (one of them is English, which I hope will improve my writing!). I've also just sort of lost interest in PearlShipping for some reason. Don't get me wrong; it's still my second favorite ship (see my profile for details) but I personally would rather spend the little time I have writing what I would prefer to write about.

Sorry PearlShippers, I hate to disappoint. Hopefully you'll like this last chapter enough to forgive me. Enjoy!

Chapter 5: Promises

"Cilan, look, there's Jervis! And Cynthia's with him!" Iris shouted, pointing out at the boat in the distance coasting towards them.

Cilan looked up from the leaf he was examining, standing up and waving to Jervis and Cynthia. Then he turned to Iris. "Finally! It'll be nice to get back to the villa and get some good rest," he said.

Iris nodded, but glanced back at the mouth of the cave. "But...Ash and Dawn are still out there," she said.

– –

"Pikachu, I wonder if that's the special Onix?" Ash said as he and his partner climbed over rocks and crevices to get to the top, where a mass of heaping gold-like rock was resting.

Suddenly, a large mechanical hand with six fingers grabbed hold of Pikachu's entire body, pulling it towards a familiar-looking machine.

"Prepare for trouble!"

"And make it double!"

"To protect the world from deva-"

"Oshawott, come on out and use Razor Shell! Cut off that hand!" Ash shouted as he threw Buizel's Pokeball into the air, completely interrupting Team Rocket's well-rehearsed motto.

Oshawott appeared in a flash of white light, a confident smile playing across its face. With its scalchop in its hand, it leapt into the air and swung at the cable.

It managed to land a direct hit, but the move didn't penetrate the cable and the arm continued pulling in Pikachu. Moments later, Pikachu was trapped inside the chest of the robot, surrounded by thin but strong glass. He tried to break out with repeated Iron Tail attacks, but to no avail.

Ash clenched his hands into fists. He was about to send in another Pokemon when he heard a familiar voice from behind him.

"Buneary, use Ice Beam!"

Ash watched with a smile as Buneary shot a forceful beam of icy power, coating the glass encasing Pikachu.

"Thanks Dawn! Pikachu, now try and use Iron Tail!" Ash shouted, his hand now pumped into a fist of determination.

Pikachu struck the ice-covered glass with its glowing tail, breaking the ice around it and cracking the glass.

"All right! Try it again!" Dawn shouted, now standing next to Ash. "Buneary, use Ice Beam!"

But Jessie was quick to react. She released Seviper and shouted, "Block that with Poison Tail!"

Somehow, Seviper's Poison Tail was able to negate the Ice Beam attack, leaving Buneary vulnerable and in the open air.

"Carnivine, use Bullet Seed!" James commanded, pointing directly toward Buneary.

The Bug Catcher Pokemon opened its large mouth and released countless green seed-like projectiles towards Buneary, landing multiple direct hits.

"Buneary!" Dawn cried out as she helplessly watched Buneary take the full brunt of the attack, staggering backward.

Ash tossed another Pokeball into the air. "Unfezant, use Aerial Ace on Carnivine! Oshawott, use Aqua Jet on Seviper!" he commanded.

Oshawott sped towards Seviper with incredible speed and smashed into it full force, knocking it backward.

Carnivine tried its best to dodge, but Unfezant was too quick. With a few graceful cuts and dashes, Unfezant struck Carnivine directly.

By now, Buneary had managed to land another Ice Beam onto the glass, and Pikachu broke out with one last Iron Tail. He jumped and landed smoothly on the ground next to Buneary.

"All right, Pikachu, finish them with Thunderbolt!" Ash shouted.

Pikachu nodded and released a powerful bolt of lightning that sent Team Rocket flying.

"We're blasting off again!"

"Waaaaaahbbuffet!"

Ash and Dawn both breathed a sigh of relief as they turned to one another.

"Dawn, that was awesome. You really helped us out, there. It's just like the good ol' days, isn't it?" Ash said, rubbing underneath his nose.

