XashXdawnX - Merry Christmas! Here's the final chapter! Enjoy!
PokemonFreak90 - Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays to all of our readers! Our Christmas gift to you: The finale of New Beginnings! Enjoy!
Today was the day. Alex and Julia were finally being released from the hospital. They had finally regained their strength and were walking to the car with their parents.
"There's a surprise waiting for you at home." Dawn said.
"What is it?" the kids asked curiously.
You'll just have to wait and see. That's why it's called a surprise." Ash replied with a chuckle as he opened the doors for Alex and Julia.
As Ash pulled out of the parking spot, he spoke. "I have some news about your Pokemon journeys."
"What?"
"After the event with Team Rocket, the Pokemon Leagues for all regions have increased the starting age for trainers from ten years old...to twelve years old. All trainers must now be at least twelve and have finished the sixth grade."
"Seriously?! Why?" Alex cried.
"That's not fair! Why did it change?" Julia asked.
Ash could see their fallen expressions in the rear-view mirror.
"It's because they want children to have more of an education so that they'll be better prepared for what they'll face. The events with Team Rocket may have also had an effect on the decision."
"I guess that makes sense...but now we have to wait two more years." Alex muttered. "We were originally going to start our journeys at the end of next year."
"How's Grandma?" Julia asked, changing the subject.
"She's still mentally recovering from her head injury, so Salvia invited her to stay at the palace over the summer. It's a big place with lots of room and Salvia and Sarah are the only ones who live there, with the servants quietly going about their business, so it's calm, quiet, and relaxing, making it the perfect place for your Grandma's recovery and rehabilitation." Dawn explained.
"We heard that school ended for summer break yesterday. And since we were in comas for the last half of June, we never finished the third grade. So what happens now? Are we gonna have to go to summer school? Or will our friends move on and we'll be left behind in third grade next year?!" Julia anxiously asked.
"First, take a breath and calm down." Dawn instructed, seeing that her kids were panicking.
"We spoke to the school and they're aware of your near-death experience. They're letting you both complete your missed assignments and homework over the summer. Your friends were given your work to give to you and they've all agreed to help you both along the way." Dawn explained.
Alex and Julia sighed in relief. At least they weren't going to be left behind. Thankfully, they had a school that was understanding and such great friends who were willing to help them. Everything would work out!
Upon arriving at home and opening the front door, there was a loud collective scream of "SURPRISE!"
Alex and Julia saw that their friends were waiting inside as they came out from their hiding places. The house was fully decorated and a banner in the doorway read "Welcome Home, Alex and Julia!"
The two were surprised and realized that this was the surprise that their parents had mentioned earlier.
"Your friends wanted to throw you a welcome home party after you were released from the hospital and they helped us get everything ready." Dawn explained.
Alex and Julia were engulfed in hugs and smiles as the group happily reunited with one another after so long.
"Wait..." Julia said as she pulled out of Jake's hug.
"Where's Isla?" Alex asked, catching on to what Julia had noticed.
Julia glanced at the banner and saw that it was hand-drawn, but it wasn't Isla's style.
"She wouldn't come when we asked her. She said that you two aren't her friends anymore. She still blames you for what happened to Trey." Melissa replied.
Alex and Julia frowned at the news. They had really hoped that with time, Isla would have come around.
"Hey! We're celebrating here." Ash said, trying to bring back the prior mood.
"And it's lunchtime now and there's pizza waiting in the kitchen." Dawn added.
Hearing the word 'pizza', the topic of Isla was forgotten and the kids all rushed to go and eat. Alex and Julia were especially excited to have actual food and not the horrible hospital food.
Dawn moved to follow, to help them serve their food or fix their drinks, but Ash grabbed her arm.
"One second," he said. "I need to tell you something important. Alone,"
Dawn turned and looked at him.
"I have some news about Serena and I know how you feel about her, after what she did. It's been decided what Serena's punishment will be. Even though she's deeply sorry and was being controlled, her strong emotions towards me allowed it to happen, which makes her a liability if anything like this happens again in the future. She also said, like she told us before being taken away, that she would always love me. Because of this delusion of love towards me, she's been deemed to not be in a safe state of mind and has been sentenced to spend the rest of her life...in a mental institution.
"She'll never be free again and that place is the best place for her, away from us and our family. This means," Ash said, taking Dawn's hands. "That there's no need to worry anymore. With Team Rocket gone and Serena locked away, our family is finally safe for good!"
