Super sorry this took so long! I was experiencing a ton of writer's block and I couldn't figure out how I wanted to end this. But I've finally finished and here it is: the eleventh and final chapter of Dawn of a New Day!

"Rise and shine, Dawn!" May said brightly.

Dawn opened her eyes and saw May standing above her with a big smile on her face. Dawn stretched and yawned. "Good morning May."

"Are you ready to go? Your boat leaves in thirty minutes," May reminded her.

"Yeah, I'm all packed up and everything!" Dawn replied as she started to fix her bed.

"Honestly, I'm going to miss you, Dawn. And you too, May! I'm going back to being the only girl again, with Cilan and Ash," Iris piped up. She was running a brush through her long hair, trying to tame it down.

Dawn laughed and went to her bag. She pulled out her hair straightener and handed it to Iris. "Here you go. Think of it as my way of thanking you for being so nice to me while we were here."

"But it's yours! I can't just take it!" Iris protested.

"It's a gift, Iris. Besides, you need it more than I do." Iris and Dawn both laughed.

"And maybe it'll help you work up the courage to ask Cilan how he feels about you," May teased, winking.

Iris crossed her arms indignantly, but the blush on her face ruined the effect. Dawn made her way to the bathroom and came out wearing her day clothes.

"Do I look okay?" she asked, running a hand through her ponytail.

"Dawn, you look fine," May assured her. May picked up her bags and handed Dawn's bag to Iris. "Come on, the guys are already downstairs."

"Okay, let's go."

"What is taking those girls so long?" Barry asked, glancing at his Poketch for the seventh time within five minutes.

"You know girls. They're probably doing their hair and crying about how much they'll miss each other," Drew shrugged.

"I heard that," Dawn piped up from behind them. "Besides, Drew, you probably worry more about your hair than me, May, and Iris combined."

"Hey, when you have a gift like my hair, you've got to maintain it."

May yanked on his ear. "You might want to tame that ego of yours, sweetheart."

"Do me a favor and not call me that in public please?" Drew requested, his face turning a brilliant scarlet.

"What? Are you scared that your fangirls are going to go away now that you have a girlfriend?" May teased.

"No!"

"Then what's the problem?" she asked him innocently.

"I…" Drew sighed, defeated. "Never mind."

Dawn wasn't even paying attention to May and Drew's exchange, instead craning her neck every direction to try and spot the missing person—the one she wanted to see most.

"Where's Ash?" Dawn asked worriedly.

"He ran off this morning before I was even fully awake," Cilan shrugged.

"Well, the boat back to Sinnoh leaves in ten minutes and I want to see him before I leave."

"I'm sure he'll make it back before then. There's no way he'd miss it," Cilan assured her.

Dawn clutched Piplup nervously. "I hope you're right."

May smiled and put an encouraging hand on Dawn's shoulder. "Come on Dawn, we all know Ash is going to be here. Like you always say, no need to worry, right?"

Dawn nodded and sighed unconvincingly. "No need to worry."

"Is it done yet?" Ash asked the jewelry clerk. "My friend leaves really soon and I have to get the present for her as soon as possible."

The jewelry clerk gave him an apologetic smile. "Just a few more minutes, sir. We have to get it ready and do some last minute inspections."

Ash glanced at Pikachu, then at the clock hanging on the store wall. Just eight more minutes before Dawn's boat left for Sinnoh. If he missed her leaving…he'd never forgive himself. Quite honestly, if he didn't make her boat, he'd find a way to swim over to her just to say how much he'd miss her.

Ash watched as another thirty seconds that felt more like an hour passed by. He clenched his fists. He was going to make it…he had to.

"Is all your stuff onboard already?" Cilan asked.

Barry nodded. "Yep. Mine and Dawn's. We're ready to go and the boat leaves in six minutes. If we want to make it on there, we should probably go now."

"We'll miss you guys!" May said, giving them each a hug. "Don't be afraid to call me up anytime, Dawn!"

Drew patted Barry on the back and gave Dawn a quick hug. "Watch out for Little Miss, here, okay Barry? And Dawn, make sure this hot-blooded idiot stays under control."

Dawn smiled. "I will. Good luck in the musicals, you guys."

"Hey! I'm not an idiot!" Barry protested.

"You keep believing that," Iris piped up, slinging an arm around Barry. "It's gonna be a lot less interesting without you guys here. Have fun in Kanto!"

Cilan shook hands with both of them. "It was truly a pleasure getting to know you both. Come back anytime!"

"Thanks for having us!" Barry said. He glanced at his Poketch, then looked at Dawn. "We should get on the boat now."

"But what about Ash?" Dawn asked.

Barry looked apologetic. "Sorry Dawn, but we really don't have time."

The boat's horn blared, signaling that it was about to leave. Dawn sighed and glanced back one more time before following Barry. They were almost on the ship when they suddenly heard a very familiar voice.

"Wait! Dawn!"

Dawn whirled around and beamed as soon as she saw Ash running towards her. She looked imploringly at Barry and Barry just sighed and grabbed her wrist, pulling her along as they ran to Ash.

"You're too slow to get there on your own," Barry told her, rolling his eyes as they hurried off the boat.

When they finally reached Ash, Barry released Dawn's wrist and stepped back so she and Ash could talk.

"I thought you'd forgotten or something," Dawn said. "I was getting really worried."

"I'd never forget," Ash assured her. "Actually, the only reason I was late was because I was getting this for you."

Ash handed her a jewelry box. Dawn looked at him quizzically, but he nodded.

"Go ahead and open it."

Dawn flipped open the top of the box and inside was a necklace shaped like half of a heart. A small pink pearl was next to the half-heart charm. Etched on the gold surface of the half-heart was her name and a painstakingly detailed sketch of her hand, raised in a high five. She felt the side of the pendant and noticed a small clasp. She opened up the clasp and saw that a picture of Ash was inside it.

"Oh, it's beautiful…" Dawn murmured. She looked up at Ash. "Where's the other half?"

Ash held up his hand and Dawn noticed the other half of the heart locket was attached to the bottom of his glove. Ash's half said his name on it and had a sketch of his own gloved hand. He opened it up and her picture was smiling up at them.

Ash took his half and attached it to hers. When connected, the etchings of their hands looked as if they were high-fiving. He opened up the lockets and Dawn noticed that the pictures were actually two halves of the same picture. When put together, it was a picture they had taken in Sinnoh of Ash with his arm around Dawn.

"So, do you like it?" Ash asked her as he fastened the necklace around her neck.

"I love it," she replied, throwing her arms around him. "Thank you."

"I'll miss you," Ash said, looking embarrassed.

"I'll miss you too." Dawn kissed his cheek and started to walk away.

"Wait," Ash called, grabbing her wrist to whirl her around. He leaned in and quickly kissed her on the lips. "Now you're allowed to leave."

Dawn smiled. "A little different from our usual high fives?"

"But way better."

Barry finally had to step in and remind Dawn that the boat was going to leave in thirty seconds.

"Bye guys!" Dawn said, waving as Barry dragged her back onto the boat.

They all waved back as the boat started moving out into open water.

"Hey Ash," Iris said. "That was really sweet. For a kid like you, of course."

"It truly was!" Cilan hiccupped.

"Cilan, are you…crying?" Iris asked him.

"Only a little!" Cilan replied.

"I'll miss her," Iris sighed.

"Me too," Ash agreed. "But I know we'll see her again. I'm sure of it."

THE END! Thanks to everyone who read this story, and reviewed, and favorited! It means so much to me! You guys are amazing for sticking with me through my random breaks and hiatuses. Thanks for not giving up on it and I hope you guys liked the story! :)