A/N: I am so sorry. I was suppose to post last week, but… well things didn't go as planned. So, now finally chapter 24.

Disclaimer: I don't own Pokémon.

Reviewer's Comments:

Lan Night::: Yeah! A new reviewer! Uh…Ash, right will return or not. I know! I know! I just ain't telling. ^.^ Confused? What are you confused about? Details, please? Oh and thanks for the review, and I hope you continue to review this fic.

Shock-a-lot::: Oh! For so reason your review didn't show up in my review part… thingy in my portfolio. So uh I kind of hard to manually part it in. I just wanted to let ya know so… uh yeah. No prob. It's understandably. Everybody's computer acts weird sometimes. Just last week there was something wrong with my phone line, and I couldn't stay online for more than five minutes. You thought this chapter was cute? Yeah! Thanks for the review.

Nightswift::: It's that bad, the last chapter? I know it didn't do… much… much. But… err… its kind of important in the long run. And unfortunately this chapter doesn't do much… unless… you uh… interpret it in a different way then the way I wrote it. Oops! I shouldn't have said that. Any ways… about Ash. I've finally decided, actually I decided a long time ago. But that's beyond the point. 'Kay I'll try. Oh and thanks for the review.

Labannya::: Sorry. I kind of didn't have time. Sorry. I didn't think… sorry. Wow! You live in Houston too. This sure is a small world. Yeah. I know. People make fun of me too. Especially when they first get a glimpse of my room. Then… they start to understand after a while. You collect Pokémon cards and didn't burn them after they went out of style? Wow! Me too. I could never burn my Pokémon cards. They're too precious to me. Yu-gi-oh cards! Wow! I so want to buy I package of those but I'm afraid I'll get too out of hard with those like I did with Pokémon cards. So I've decided not a start a collection of those. Yeah, I know. Most people only know about the anime that are in "style". The ones that make the big bucks, that shows who's a true lover of an anime show huh? Right! Jessie did the right thing, but what did Misty do? Oh good. You didn't mind. So you did go to the one in Texas. Wow! And here I was thinking you went to see the big clock in Europe. Well. Thanks for the review.

Overlord::: Thanks, and thanks for the review.

Joy-girl::: Thanks. Oh. You do it too! I kind of run out of things to say to make the last chapter a little longer without adding a flashback of some sort. And unfortunately this chapter is longer but it's mainly because of the flashback that it includes… which happens to have gotten cut off at the end… meaning it continues on to the next chapter. Oh and thanks for the review.

Kendo Master Mal::: Another new reviewer! Yeah! Oh thanks. Yeah. I kind of realize I screwed up badly after I starting playing Ruby. But now I know I wasn't reading the screen wrong or anything. Thanks for the review, and I hope you continue to review my fic.

Crystalstorm21::: You don't? Wow! If I ever decide to buy I lottery ticket, I'm definitely going to ask you for advice. We could spilt the winnings or something. Oh! I'm not like everyone else? Yeah! I guess I kind of proofed that a lot of chapters ago. Thanks for the review.

Kit Kat::: Yeah! At least it wasn't a cliffy! I'm not that mean… or am I? Hmm. Yeah! Christmas in July, with the way things are turning out. That chapter might just be posted in July. Yeah. That's true. Nobody can wait forever. I said this fic was going to be AAML? Really? Oops! Right I did! Of course I did! I can't have Misty with just anybody now can I? Thanks for the review.

Etherelemental::: Guess I'm not forgiven huh? I took too long to post again. Really? You thought it was funny? Yeah! Uh! Right Latios and Latias? That kind of screwed me up badly since I wasn't really thinking about the fifth movie when I first got the plot line down. Right! Bianca, err… right. Bianca, I haven't got a clue. Shot! I'm so died! I forgot about the bond that Bianca had with Latias. :scribble a note of reminder: I'll get on it. Yeah! I know! I never expected the last chapter to be a single conversation. Heck! I didn't even plan on that having the last two chapters in this fic at all. It just came to me while I was writing, and I thought. Hmm… it could make a later chapter seem more… interesting. Yeah. The graduation… you'll see what I kind of did to it. I won't give this fic up. That I can promise. I've come too far with it. Thanks for the review.

Ash and Misty forever::: Yes! I know, a month without an update now nearly two weeks without an update. I'm so sorry. Oh! You don't wait me to kill Ash. Right! Hmm. :snickers: Twist story. You have no idea. You have no idea just how far I'm going to push this fic in the second half. That's when my original summary will finally kick in. Thanks for the review.

SulliMike23::: A lot of effort and endless hours, yeah! That's what I end to finish this fic, and I haven't gotten any of that yet. Thanks for the review.

