Mesprit was right. The final Pokemon, the one who would show Ash the future, came only an hour later. That Pokemon was Darkrai, the Pokemon of nightmares.

Ash was confused when he saw Darkrai. Why would a Pokemon that represented such dark fear show him the future? Unless...it represented a nightmarish future, one that he wouldn't like. He knew that Dawn was possibly having second thoughts and may just give up on him because of what he had done, but the future couldn't be all that bad...could it?

"It is time for you to see the future, Ash. Time to see the consequences of your actions." Darkrai said in a deep, low voice. And before Ash could reply, everything went pitch black.

When everything came back into focus, he found himself standing in the middle of a snowy cemetery. The frigid cold winds blew across the graveyard, making him shiver.

"Why am I here in a cemetery? How is this my future?" Ash asked. Suddenly, a realization hit him and in a nervous voice, he asked, "Wait, will I...will I die?"

Darkrai didn't answer his question and simply said, "Follow me."

Darkrai led Ash through the graveyard and stopped by a grave up on a hill. It was dark, so Ash couldn't see the words on the headstone. "Whose...whose grave is this?" he asked in a trembling voice.

As the clouds in the sky that were covering the moon moved away, the moonlight illuminated the headstone and the inscription came into view. Ash looked at it, afraid, expecting to see his name there.

But it wasn't his name...it was hers! He noticed that the year of her death was ten years from the present year.

Ash couldn't believe his eyes. He collapsed onto his hands and knees and said, "No. No, no, nonono! NNNNNNOOOOOO!" This couldn't be right, this couldn't be her grave!

Ash repeatedly punched his fist into the snow. His heart was pounding so much, that he could hear it in his ears. Tears rolled down his face and his breathing was so fast, that he was gasping for air. Never before in his life had he felt such anguish, loneliness, helplessness. Nothing in the world could hurt him more than how much he was hurting right at that moment.

He looked up at Darkrai and yelled, "Why did this happen? WHY DID SHE DIE?"

"You broke her heart by refusing to recognize your feelings." the Dark-Type Pokemon answered. "She tried to move on with her life and even got married to someone else. But she was so unhappy being with him. Add that to her broken heart she had, and she gave up on love... and she took her own life."

Darkrai then disappeared into the darkness. He just left Ash there alone. Just him and his own misery. Ash knew at last what Darkrai was saying to him. It was he who had been the cause of her death. He could never live with himself knowing that he had been the cause of her demise.

"WAIT!" Ash called out into the emptiness of the night, "Tell me, is this the definite future, or only just a possible one? What if I change? If I tell her how I feel, will this still come to pass? Gengar told me that I would be given a chance to change my ways! Why would this happen if I changed my ways? It wouldn't end like THIS, right?" Ash was feeling overwhelmingly distraught. His cries and his questions received no reply as they echoed out into the stillness surrounding him.

Suddenly, everything Ash had seen, felt, remembered, and experienced throughout the night finally all made sense! He finally understood the true meaning of love, and finally realized his feelings for her. All at once, the pieces came together and Ash had what is, the equivalent of an epiphany.

Again, Ash called out into the night saying, "Please, answer my questions! I understand now! I'm not the same person I used to be! I know what it means to love someone, and to have them love me, too! I know that she's the most important thing in the world to me! I love Dawn Berlitz! I do, I truly do! Tell me, if I tell her how I feel, will this still happen?"

When Ash still got no reply, he cursed and punched the ground again as tears still flowed down his face. Down on his hands and knees, he felt his body start to go numb as exhaustion took over. He began to feel weak and darkness started to overcome his vision, it felt as if death itself was trying to take him. Maybe by realizing his feelings, death had decided to take him instead of Dawn. If that was the case, he would willingly give up his life in exchange for hers so that she could live on.

Yes, he loved her that much. At that moment, Celebi's words finally made sense to him. "'There is no greater love than to give up one's life for one's friend.' I now see what Celebi meant by that." Ash said in his mind."Dawn, I do this for you...I love you...and goodbye."

And with those final thoughts, The darkness finally overtook Ash and he closed his eyes and collapsed to the ground; but a smile was spread across his face. He was content, seeing that had died finally understanding the truth about what love was, and that he had died for Dawn, his one true love.

Author's Note: The End...or is it? Did Ash really die? Find out in the conclusion, coming tomorrow.