Take to the Twilight Sky

Ash

There's a Dreamy World Up There:

The sun overhead rose with power and strength and will that Ash never imagined he could ever have. He watched with his light brown eyes as the sun rose to the top of the sky, shining down on him, making him wonder, remember, and make believe the things that had happen…what will happen…what could've happened…

The mist around him was foggy, covering his eyes as he tried to think where he was. The brightness of the sun slightly cleared his path as he trudged on into the swamp; an attempt to get to the nearest city to take a rest, and maybe find Cilan and Iris again.

He had lost his two traveling partners while trying to navigate his way through the swamp; the mist covering his eyes, and then suddenly: he was unable to see, and there they were…separated with no one but themselves.

Ash wiped his forehead as he silently cursed himself for leaving his Pokeballs with Cilan, as he could use Flash to clear the way. Glancing at the sky, he walked toward the small light in the mist of the fog that was getting bigger and brighter by the second. Not that he knew what it was…he didn't. But the risk was taken.

Scowling at himself, he sighed as he slumped to the ground, finding that the 'light' was just a Pokemon, a water type, to be exact, that was swimming, it's light flashing in the water making it look like twinkling stars in a deep, dark sky.

And when the pokemon dived deep into the water, and the lights were no longer visible, Ash couldn't help but think that it was falling…down into a black hole. He didn't think that it would come up.

Running his fingers along the strong structure of the tree he leaned against, he hummed a small song and murmured to himself about past gym badges, pokemon…people that he had met along the way to where he was now.

Like Alice.

He wasn't sure if that was the girl's name, but he did remember that she was the one who befriended Darkrai…who used the leaf whistle…who he thought, well, hoped she was happy.

Those memories brought him back to life as he remembered Dawn and Brock who was with him that time too. He hadn't heard from either of them for a long time now…but he had heard that Dawn was entering her Hoenn Grand Festival with her newly gained five ribbons. She would be facing off with Kenny, which would make the battle-completely epic, Iris had said when she heard about the upcoming match. The Grand Festival would be starting about…now.

He wished he could watch it, he really did. He heard that even Paul was going to be watching for some reason. In fact, Ash still felt guilty about missing May's Grand Festival, which was a week ago-he hadn't even called to say congratulations when she tied with Drew-but he had sent her a card and flowers.

Brock, he recalled, was still in Kanto working hard at the Gym and caring for his siblings. He had called Ash, every now and then to give advice and to catch up, or just mindless talk to pass the time, or, maybe just to see him.

Gary and Professor Oak were two people that bothered him a lot. He hadn't heard from them in weeks, even months, and thinking about it, he missed them the most along with his mother. He missed fighting and battling with Gary, the close childhood friends they are, and talking with Professor Oak about Pokemon, ignoring the side comments that might have been sarcastic about his intelligence.

Cilan had been joking around with Ash about having the Professor over to, what he'd thought meant have dinner, although he was still quite unclear with the vast culinary vocabulary that Cilan held.

Here in Unova, Ash had many…unfortunate encounters with various people he met, but he's also had many nice meetings with kind people that had helped him shape into a better trainer.

When he thought about all of those times, he remembered the old times too. About how it all…started. With him and Pikachu…the spearow attacks…electrocuting Misty's bike times two for the times he did the same for May and Dawn.

If there was one person he kept in touch with more than his mother, it was Misty. Working at the gym, Misty didn't have much time for phone calls, but she always seemed to make them, and Ash wondered if they were only for him.

Somewhere inside of him, he wished they were.

A small sigh escaped his lips as he watched the sky turned lighter and lighter, into that turquoise blue that reminded him of her eyes. The fog cleared away slowly as the sun's force shone through.

Ash got up and tried to run through the swamp. And ended up trudging through it a snail like pace as he tried to get out of the slimy area. When he finally reached the end, the two ends of his lips turned up in what would seem to be a smile.

Stretching his arms high above his head, he breathed out and kicked his sneakers off, not caring at all whether he'd find them again or not, and headed toward the grass plains that lay just meters from the forest that he'd just entered.

Ash knew that he would never find Cilan and Iris again at this rate, when the sun was beaming down on him so harshly, and sweat beaded down his face.

So instead of what people would suppose that he would do, Ash jumped up and landed with a soft quiet thud unto the green healthy grass, and put his arms above his head, laying down looking at the sun which forced him to close his eyes.

He couldn't have cared less.

And from that, of which he slowly fell asleep, he woke up at midnight, if that was what he would've liked to think, because he had never stayed up until that time before, regardless of where he ever was.

The stars were quite visible tonight, and the moon folded neatly into a bright crescent which was the only source of light.

Ash yawned and grinned at the stars. Somehow, right now, he didn't care at all whether he ever found Iris and Cilan, and as good friends they are, he didn't care if he ever saw them again in his whole life.

He realized that sooner than later, they were going to go. He would be alone again until he found new traveling partners in a new region and it would be as if he had no experience from the past at all. He would be right back to square one, with every new challenge that he accepts.

His pokemon would be deposited in Professor Oak's lab again, aside from his Pikachu, and he would see them again, maybe battle with them once again, but he would just keep on going, journey after journey, meeting people after old friends, again and again until-

Until what, he wondered. Until what exactly?

Until he became Pokemon Master? He should master a region before that. And with all of the regions in the world…how long would that take? Would he ever settle down to have a family? Would he give up and just pass that old dream of his to his offspring?

Everyone he had ever met has helped him in some way with his journey. He was grateful to meet such people, and doubted that they could ever be replaceable.

After that thought, he decided to find Cilan and Iris the next day. But for now, he would like to be alone. Just to think about…the way his life was going. Where it was going.

But that was a mistake. Tonight he wanted to be alone and feel independent. In a way that saving the world and going against others in battles didn't make him feel.

In a way that he felt that he was the only one in the world, like there were no targets on his back, and no rivals aiming to bring him down. Like he has never gone on anyone's bad side, like he was alone and loved by the moon that shone down on him and the stars that tucked him into sleep.

Ash never wanted to be singled out as the hero. He wanted to be known for the kind of person he was, not what he accomplished.

Tonight he let go of everyone he knew and everything he did. Like they never happened to him. Tonight, he was alone with the world, and he smiled as sleep drifted over him, and he forgot everything. He kept in mind one thing, and that was who he was as a person, a friend, a son, and a companion.

Because in the end, that is the only thing that matters.

…Shipwreck in a sea of places, there's a dreamy world up there~dear friends in higher places~Carry me away from here…

A/N: I liked that. It was confusing somewhat of it, but I liked how it turned out. Keep in mind that this is a series, not a story. This is Ash, and the next chapter will be for some other character that is in some way connected to Ash. But Ash will not be in the next chapter. So goodbye Ash. For the first time writing you, I thought I did pretty well.