Chapter 24

A long sigh escaped Misty's lips. She stared at her reflection once more in the mirror. She had long finished dressing, but she just couldn't bring herself downstairs. Once again Misty stifled back a yawn. The night before had been a very long one. With the talk with Jessie lasting longer than expected, she barely had any time to finish the speech that she was suppose to give. It was her turn to give the graduation speech. "MISTY!"

Misty cringed as she heard Haruka's voice coming though the crack in the door. She never knew that Haruka's voice could be… so loud. She didn't bother to reply as she stared at her reflection. She was getting old. No longer was she so young or carefree. That part of her life had disappeared. Misty stared at her reflection not wanting to believe that she was reaching her thirties. She reached up and gently tucked back a loose strand of hair that has came loose. Without much thought her reached down on the vanity and picked up a small bottle of perfume. It was nothing expensive, or extravagant. To Misty it was just right. Just as she reached to unscrew the bottle she stopped herself.

Perfume's just a waste of money. It's stupid!

"Hmm." A small smile appeared on her face as she placed the bottle back. "No," she muttered before repeating the word once more, only louder. She stared at her reflection before nodding at satisfaction. She knew she could never be a… a… a sensation Cerulean sister. She knew she could never compete with her sisters for beauty, but now she didn't need to. Beauty didn't matter anymore, any ways not to Misty. She grabbed her handbag and the small journal laying that was lying beside it, before walking out the room.

****** Jessie's POV *****

I know have to tell him. I know that the twerp… no Misty is right. I do love him with all heart. But I dreamt of that little boy again, that boy with those stunning, amber eyes and raven black hair, who visits me daily in my dreams. And his voice, it filled me with so much passion. He was there again. He was so real, too real to be a dream. And the way he speaks, the way he pronounces my name. No one else has ever spoken my name like that before. "Jessica" every vowel, every consonant its spoken at the right amount.

But Misty's right he's just an illusion. A fantasy that I have conjured up for the world's most prefect boyfriend, a boyfriend that I can never have.

Don't let true happiness pass you by. Yes, that's true, true happiness, happiness that I can find with James. Then why do I doubt my love for him again?

"Because of a memory, you do love him don't you, Jessie?"

That voice, it sounds so familiar. I want to turn, but I can't. The possibility of whom the voice belongs to is too high. "Hmm, who am I kidding. It can't be him…" I turn, my curiosity has gotten the better of me. But when I turn there is no one there. But I do sense a presence, a comforting presence.

"Do you?" the voice speaks once again, this time coming behind me.

I can't contain myself any longer. I bolt up off the park bench. The graduation gown upon my body flares up as I pat it down. I look the over way. Once again there is no one. "Who's there!" I demanded. I hear a small chuckle above me.

"Do you love him, Jessica?"

That voice, his words, the way he said Jessica. It was just like in my dream. Could it be him? No! It couldn't. Could I have finally lost it?

"Do you?!" shouted the voice again.

"Who are you? Where I you?" I scream.

"That doesn't matter, Jessie. Just answer my question, do you love him?"

"Who?"

"Don't you know, Jessica? Don't you know?" asked the voice. The voice, it sounded so sad. A tint of sadness, regret and confusion filled the tone of the voice.

"Don't you?" muttered the voice once more. Its voice was hollowing out.

"WHO!" I demanded once more.

A light chuckle is heard once more. "Only you know that answer Jessica. The one that you think of first when asked who you love, the most. Only you know the answer to your troubles." With those brief words said the voice faded into the air.

I smile. I now know the answer…

******Misty's POV ******

Shades of yellow fills the room, the color of the thunderbolt. I look down at the audience. I look next to me and see the other generals. I hear the voices of the graduating class behind me. Just like every year for the last five of them. It's always been the same old same old, but still I cherish them. I know that with each year fading away and another taking its place, sooner or later I will be reunited with him… once more. Maybe, maybe not in this lifetime but in the next, but I know I will see him again when death has claimed our bodies, for our souls will never disappear from this world.

I hear a whisper in my ears. I tell immediately it's Brock. He's worried about me, but why? Sure, I haven't been myself lately, but then again I haven't been myself for nearly eight years. No, that's not it. He's just concerned about me. I nod back at him. Lightly I clear my throat before composing my posture. As of on impulse I grab the mike. Immediately a loud feedback erupts, silencing the room. My hands fall back as a drop the mike. I groan as a major head attack erupts. I feel my face blush a thousand shades of red as I bend down to pick up the mike. As my hands graze the cold metal, I feel a holy presence fill the room. One that I've been waiting for years to feel once again, time stops once more as I look up.

There, in front of me I feel the presence. "Calm down, Mist. I'll be back soon. I promise," muttered a voice of calm and soothing that that I know I can trust. My heart pounds. I feel my body heating up. Such tension, such impact, I haven' felt it in a long time… the last time… was at my death. I feel the presence leave as secretly as it had arrived. The feeling, the stigma it's all too much as I grab the mike. As I stand up, my hair bushes upon another. I look up, seeing the concerned face of Brock. Such a sweet, and gentle man, he's like an older brother that I never had.