Dawn sighed and leaned into Ash as they embraced each other. "I do feel sorry for her having to spend the rest of her life in a mental institution, but she deserves it."
"It's the best thing for her, Dawn."
"I agree. We're finally safe now." Dawn said, looking at Ash.
"We are." he said, kissing her.
Once they parted, they went to join the kids in the kitchen for lunch.
Meanwhile, outside of Salvia's palace, she and Johanna were sitting outside in the sunshine in the gardens. Salvia had taken some time out of her busy schedule to talk to her aunt. After all, talking with someone you're close to can help ease your mind and help it heal.
The two had been talking for a little while and Johanna seemed to be enjoying the company and seemed comfortable enough with Salvia. So Salvia decided to take a risk and ask her about her mother.
"Aunt Johanna, can you tell me about my mother? Since you and my mother grew up together, you know her better than anyone else and I just want to hear about what my mother was like when she was still alive. I only know very little about her."
"Of course. What would you like to know?" Johanna asked.
Salvia smiled and asked, "What were some of her interests? Her hopes for the future? Her personality, compared to yours? What was it about her that made my father fall in love with her? What kind of relationship did you have with her? Were you close to one another? Do I act like her at all, or only like my father? Do I have any personality traits that she had?"
Johanna chuckled as she remembered something. "When we were little girls, her favorite things were dress-up and fashion. She would always pretend to be a princess whenever we would dress up. Quite fitting, since this eventually became real. She always knew how to dress in style and would always try to get me to dress up like her, but I was more into the Pokemon Coordinator style of dress rather than ball gowns and tiaras.
"She always hoped to move out of Twinleaf Town someday and see the world. She had a vivid imagination and never wanted to stay still. She was adventurous. She always said that she would finally settle down once she fell in love and had a family.
"She was the more outgoing and spontaneous twin, compared to me. You could never get into an argument with her because she always spoke her mind!" Johanna chuckled as she continued.
"Your parents met while she was seeing the world. She was only gone for a brief time from home, but that was all it took for your father and mother to meet and he was hooked on her. It was her spunky personality that caused him to fall hard and fast for her. Plus, she challenged him and spoke her mind and he liked the challenge, compared to some other women.
"I remember when she came home after meeting him. She was livid with him because she had met some riotous man who seemed insulted when she didn't fall at his feet from his witty words. But I could tell that she was smitten, from the way that she spoke of him. She hadn't realized that he was the King because he had been disguised. I guess he wanted her to be herself, since he knew that she'd treat him differently if she knew who he was."
"Just like how Sarah disguises herself when she visits her friends." Salvia realized.
"We were very close until she moved away to the palace. He hunted her down and the two wrote many letters to one another and they soon fell hard for one another. Eventually, the distance was too much and they needed to be by each others' side. So she packed up and moved to the palace, although I didn't know that that's where she was living. After that, I only heard from her maybe around the holidays. She became very busy, which was understandable, being the Queen.
"Eventually, she stopped contacting me altogether. That was around the time that she died. But I didn't know that she was gone forever until last year when you called us all here to the palace to reveal the truth that you had recently discovered. She never did tell me that she had married the King and had become the Queen of Sinnoh. Still, I'm certain that she made your father very happy and that they both loved you very much.
"After her death, your father clearly changed and became protective of you, not wanting any harm to come to you like it had to her. I'm certain that if nothing had happened to her, you would've grown up in a much different and more caring way.
"In my opinion, you're correct in the way you're raising Sarah. You're giving her freedom and the opportunity to choose her future, not to be forced into it like you were. You could force her to stay here like your father did with you, where it's safe. But even though she would be safe, she would be alone and unhappy.
"I think...you act like both of your parents. You're a brave leader like your father, but you also have the compassion towards your subjects that your mother had."
As the summer went on, Alex and Julia finished their schoolwork and still had the time to take a summer vacation with their parents. Sarah said on their birthdays that for the summer, the Ketchums could go on an all-expenses-paid trip to any city in Sinnoh. They ended up choosing the warm and sunny Sunnyshore City.
But summer had now ended and it was now the first day of school once again. Alex and Julia were starting fourth grade. The Ketchum family were in their car, heading to Twinleaf Elementary.
"I'm gonna try out for the hockey team again." said Alex.
