Ash couldn't sleep. All he could do was sit on his bed and think about what he had done to Dawn. "Dawn, tomorrow I'm going to apologize to you for everything I didn't say." he thought. He was then interrupted by the voice of another Pokemon.

"Hello, Ash Ketchum." it said. Ash looked up and saw Mesprit, the Pokemon of emotions. Who, ironically enough, was there to help Ash understand his own emotions.

"I can tell from your body language that your journey to the past with Celebi has had quite an impact on you." Mesprit continued. "I think you've seen how Dawn felt about you once before. Now, I am here to show you the present; how she feels about you now today."

"I think that'll have to wait." said Ash. "Dawn's sleeping."

"Yes, she is. But she's have a very vivid dream right now. Come with me and we will go into her mind to see what she's dreaming."

Ash and Mesprit disappeared into thin air. As they reappeared, Ash saw that he was in his own living room. Dawn was talking with May and Misty. Nobody else seemed to be around.

"Don't worry, this is all in Dawn's mind. She can't see you in her dream." Mesprit assured Ash. "Now listen to what the girls have to say."

"Dawn, you've had special feelings for Ash for a long while, haven't you?" May asked.

"Yes, I have. But he told me that he doesn't care about love, and that he never will. He's always more interested in training his Pokemon." she answered.

Ash closed his eyes and looked down in regret as he heard this. Now he knew why Dawn had run out of the room that night after he had said those things. And once again, he had hurt her feelings.

"Maybe...maybe it's best to just give up. Maybe I should just forget it, ignore all my feelings for him. They're only making it more difficult for me to accept the fact he doesn't care for me as anything but a friend." Dawn said sadly.

"Or maybe it's you who has to act." Misty suggested. "Maybe you're the one who has to tell him how YOU feel. And if he doesn't get it, I'll just hit him on the head with my giant hammer until he learns his lesson and accepts you!" At that, the girls shared a laugh. Even Ash laughed a bit, but he was also very scared because he knew that Misty would do something like that!

"But seriously, Dawn. Deep down, I know there's part of Ash that loves you, a part of him that he doesn't even know he has yet." said May.

"He wouldn't be where he is today without you, nor you without him." said Misty. "From the stories about Sinnoh that he and you have told, you've both trained together, learned from each other, and have been closer to him than May or I ever were."

Ash meanwhile, was taking in every word, taking everything to heart, and at last, everything was becoming clear. It seemed that the "part of him he didn't even know he had", as May had put it, was finally starting to be seen. Ash had finally found it. But Dawn's next words cut him short.

"I know...but I'm still not sure if it's worth it." Dawn said uncertainly.

"It looks like Dawn's having second thoughts about how she feels...and again, it's still all my doing." Ash paused for a moment and then asked Mesprit something that had been on his mind. "Mesprit, am I too late to apologize to her? What will happen if she gives up on me?"

Mesprit then made itself and Ash disappear from Dawn's dream and back into his room in the real world. Then it spoke its answer.

"It's better if you see for yourself. It's not my place to show you, but the third and final Pokemon will be here soon. He will be the one who will reveal it all. I must leave now, but as the emotion Pokemon, judging from your emotions, I can tell that you're on the brink of something big and life-changing. I wish you luck in the future...trust me, you'll need it." And with that, Mesprit was gone.

Author's Note: Things are becoming clearer and clearer for Ash. Who do you think will be the final Pokemon visitor? And what do you think Ash will see in the future?

Find out next time in the most riveting and revealing chapter of the story!