"You okay, Kasumi?" asked Takeshi with a tone of concern.

"Of course, Takeshi," I reply. My voice is back on regular grounds. I see Takeshi's look of surprise at my sudden change of posture, for I too am surprised.

"You sure you can go through with the graduation?" murmured Takeshi.

"Yes, it's my duty as general and founder of Team Thunderbolt," I replied. Takeshi nods as we both stand up.

****** Jessie's POV *******

Do I dare tell him? Will he hate me for waiting so long? No, he won't. I look to my right and there he is. The man that has filled my heart to the fullest, the one that I know now that I can pledge my heart and allegiance too. We'll been though so much together… too much. He even told me that I'm the only girl in this world that he can stand. I pity him so. Maybe… maybe that's one of the reasons why I fell for him. He's different than most men, so much different than my first love. My first love was energetic, full of life, and the one the movies that could be classified as the hero, or the one that everyone could count on. But James, he's different the nervousness, the funniness, the following type. He's so much different than my first. Heck! Why am I still thinking about that boy? I have only seen him in my dreams. I don't even know if he a live or what. No, my life, my love is with James. I know it has to be.

I turn to my left. He's standing there. He hasn't looked me in the eye since we got here. Do I dare tell him now? No, I dare not. I slide a glance at him. I see that look of innocent confusion, hurt and angry all mixed up in one. I haven't seen a look like that out of him in such a long time. His short blue hair, it's actually combed and neat for once. His face isn't shrouded in his long bangs as it usually is. The light yellow gown clashes well with his deep green eyes. Such stunning, captivating eyes unlike my own dull midnight blue ones, but he says mine are prettier. Such a decent man, one that I have pledged my lifelong love to.

I can tell that he notices me looking, and he immediately turns, but why? Why does he turn? He is afraid of the same thing that I too am afraid of? Afraid of what life has in store for us?

****** James's POV *******

Why does she look at me? Why? Such an innocent look… hmm… innocent, I can't believe that I made a sentence with her and innocent all in one. Such stunning, beautiful midnight blue eyes, one that reflect the stars' glow especially when her eyes twinkle. I love to see them twinkle. They are soo beautiful that way, but she denounces my comment. She used to love it so when I would compliment her on her figure, but now… not anymore. Time has changed us in such a way. Now, when I look into her eyes not longer can I probe any way details, thoughts, feelings. No longer can I find my needed answers.

Does she love me? Does she hate me? I don't know? I just don't know? It's so hard to tell now, much too hard if she doesn't love me. Will she still take me as a friend? If I can't have her as my love, I can at least have her for a friend, right?

I feel my body tensing up. Darn it! I haven't had this type of feeling in such a long time. I rarely get nervous anymore. There's no need for that anymore. Is this what they call last minute jiggles, and this is just a graduation… which Jessie and I happen to be the valedictorians for.

"Musashi Jessica, and Kojirou James." Our names, I hear them being called. There's not turning back now.

**** Normal POV****

Upon the podium, Kasumi gulped once more before starting her long prepared speech. "Ladies, gentlemen, girls and boys, I would like to welcome you all to our fifth graduation. It's been half a decade, already since the day that some of us graduated and joined our respected teams. Such a long way we have come from the days before all this started. The days when we respected, cared, loved, and fought with in teams and in an union with the one creatures that we so painfully fight against now to regain a place in this world. I still remember our first graduation, our first shovel full of dirty that created this new… underground world, our first lesson that taught some of us how to fight, how to live without sunlight, pure rain fall, or any types of nature's gifts. But even as the times grow darker we must never forget our true reasons for fighting such a war. It's not to destroy this world of all Pokémon. It's to unite us once more like our teams' name says 'the Thunderbolt'.

"For many of us the name means many different things… from a nature's phenomenon to a Pikachu's electric attack." Such a small world aroused such laughter from some in the room. Even Kasumi could have sworn she heard all four of the other generals snicker at the remark. She didn't get why she said a Pikachu's electric attack. She hadn't even thought of such a notion till seconds before she said such words. Kasumi sighed as she waited to the room to quiet once more before starting. She knew that her speech was starting to sound like a history lesson once more. The other generals and herself had agreed on such an opening for this graduation and since one. It was her turn to giving the opening, and two, who better than the original idealist and founder to give such a speech?