"I'm trying out for the basketball team again. Melissa's mom is going to be the coach again, too." Julia added.
"However, unlike last year where we were playing on the first-through-third-grade team and were the oldest kids on the team, this year we're the youngest kids and we'll be playing with the older fourth-through-sixth-grade team." Alex explained.
"I know that I won't be the team captain this year, since I went from the oldest to the youngest kid. Plus, tryouts are going to be harder for us, since we have two whole grades of kids ahead of us to compete against for the sports teams."
"Just do your best at the tryouts and don't get discouraged." Dawn said.
"And the school coaches know your names. You've both been good players, so show them how well you are at your sports and you'll make the cut." Ash added.
Once they arrived at Twinleaf Elementary, Ash and Dawn hugged their kids before Alex and Julia walked inside. Students were everywhere, reuniting with their friends. They found their group of friends and walked over to them. Hugs were exchanged and they all hoped that they would be in the same class again this year.
They then noticed the familiar face of Isla approaching them, who looked sad.
"Hey..." she whispered as she reached the group.
"Hey..."
Alex and Julia were a little wary of her.
"I've had a lot of time to think over the summer about what I said to both of you after Trey died. I realized how mean I was to you two and I'm sorry. I was wrong to blame you. It wasn't your fault, it was Team Rocket's, and I hope that all of you can forgive me."
"You said some pretty hurtful things to us, Isla." Julia said. "But give me some time and I know that I can forgive you."
"Yeah, I just need some time, too. But we won't hold anything against you." Alex added.
Isla nodded her head. She could see that things would eventually go back to the way that they were before, and that thought made her smile and feel relieved.
"Well, I forgive you, Isla." Alan said, kissing her gently on the cheek. "I missed you a lot."
Isla blushed and smiled. "I really missed you too, Alan."
The others could see that Alan and Isla had a special connection and they were happy for them.
But then, two of Amy's friends approached the group. As the two girls stopped in front of the group, they noticed that Amy wasn't there.
"Amy moved away from Twinleaf Town over the summer, but she gave us a message to give to Julia." the shorter of the two girls said.
"She said to tell you, 'Your family won't last. You only have a dad now because he felt sorry for you and your mom. You'll see. He'll leave you someday, just like your first dad did.'" the taller of the two said.
"We just came to deliver her final message. We promise you that we won't bully you anymore, Julia." they said, and walked away.
"Well, at least I don't have to worry about Amy's bullying anymore." Julia said.
"It's gonna be a great year now." Jake said, throwing his arm over Julia's shoulder, who smiled from his touch, and nodded her head.
"But she couldn't even leave Twinleaf Town without getting in one last hurtful statement. Just ignore her words, Julia. You know that Amy just always had to get the last word in." Alex said.
"Oh, I know. And I think that her two friends meant it when they said that they wouldn't bully me anymore. They just laughed and followed Amy. They never actually said anything to me. So I think that this year is going to be a great year!"
The class lists were announced and Alex, Julia, and all of their friends ended up in the same class once again.
As the first few weeks of school passed. Alex, Alan, and Anthony all made the hockey team, despite the majority of the team being filled by fifth and sixth graders. They were the only three fourth graders who made the team, since Jake hadn't made the cut. Instead of a leader role on the team like they'd had in grade three, the Triple-A Line was now able to leave that to the older boys while they focused on just playing their best and scoring goals, and score they did! They surprised the older kids by pulling their weight and holding their own in each game, never holding their teammates back!
Julia and Melissa were also the only fourth graders on the girls' basketball team. Grace had decided not to try out for the team, knowing that she wasn't as talented as the older girls and likely wouldn't make the cut. She also wanted more time to focus on her real passion: fashion. There had been no hard feelings from Julia or Melissa, who understood. With the support from the older girls who had been playing for over a year longer than the two of them had, Julia and Melissa's basketball skills improved greatly and the whole team was for the better, having them play.
By playing with older kids that were better than them, the five friends improved their skills in their sports, helping their teams win their respective championships every year as they passed from grade to grade. In the fifth and sixth grades, Jake made the cut and joined the hockey team.
Throughout their fourth grade year, their friendship with Isla was repaired and the group was all together once again. No hard feelings were left and all had been forgiven.
