Ash and May found themselves standing across from Volo in complete shock. The friendly man they had known all this time and who had been helping them solve this mystery was actually the one who had caused the mess in the first place. And now he was demanding that they help him cause even more destruction. Fortunately for all the people of Hisui, Volo was asking the wrong people to help.
"That's not happening! Arceus sent us here to stop you from changing the future and that's what we're going to do!" Ash announced, startling May with his sudden declaration of the truth. Volo in contrast simply smirked. As if the news didn't surprise him at all.
"I knew you two weren't normal. Arceus must be very worried if he felt the need to send people to stop me. But I won't be stopped so easily!" he cackled as he threw out two pokéballs, releasing a Garchomp and a Togekiss.
"Gar!"
"Togekiss!"
"Pikachu I need your help!" Ash called his partner.
"On it!" Pikachu nodded as he ran over and faced down Togekiss.
"Glaceon!" May followed their lead.
"Ready!" Glaceon responded as she ran in as well and stood next to Pikachu.
"I will fulfill my destiny! Destroy them!" Volo ordered his two Pokemon and both immediately jumped into action. Togekiss flew toward Pikachu while Garchomp charged headlong toward Glaceon.
"Glaceon use Ice Beam!" May called. Glaceon quickly reared her head back and fired an Ice Beam at the incoming Garchomp.
"Thunderbolt now!" Ash followed up. Pikachu leaped into the air and fired Thunderbolt at Togekiss.
"Togekiss dodge and use Moonblast! Garchomp cut through with Dragon Claw!" Volo countered. His Flying type Pokemon was fast and was able to dodge Thunderbolt with grace before launching a Moonblast right back at him. Garchomp meanwhile surrounded his claws in Dragon energy and cut through Glaceon's Ice Beam before landing a clean hit on her and sending her backward.
"Glaceon!" May gasped.
"Quick dodge!" Ash called Pikachu. His partner yelped as he narrowly managed to jump out of the way of Togekiss's Moonblast. But just as quickly, Volo was ready.
"Use Extrasensory!" he ordered. Togekiss's eyes began to glow and she grabbed Pikachu with Extrasensory, keeping his body pinned in place with her Psychic powers.
"Pikachu!" Ash gasped.
"Use Calm Mind and then use Moonblast!" Volo followed up. Togekiss closed her eyes and used Calm Mind to raise her power. She then hit the immobile Pikachu with an even more powerful Moonblast. Pikachu screamed in pain as he took the full brunt of the attack. Then, before he even had time to process the hit, Volo called his next move.
"Use Air Slash!" Togekiss quickly launches an Air Slash from her wings, hitting with enough force to send Pikachu flying across the stage, landing hard on the ground near Glaceon, who was still struggling to get back up.
"Pikachu hang in there!" Ash yelled.
"Togekiss use Moonblast! Garchomp use Earth Power!" Volo ordered his Pokemon. In response, Togekiss fired another Moonblast while Garchomp slammed his claw into the ground, sending energy through the ground and heading right for Pikachu and Glaceon. In the span of only a few moments, Ash and May looked at each other and an unspoken plan seemed to pass between them, prompting both to spring into action.
"Pikachu use Electro Web to stop Moonblast!"
"Glaceon use Ice Beam and stop that Earth Power!" Hearing their trainer's voices, both Pokemon quickly got up from the ground. Pikachu leaped into the air and quickly fired Electro Web, capturing and breaking the Moonblast before it could make contact. Glaceon meanwhile jumped as well and fired Ice Beam at the ground, freezing and plugging the cracks in the ground and stopping the Earth Power before it could hit, allowing both Pokemon to land safely back on the ground.
"What the?!" Volo gasped, stunned by the teamwork between the two teams. But Ash and May weren't done, moving in perfect sync with each other. As if the last few weeks of separation had never happened.
"Use Thunderbolt wide range!" Ash called. Pikachu jumped into the air again and fired off a Thunderbolt that spread itself across the entire field, trapping both Garchomp and Togekiss in place.
"Rapid fire Shadow Ball go!" May followed up, promoting Glaceon to quickly fire two Shadow Balls from her mouth that both land on their trapped targets. The hits sent both Pokemon skidding backward as they tried to recover from the attacks.
"Nice move May!" Ash smiled.
"Right back at you!" she grinned.
"I wouldn't celebrate just yet! Togekiss use Extrasensory! And Garchomp use Iron Head!" Volo growled. Togekiss took off into the air again and used Extrasensory, this time grabbing Glaceon.
"Glaceon!" Pikachu gasped. However before he could help, Garchomp charged in with blinding speed and slammed his iron-hard forehead into Glaceon, throwing her across the field where she landed in a heap. "NO!"