Dawn blushed. "Well, the good ol' days were mostly you helping me out, Ash. I don't know how I would have turned out without you," she said with a winning smile.

Ash shook his head. "Dawn, I don't think you realize how much you mean to me," he said. Beside them, Buneary was flirting with Pikachu.

Dawn's cheeks turned a deeper shade of red. "R-really? That's really sweet of you, Ash..." she said, turning away.

On the top of the cliff, the heap of golden rock began to move. Ash realized that the rocks were connected and had been coiled up, which could only mean one thing.

"Dawn...that's the special Onix! Check it out!" Ash cried out. Pikachu watched with amazement as the shiny Onix stretched its long body and roared. The sound echoed through the canyon for all Onix to hear.

Ash was about to command Oshawott to attack, but Dawn placed a calming hand on his arm. He turned to face her, slightly taken aback.

Dawn smiled. "Ash, maybe you should just let it be. Look how beautiful it is, living in a beautiful place like this...it wouldn't be right for you to take it away from here," she said, her sweet voice warming Ash's heart.

Ash looked at her, then glanced over at the Onix. "But...isn't that what we do to every Pokem-"

Dawn laughed and grabbed his hand, pulling him along back the way they had come. "Oh, stop, you know what I mean. Come on! Let's find a way out. Maybe the Onix have left the cave."

Ash smiled as he ran beside his best friend. What would I do without her, he thought to himself.

– –

"Did you hear that?" Iris asked.

Cynthia nodded. "Garchomp, go find them and bring them back!" she commanded as she released her most powerful Pokemon from its Pokeball. Garchomp nodded and glided from rock to rock, making its way over the cave and out of sight.

– –

"Hey, Ash, isn't that Cynthia's Garchomp?" Dawn asked, pointing at a dark blue Pokemon flying towards them.

Ash nodded. "Yeah, it is! Maybe it can show us the way out!"

– –

"Are you two alright?" Cynthia asked as Ash and Dawn stepped off of Garchomp's back.

Ash and Dawn both nodded simultaneously. "We're just fine! Thanks for saving us back there," Ash said with a smile.

Dawn added, "Yeah, thank you so much Cynthia!"

They all boarded the boat and started on their way back to Undella Bay. Ash was telling Iris and Cilan about seeing the special Onix. Dawn sat to the side, smiling as she listened to Ash speak. But deep down inside behind that smile, she was overwhelmed with sadness.

She stood up. "I'm going inside for a bit. I think I might be getting seasick," she said as she made her way into the cabin.

Ash would've gone after her, but Iris insisted that he finish the rest of his story.

Dawn opened the cabin door and found Cynthia inside, reading a book. She smiled at Dawn as Dawn sat down next to her.

"Tell me what's wrong," Cynthia said, taking Dawn by surprise.

"H-How did you know something was wrong?" she asked.

Cynthia chuckled a little. "I have a knack for that sort of thing. I can just tell that you're distressed; tell me, could this be about Ash?"

Dawn sighed and nodded. "I just...don't want to leave him again. But I also want to follow my dream of becoming a top coordinator...and to do that, I have to go to Johto."

"I see. Those kinds of decisions are always difficult to make. Unfortunately I cannot relate to you in terms of your relationship with Ash, because I have never found any romantic interest in any man," Cynthia replied, closing her book and setting it down.

"What? But you're so beautiful! There's no man out there you'd ever want?" Dawn asked.

Cynthia smiled. "You're sweet. But as of yet, no, no man is right for me in that respect. I'm biding my time until the time comes. If that time never comes, then so be it. But enough about me. Let's talk about you and Ash," she said.

– –

Jervis turned to Ash, Iris, and Cilan. "Master Ash, we will be arriving at the villa shortly. Undella Bay is just up ahead," he said.

A few minutes later, Jervis docked the boat and the three companions exited, happy to be back in the calm, soothing atmosphere of Undella Town.

Ash looked back to see Dawn and Cynthia walk off the boat together. I wonder what they were talking about? He wondered.

Just as our heroes settled comfortably back inside the villa, evening was upon them, and the sun was starting to set over the horizon.