As the years passed, the group of friends continued to write letters to their friend, Princess Sarah, who always replied. She would visit them in Twinleaf Town at least once a year and they were always invited to her palace for the annual Christmas Ball and Grace would design new gowns for the occasion every year for herself, Julia, Melissa, and Isla.
As they entered sixth grade, they had all grown closer to a particular member in their group. Alex was close to Grace, who would blush with every compliment that he gave to her and her outfits. Anthony and Sarah were closer than ever, the two of them even writing letters separately and privately. And at the annual Christmas Ball, Anthony had made it a tradition to always have a sleigh ride with Sarah. Alan and Isla were now closer, but still the newest pair in the group. Jake and Julia were even closer now, having both deciding to hang out a few times by themselves.
And by the time they reached the sixth grade, they finally understood why they felt closer to that certain person. It was because of love. They had seen love through Ash and Dawn and it was what had motivated them to get their parents together in the first place, but now they had all experienced it for themselves, despite being only twelve years old.
Other people found love during these years as well. Queen Salvia had fallen in love with the Prince of Kanto that she had met at her Christmas Ball and they were happily married. Sarah now had the family that she'd always wanted, the kind of family that Alex and Julia had gained, and she had even gained a stepbrother who was a few years older than her. Sarah was glad that her mom had finally found love and gained a husband and King, someone with whom to share her throne. And with a new dad and brother, their large palace felt more home-like and didn't seem so empty anymore.
Jake's dad fell in love with Miss Vickers and they were married, giving Jake a mom and Melissa an aunt. Melissa's mom was also happy that her brother had finally found the perfect woman for him and settled down. Eventually, Jake's new mom gave birth to a baby girl, whom she named Elise. Nobody was happier about it than her. She had always loved kids, being a teacher and all, and after several miscarriages during her first marriage, she finally had a baby of her own and Jake now had a sister, whom he adored and would protect from any harm.
Isla's parents also had a new baby, a boy named Trevor, giving Isla a new brother, except she was a big sister now. She promised to never let anything happen to him like it had to Trey.
Dawn also gave birth to a baby boy, Daniel, her first child since Julia was born. He had Ash's black hair and Dawn's blue eyes. The Ketchum family had grown from two to four and now there were five.
No new threats ever arose to endanger the world during those years, either. It seemed that Team Rocket was gone for good and everyone in the world had earned the right to live their lives in peace.
The sixth grade had ended the day before and today was the day that Alex, Julia, and their friends would start their Pokemon journey together. They were all twelve years old and had finished the sixth grade.
The Ketchum family and Johanna walked through Twinleaf Town. Ash was carrying a large case while Dawn pushed one-year-old Daniel in a stroller. Alex and Julia were dressed for their journey.
Alex wore black cargo shorts, a red and blue long sleeved shirt, red sneakers, a blue hat, and black and blue fingerless gloves.
Julia wore pink biker shorts with a black line down each side, a black and white tank top, and pink knee-high boots that were identical to the ones that her mom wore on her journey.
As they walked, Dawn spoke, "I packed the contest dress that Grace made for you, Julia, along with a tux for you, Alex, in case you ever want to compete in a contest. You can learn a lot about battling from a contest performance."
"She's right. Ever since I watched Dawn's past performances, I've become a much better and more skilled Pokemon Master." Ash added.
"I may try a contest at least once." Alex said.
"You just want to be in a contest with Grace, don't you?" Julia joked.
"Oh, like you don't want Jake to try his hand at it, too!" Alex replied.
The two siblings shared a laugh. Ash and Dawn were glad to see that even after all of these years as siblings, the two of them still get along as well as they did when they first met!
Eventually, they came to a huge grassy field just outside of Twinleaf Town. Alex and Julia's friends were waiting for them, along with their parents. Jake's baby sister, Elise, and Isla's baby brother, Trevor, were with their respective parents, too.
Anthony wore blue pants, a black long sleeved shirt with a green design, a jacket that was black and blue and half sleeved, and a pair of blue and green sneakers.
Grace wore white biker shorts under a red miniskirt, a dark blue and white short sleeved shirt, and red sneakers with white knee-high socks.
Alan wore beige cargo pants, a light blue short sleeved shirt, black gloves, and blue sneakers.
Isla wore purple shorts, a white jacket with a purple stripe down each of the arms, a black tank top underneath it, and white and black sneakers.
Jake wore dark blue cargo shorts, a gray shirt with quarter-length sleeves, blue and black sneakers, and a gray hat with a dark blue 'J' on it.