"Glaceon!" May screamed.
"Finish her with Iron Head!" Volo cackled. Garchomp roared and charged toward Glaceon again, but Ash and Pikachu stepped in quickly.
"Protect Glaceon with Iron Tail!" Ash called their move. Pikachu charged angrily towards Garchomp with his tail glowing with metallic power. With one powerful swing Iron Tail and Iron Head collided and were matched strength for strength. The clash provided Glaceon with enough time that she was able to get back onto her paws and nod to May.
"Use Ice Beam and give it everything you got!" she yelled. Glaceon skidded under the clashing Pokemon and fired the most powerful Ice Beam she could muster, landing a direct hit on Garchomp's underbelly and forcing him away from Pikachu. Garchomp cried out in pain as he took massive damage and collided with a pile of rubble.
"Garchomp?!" Volo gasped. The smoke cleared and he was stunned to find Garchomp laying fainted in the mess.
"Wrap this up with Thunderbolt Pikachu!" Ash called. Pikachu gathered all his energy and fired the most powerful Thunderbolt he could, landing a devastating blow on Togekiss. She cried out in pain as she was blown backward and crashed into another pile of rubble on the other side of Volo.
"Togekiss!" Volo yelled, stunned as it was revealed that Togekiss had fainted as well. Pikachu smirked as he landed beside Glaceon and she smiled gratefully at him.
"Nice work you two!" Ash cheered.
"You guys are amazing!" May echoed his praise. Pikachu and Glaceon smiled at their trainers before sharing a loving nuzzle. Volo glares at them both as recalled his Pokémon and Ash turned his attention to their betrayer.
"Give up Volo! We can beat any Pokémon you throw at us!" he declared.
"I wonder why it is that Arceus choose you two to come and stop me…why he insists on denying me my place in history." Volo chuckled. "But it doesn't matter now. My partner will deal with you both and bring me that which I deserve."
"Partner?"
"Can't you feel it? The sudden chill in the air?" he smirked. Almost as if summoned by his words, a chilly and eerie breeze began to blow past the two trainers, making them both shiver.
"N-Now that he mentions it…" May commented, holding her arms in an attempt to stay warm.
"What's going on Volo?!" Ash yelled as he glared at Volo. However, the older man simply smirked and began to laugh as a black portal began to open behind him, a portal that Ash recognized quite well from his time in Sinnoh.
"That's…!" he gasped, but before he could even finish his thought, two large black wings came through the portal and the rest of a large Pokemon soon followed. The Pokemon was just as tall as Dialga and Palkia were but his body was grey and covered with golden rings. The Ruler of the Reverse World was before them. "Giratina…"
"What in the world?!" May gasped as Giratina roared out and glared at the two of them.
"Giratina! Destroy them!" Volo ordered the Legendary Pokemon. Giratina roared out his agreement and flew into the sky, ready for a fight.
"Pikachu, use Thunderbolt!" Ash called, prompting Pikachu to jump into action and fire Thunderbolt at Giratina. May and Glaceon weren't far behind.
"Ice Beam Glaceon!" she echoed Ash's call. Glaceon jumped up beside Pikachu and fired her Ice Beam from her mouth.
"Dodge them both and use Aura Sphere!" Volo commanded. Giratina dodged both of the attacks and fired an Aura Sphere from his mouth, big enough to hit both of them. Pikachu was able to use his natural speed and dodge, but Glaceon wasn't fast enough and ended up getting hit and thrown backward, taking a large amount of damage.
"Glaceon!" May screamed.
"Glace!" Pikachu gasped as he looked over to his mate worriedly. Glaceon landed on her side and groaned in pain, struggling to get back up.
"Put that wretch out of her misery with Dragon Claw!" Volo laughed. Heeding his command, Giratina flew towards Glaceon, who was unable to move out of the way.
"Iron Tail Pikachu!" Ash quickly called. Pikachu growled at Giratina and jumped in front of him, using Iron Tail to block Dragon Claw. The attacks clashed with a violent fury and Pikachu's rage was enough to push Giratina back a bit, surprising Volo and Giratina alike.
"Glaceon are you ok?!" May called her partner. Glaceon managed to struggle to her feet and nodded, ready to keep going. "Then let's help them out! Glaceon use Shadow Ball!"
"Heads up Pika!" Glaceon yelled as she fired a Shadow Ball across the field. Pikachu nodded and flipped through the air, giving him just enough hangtime midair to avoid the Shadow Ball so it hit Giratina instead. The Ghost type cried out in pain and recoiled in pain, providing Ash and Pikachu an opportunity.