"But many here don't know my interpretation of the word 'Thunderbolt', the original interpretation of the name's origin. The foundation of this team doesn't reside within me, Gen. Takeshi, Haruka, Sakaki, or Wataru though most think it was my idea. But no, the credit and idea of the name and even the team resides within someone else. Someone, who has no knowledge of this team's existence. Someone, who I have known for a great deal of my life. A young man who has changed my life forever, most of you know who I am talking about by now." Kasumi stopped and looked around the grand stadium. She looked at the faces of those in the first row. She heard the back doors open revealing the newly entered future members of the army. She couldn't help but smile. Such obedience, such loyalty to a cause that for so long seemed so hopeless, yet they still keeps coming. When the old gets wounded, the new steps in. It was almost like a never-ending process. Kasumi knew she had to warp her speech up. She had divulged them all into the beginning of the founding of thunderbolt, and she hoped it was enough for now. The rest was too personal to share. To this day she hadn't even told Haruka or Takeshi the real truth behind it all.

Kasumi sighed once again before raising a glass of water from the podium. She took a light snip before continuing. "That is the beginning of Thunderbolt's origin. The beginning of such a vast and board army, union, utopia that we have all managed to build for ourselves the last few years. But, but today we aren't here to state or rediscover the past. No, instead today we are one step closer in achieving our goals. Today, we are here to add to our armies. And without further to do our two top students in this graduating class have a few words to say. Please give a round of applause to Musashi Jessica and Kojirou James." Kasumi smiled as she took a step back. Not only was she happy for finishing her speech but not breaking down in tears during it. Kasumi kept on clapping as she watched Musashi and Kojirou appear from behind the downy. From the looks upon their faces it was obvious that Jessie hadn't told James yet. Kasumi lightly hugged Musashi and smiled as she shook hands with Kojirou. An encouraging smile stayed upon her face before moving back to join the other generals. She received a light squeeze in the hand from Takeshi and a thumbs-up from Haruka. Kasumi simply nodded back at the two as she watched Musashi start her speech.

But this time she wasn't into it. She couldn't match heads or tails with Musashi's speech. It was as if she was speaking in a foreign language. But instead Misty's subconscious state of mind took her to a memory of long ago. Back when she was younger…

"You look fine, Mist," said a fifteen-year-old boy. The young boy was dressed in a neat white, Asian type tux. Sitting upon the boy's shoulders was a small yellow rodent. Even the rodent was dressed in a mini tux that matched its trainer's garments. The rodent grinned as it gave a thumbs-up sign.

"Thanks Ash," mumbled Misty. She fumbled with her gloves once more before picking up her small, white purse that matched her dress. She turned towards the young man who ushered her out the room. Misty sighed as she leaned against Ash's body. It comforted her so to lean against him. His familiar scent comforted her so and eased her tension. She had missed him so dearly the last few months. She was even surprised that he would show up for this ceremony. He was so busy with the Houen league, and it was far away from Kanto that she didn't expect him or Brock to show up.

Ash slid a glance at Misty before looking away. She looked so peaceful. He had never seen her like this before. With traveling day and night Ash knew it took a toll on her. It had taken its toll on him too. It was tiring. You never knew when you would have a warm bed to sleep in, food to eat that day. It was always by chance. Fortunately they had been lucky that Brock was with them, but still Ash longed for a vacation. But he knew he couldn't go out of the way, he needed the training. He needed the badges.

But when Ash heard from his mom a few weeks ago that May was graduating from Pokémon Tech, he immediately packed his bags and left for Kanto. He had been friends with May for a long time. The two had grown up together, him, Gary, and May, his sister. The three were best buds. They did everything together. But since May was five years older than both himself and Gary the fun times soon ended. When May turned ten, she didn't go on a Pokémon journey. Instead she took a different route she was enrolled into Pokémon Tech. Without May there Gary and him fought, they couldn't get along with each other anymore and the two parted. A rivalry was created when they both declared they wanted to become Pokémon Masters.

Now after ten years he was finally seeing May again. The young woman who everyone said in her and Ash's childhood had a crush on each other. But when Ash got back to Pallet he discovered that Misty was there too. Over the course of the few months that they had parted Misty had become friends with May. And through unpleasant turn of events had asked both Ash and Misty to sing something at the end of graduation. Somehow May had gotten the impression that Ash could sing. What Ash didn't know till a couple of nights ago when him and Misty were going over their song, was that Misty couldn't sing either. She had always been tone deaf like himself.

"Mist," muttered Ash.

"Hmm?" Misty muttered looking up. She found herself in a leather chair, the middle of the auditorium.

"You fell asleep," stated Ash.

"Oh," muttered Misty. Once again she started playing with the sheet music that was in her purse.

A/N: Okay, I know I bad place to stop. But err… I kind of had to. More bad news, one this may be the last post for a whole month. If I can't get in another update by Monday then I can't promise or post till after July 24. I'm leaving the country for a whole month to go on very long vacation. Unfortunately for me the place I'm going doesn't have Internet access for me to post the next few chapter. But if I do find a computer with Internet access you might get a surprise update from me. Oh and have great summer and please review!