Melissa wore orange biker shorts, a green top with cap sleeves and a Pokeball design on it, black sneakers, and orange and black gloves.
After the friends gathered together, Ash put the large case on the ground and opened it, revealing 22 Pokeballs inside.
"Oh, wow..." the kids said, amazed.
"I was able to call in a few favors from Gary and the other Pokemon professors. They gave me the starting Pokemon from each and every region for you all to choose from." Ash explained.
He then pushed the buttons on each Pokeball one by one and let the Pokemon out. "Pick any two that you want." he said.
The Pokemon that stood before the kids were: Pikachu, Bulbasaur, Charmander, Squirtle, Chikorita, Cyndaquil, Totodile, Treecko, Torchic, Mudkip, Turtwig, Chimchar, Piplup, Snivy, Tepig, Oshawott, Chespin, Fennekin, Froakie, Rowlet, Litten, and Popplio.
Alex chose Pikachu and Squirtle.
Julia chose Piplup and Bulbasaur.
Grace chose Snivy and Fennekin.
Anthony chose Mudkip and Charmander.
Alan chose Torchic and Froakie.
Isla chose Chikorita and Litten.
Jake chose Chimchar and Totodile.
Melissa chose Treecko and Cyndaquil.
As Ash was returning the six Pokemon that weren't chosen and closed the case, a familiar voice spoke.
"You guys aren't going to leave me behind, are you?"
Out of the bushes walked a black-haired Sarah, who had been hiding from them. She was wearing a long sleeved pink shirt with a dark pink vest over it, black pants, and dark blue sneakers with pink accents. She ran over to her surprised, but happy friends, who surrounded her and hugged her.
"Are you really joining us on our journey?!" Anthony asked, happier than any of the others.
"Yes, but it won't be just me."
She pulled out two Pokeballs and tossed them, revealing her two starter Pokemon: Ponyta and Pachirisu.
The kids then returned their Pokemon. However, Pikachu, Piplup, and Pachirisu chose to stay out of their Pokeballs and instead sat on Alex, Julia, and Sarah's shoulders.
As Ash passed out their Pokedexes, he asked them what their goals were for the future.
"I plan to be the very best, just like you, Dad. I'll become the new Pokemon Master someday." Alex said. "Oh, and Dad? I know that you told me never to fight, but just know that if my friends are ever in danger, I won't hesitate to fight to protect them."
"I'm looking forward to the day that you battle me for the title of Pokemon Master. If your mom, Misty, were still here, she would be proud of the boy that you've grown up to be." Ash said. "And about you fighting? Just think before you act, that's all that I ask. I understand, though. I never thought twice when I endangered my own life to protect my friends on my journeys."
"I plan to become a Top Coordinator, just like Mom and Grandma. I'm a third generation Top-Coordinator-in-the-making and I know that I have two big reputations to live up to, but I'm confident that I can achieve my goal." Julia said.
"I know that you can do it, baby." Dawn said to her daughter.
"I plan to join the ranks of the Sinnoh Elite Four." Alan stated.
"I plan to become a Pokemon Ranger." Jake said.
"I plan on becoming a gym leader, but I'm not sure of which gym yet. I'll find out on my journey which type of Pokemon that I like the best." Melissa said.
"Ever since my mom got married, my brother automatically became the second heir to the Sinnoh throne after me. Because someone else is available to rule, my mom, dad, and even my brother decided to let me leave and told me that I could go on a journey with all of my friends, which is why I'm here right now. My mom also said that she never got the chance to become a Top Coordinator like she wanted. So I'm doing this for her too, not just for me! I'm going to fulfill her dreams and mine!" Sarah boldly said.
"Does that mean that you have officially decided not to become the next Queen of Sinnoh and are instead letting your brother become the new King when it's time?" Julia asked.
"Yes. My brother is taking the throne next and I probably won't ever have to take it from him. So I have the chance to live my dream and I can't pass this up. Yes, I will always be a Princess by birth and the title will always technically be mine, but I don't want to be Queen. I felt like I was letting my mom down at first, but she told me that all she wants is for me to be happy with whatever I want in life. She also said that I'll always have a place in the palace, it will always be my home. So if I ever want to move back and live there again, then I can."