"Use Electro Web!" he ordered. Pikachu fired Electro Web from his tail as fast as he could, managing to create a web big enough to cover and trap Giratina inside, causing him even more pain.
"Giratina use Shadow Force!" Volo demanded of his partner. Giratina glared at his opponents and disappeared from the net as he retreated back to the Reverse Work to prepare for an attack.
"Oh no! What do we do?!" May gasped.
"Follow my lead! Pikachu use Iron Tail on the ground!" Ash instructed her.
"You too Glaceon!" she echoed his command, choosing to trust his strategy. Pikachu and Glaceon nodded to each other before jumping into the air in perfect synchronization.
"Strike now!" Volo commanded. With the signal given, Giratina reappeared in the field and moved to strike them both. But at that same moment, both Pokemon connected their Iron Tails with the ground, causing the stones beneath them to crack and shatter out. The flying debris from their move hit Giratina right in the face, forcing him to recoil and stop his attack. "What?!"
"Use Iron Tail one more time!" Ash followed up, causing Pikachu to land on the ground, and immediately charged toward Giratina with the same move again.
"Use Secret Power!" May added, prompting Glaceon to charge towards Giratina as her body glowed a lovely pink color.
"Destroy those pipsqueaks! Use Dragon Claw!" Volo countered. Regaining his senses, Giratina roared and coated his claws in Dragon Energy before swinging them at just the right moment, managing to hit both Pikachu and Glaceon for big damage.
"Ack!" both Pokemon yelled as they were hit hard, but neither one was going to give up. Taking the pain as best they could, they recovered from the hit and both managed to grab onto Giratina and hang on tightly, shocking both Volo and Giratina.
"What the?! Shake them off now!" the trainer demanded. Giratina roared angrily and took off into the sky again, thrashing in the air wildly in an attempt to throw them off. However, both Pokemon clung to him tightly and refused to be thrown.
"Glaceon use Ice Beam!" May called.
"Pikachu use Thunderbolt!" Ash added. Glaceon took a deep breath and landed a powerful Ice Beam on Giratina's back, causing him to roar in pain. Using the Ice Beam as a boost she let go just as Pikachu fired off the biggest Thunderbolt he could, completely enveloping Giratina in even more damage and pain. Once the attack was over, Giratina's eyes closed and he started falling toward the ruins along with both Pokemon.
"Glaceone quick use Ice Beam again!" May called. Glaceon nodded and fired a weaker Ice Beam as she fell, hitting the ground and creating a pile of snow. Pikachu smiled and jumped off Giratina, allowing them both to land safely in the snow as Giratina crashed into the ruins.
"No!" Volo bellowed.
"We did it!" May cheered. Ash gave her a small smile before turning back to their opponent.
"Give up Volo! We have beaten Giratina! There's nothing more you can do!" he demanded. But instead of doing that, Volo just started laughing.
"You think this is over?! This is far from over!" he cackled as a dark and shadowy Aura suddenly began to surround the rubble where Giratina was laying.
"What the?!" May gasped.
"What's going on?!" Ash asked through gritted teeth. As if to answer his question, Giratina suddenly emerged from the rubble, now sporting a new body that had been turned into that of a serpent and his wings had been turned into long tentacle-like wings. He roared out loudly, seemingly having had his energy and will to fight completely restored.
"What?! That's impossible!" Ash yelled, but to no avail.
"Use Shadow Force!" Volo commanded. Giratina disappeared back into his dimension and then reappeared just as fast, striking both Pokémon with blinding speed.
"Glaceon!"
"Pikachu!" both Pokemon skidded across the ground and ended up back at their trainers' feet, badly hurt by Giratina's immense power.
"Earth Power!" Volo laughed. Giratina roared again and per his instructions, the ground started to break under Pikachu and Glaceon, ready to release a powerful attack within seconds. Luckily for them, both, May and Glaceon were in prime position.
"Iron Tail Glaceon!" she called. Glaceon managed to get up and grab a hold of Pikachu before using Iron Tail on the ground, launching them both into the air and narrowly avoiding the Earth Power.
"Thanks, May! Now let's take them down once and for all!" Ash announced. May smiled with a nod as both Pokemon landed back on the ground, ready for another round.
"Use Shadow Ball!" May called, causing Glaceon to launch a Shadow Ball.
"Thunderbolt let's go!" Ash echoed, prompting Pikachu to fire a Thunderbolt that flew at Giratina alongside Glaceon's Shadow Ball.
"Dodge with Shadow Force!" Volo countered. Giratina disappeared once again and their attacks missed. And as soon as they both landed on the ground, Giratina appears again and struck them both with a terrible power, forcing them both back several feet.