Everyone was relaxing in the living room when Dawn stood up.

"I think I'll take a walk. I'll see you guys at dinner time," she said as she put on her hat and opened the front door.

Ash stood up and followed her. "I'll go with you! Pikachu, you stay here, buddy. You need some rest."

Dawn turned to him and blushed. "Oh...okay, Ash, that's so nice of you!" she said cheerfully.

The two trainers walked out the door together, leaving Cynthia, Iris, and Cilan in the house.

After a few moments of silence, Iris decided to speak up. "So...Dawn and Ash seem to be really close, don't they?"

– –

After a few moments of silence, Ash decided to speak up. "So Dawn...has something been bothering you lately? You seem to be pretty quiet all of a sudden," he asked, his face expressing deep concern for his friend.

Dawn shook her head and forced a smile. "Nothing's wrong, Ash, but thanks for asking," she said.

Ash frowned. He could tell something was up, but he decided to let it go for now.

The two of them found themselves walking along the beach of Undella Bay, the sun coating the water with a beautiful orange color. Dawn noticed how close her hand was to Ash's, and it took everything in her power to resist holding it. She was scared of how he would react.

"This place is just so awesome. Aren't you glad you came out to Unova? It's pretty cool, isn't it?" Ash asked Dawn.

Dawn nodded and smiled, this time a genuine one. She looked out at the water as she said, "Yeah, yeah I am. It's beautiful out here."

"So...you'll be leaving after the Junior Cup, then?" Ash asked, although he already knew the answer. He looked down at the sand, shifting his feet around a little.

Dawn glanced over and noticed his glum demeanor. "Um...yeah, that's the plan at least," she said. But is that what I really want?

Ash nodded. "I see. Well, I'll tell you right now, I'm gonna miss you a whole lot when you leave. It's been great having you back, even if it's just for this short while," he said, turning to her with a smile.

Dawn decided to come out of her shell, just a little bit. "Well...see I've been thinking...I'm going to miss you, too...so much that I was considering just staying here with you. That is, if you would be okay with that..." she said.

"What do you mean? Of course I would be okay with that!" Ash exclaimed hopefully. "I mean, if you stayed, we could work on more strategies together, and-" then he stopped in his tracks. "Wait, but what about your coordinator contests? What about your dream to become a top coordinator?"

Dawn looked down as she replied, "That's the thing...I really want to stay with you, Ash, but...I still have to follow my dream..." She was on the brink of tears, trying to contain her numerous different emotions.

Ash took her hand in his, which surprised her. "Dawn...go follow your dream. As much as I want you to stay with me...I don't want to get in the way of your life's ultimate goal. I could never do that to you...even though I'll miss everything about you. Everything from your bad hair days to every high-five we share together," he said.

Dawn blushed as red as the sunset. "Ash...I didn't know you felt that way," she said, looking at him right in the eye. She nodded as she said, "I'll continue my journey...and become a top coordinator...but after I achieve that goal...I want to travel with you again, no matter where you are, and no matter where you go. Promise me...that you'll be there for me?" Dawn asked hopefully.

Ash smiled at her as he raised his hand up high. "Of course, Dawn. Once a team, always a team, right?" he asked, their eyes locked in each other's gaze.

Dawn smiled and laughed, which made Ash's heart melt. "Right, Ash!" she cried out cheerfully, and the two trainers shared another one of their trademark high-fives.

And then, Dawn did something that surprised both Ash and herself. She leaned in and gave him a gentle kiss on the cheek, her own cheeks turning a deep shade of red.

Then she pulled away and turned back the way they had come. "C'mon! I'll race you back, Ash Ketchum!" she said as she started running, her hat falling off of her head.

Ash stood there for a few seconds, lightly touching the side of his face where she had kissed him. With his cheeks as red as his Pikachu's, he turned and ran after her, picking up her hat along the way. "You better run, Dawn! I'm right behind ya!"

The two trainers ran off towards the villa, the sunset illuminating the last of the evening sky.

The End