"Well, I plan on at least winning a Pokemon League tournament, but there are other things that I want to achieve, too. I still love hockey and I want to try playing professionally like my dad used to. So I have several potential goals: gym leader, Elite Four member, hockey player, and I'll be happy with whichever one it ends up being, so I want to try them all and see what works best and makes me the happiest. And who knows? I may even end up becoming a Prince of Sinnoh in the future." Anthony said, winking at Sarah, who winked and smiled back at him. She knew what he meant.
"Like Anthony, I also have several goals. I want to become a Top Coordinator first, but after that, I want to become a fashion designer, mainly specializing in gowns and dresses. I've even designed the contest dresses that Julia and I will be wearing in our Pokemon contests. I'm also going to keep drawing dress designs while on my journey and send pictures of whatever I draw to my mom whenever we reach a Pokemon Center, so that she can use them, too." Grace explained.
"In order to get the money to put myself through fashion school, my mom talked to the owner of the dress store in Hearthome City where she used to work, and she's agreed to let me work there once I'm old enough to get a job. I hope that someday, my gowns will be sold in every region all over the world."
Sarah then spoke up. "Grace, when you become a fashion designer, you can have your very first fashion show at the palace! There can be a runway set up in the ballroom and everything! What better way to make your debut in the fashion world than at the Sinnoh royal palace? It would really catch everyone's attention and help you get recognized for your talents right off the bat!"
"Really?! Thank you, thank you, thank you! That would be a dream come true! Thank you!" Grace cried, hugging Sarah ecstatically.
"However, there is one condition: I want to be your very first customer, the first person to purchase a gown from you."
"Of course! The Princess of Sinnoh as one of my customers would be a huge boost!"
Everyone then looked at Isla, who had been quiet while everyone was speaking. Her face was looking down at the ground.
"Isla, what's your goal?" Ash asked.
"I want to become an artist. I'm going on this journey to travel and see the world, to get inspiration for my art pieces and draw along the way. But unlike everyone else, whose goals are full of training and competitions, my goal is a lot more basic, so I feel inferior to my friends about what I want in life. I chose my two Pokemon not because I want them to battle, but because I want them to just stay by my side as my friends."
"That's not a basic goal, Isla." said Sarah.
"It's well thought out." Grace added.
"And just because you want Pokemon as your friends instead of to battle doesn't make it bad." Alex said.
"You're going to be an amazing artist with everything that you're going to see on this journey, Isla. You'll find lots of inspiration for what to draw. That, I promise you." Alan said, smiling at her.
After one more final, heartfelt goodbye, the nine friends walked down the path, away from Twinleaf Town.
As she watched them go, a tear fell from Dawn's eye. "Now I know how my mom felt when I left home to begin my journey. I'll miss Alex and Julia, but I know that it's for the best and I don't want to let myself get in the way of their dreams."
"There's no need to worry. I trust them and I know that together with their friends, nothing will be able to stop them. Plus, we still have Daniel at home and we'll be more prepared emotionally when it comes time for him to leave on his journey with Elise and Trevor." Ash said.
"It seems like only yesterday that you and Alex were moving into your new home in Twinleaf Town, and now look where we are."
"I know what you mean, Dawn. You know, we wouldn't be standing together here right now if it weren't for Alex and Julia. It's thanks to them that we found love again through each other. We're all a family and it feels like a part of us has gone with them."
"Yes, they did. And it looks like they've found love for themselves too, even if they don't fully realize the extent of what it means. Alex found it through Grace and Julia found it through Jake. They grow up so fast, huh?"
Ash and Dawn wrapped their arms around one another, holding each other close in a loving embrace. In their minds, they remembered everything that they had experienced since they first met and how it had all led to this moment. The good times, the bad times, they friends they'd made, the people they'd met, the family they'd found, the love they'd rediscovered, and above all, the happiness they'd found through each other.
And as the kids walked down the path together and disappeared into the distance, they knew that this parting with their children wasn't the end of any of those things. It was just the start of a new chapter in their lives and in the lives of their children. A New Beginning.
And that ends New Beginnings. Thank you so much to our readers and reviewers, especially if you've been following the story since it started all the way back in 2014! The updates may have been slower than they were in the first story, but we didn't give up!
This is the end of the story for Ash and Dawn, since we will not be writing a third story. We hope that you've enjoyed this story as much as we've enjoyed writing it. (Is it even better than the first story, "Two Broken Hearts"?)
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