"He's too fast! What do we do?!" May asked, looking towards Ash for help. Ash grit his teeth as he tried to think, causing Volo to just laugh and smirk at them.
"In that case, I'll wrap this up! Earth Power all of them Giratina!" he cackled. Giratina roared and surrounded both Pokémon and their trainers with Earth Power, the ground breaking beneath them as the attack prepared to launch and kill them all. And that's when Ash knew it was now or never.
"We need to combine our power! Max power Thunderbolt Pikachu!" Ash yelled.
"Glaceon use Ice Beam! And give it everything you got!" May screamed. Glaceon jumped into the air and fired Ice Beam with every ounce of strength she had left. At the same time, Pikachu jumped and fired Thunderbolt with every spark of electricity he had in his body. The two attacks flew through the air and headed right for their target. As they flew, they combined together and struck Giratina with even more power their either could have created on their own. Giratina roared in pain as neither Glaceon nor Pikachu let up their attacks.
"Giratina!" Volo gasped.
"Don't give in!" May yelled.
"Keep going!" Ash pushed. Both Pokemon gave their attacks all the power they had as Giratina cried out in pain and took massive damage. Finally, when the energy build-up was just too great to be contained any longer, the attacks exploded midair and covered the entire mountaintop in smoke. Ash gasped and quickly took May into his arms, shielding her from the explosion as best he could. Volo likewise shielded his eyes until the smoke finally began to fade. Still holding May close, Ash slowly looked over to review the results of the battle, he saw Giratina laying fainted on the ground, as Glaceon and Pikachu stood across from him, panting and tired, but still on their feet.
"What?! No! It's not possible!" Volo shouted angrily.
"We...we did it...?" May gasped.
"Yeah, we did!" Ash smiled. May smiled as well and both of them ran to their partners, hugging and thanking them for their hard work. As Volo stood slackjawed, Giratina regained consciousness and slowly got back up. Ash looked at him suspiciously and stood between him and May, but he was quick to notice a different look in Giratina's eyes. No longer were they full of rage and hate. Rather there seemed to be…respect. Much more akin to the Giratina he knew. Then, as quickly as he appeared, Giratina disappeared and returned back to the Reverse World.
"Turning tail and running over some kids?! You coward!" Volo yelled angrily.
"Face it Volo! You lost!" Ash said, standing back up as Pikachu perched himself back on Ash's shoulder. Volo scoffed as May followed Ash's lead.
"Fine. Take it... Take the plate that started me on this path—the plate I once received from Giratina." Volo growled under his breath as he tossed the Spooky Plate to them. Ash caught the Spooky Plate and he glared at Volo.
"You'll never get Arceus' power." Ash declared, putting the plate safely with the others.
"If you think this changes anything you are sorely mistaken." Volo scoffed as he walked past them towards the cave. "Someday, I'll solve every riddle in the legends of Hisui's Pokémon. And on that day, I'll stand before Arceus at last—No, I will CONQUER him! No matter how many years, how many decades, how many centuries it takes me!"
"Not a chance…" Ash growled under his breath as he and May watched Volo leave with an uncomfortable air still lingering.
"Should we really be just…letting him go…?" May asked, looking up at Ash with a worried look.
"There's nothing more we can do for him…we've stripped him of all the plates and I don't think Giratina will be helping him again. I don't think he'll be able to cause another disaster." Ash assured her. May still looked unsure, but she choose to believe him and gave a nod of agreement.
"So...we have all 18 plates huh...?" she asked.
"Yeah...guess all that's left is to...put them all together..." he replied. As they both got their shares of the plates out of their bags, a familiar voice suddenly caught their attention.
"Ash! May!" both of them turned and were surprised to see Akari running towards them.
"Akari?" Ash asked as the young girl ran and joined them.
"I saw the commotion from the base of the mountain. Are you guys ok?" she asked.
"We're fine. Turns out, Volo was the one who created the rift." he informed her, making her gasp.
"Volo did it?! Volo from the Ginko Guild?!"
"Yeah…" May nodded.
"Whoa…" she whispered. "Guess that's why he didn't tell you about May…"
"Right…but it's over now. And it's time to bring all 18 plates together." he said, taking out the last plates from his bag pocket as May did the same.
"What'll happen when you do…?" Akari wondered.
"Heck if I know…" May answered.
"I can't say I know either…" Ash admitted. "But I know it's what we're supposed to do."
"Then let's do it…" May said as she presented the plates she had gathered. Ash followed her lead and presented the ones he gathered as well. Once all together, the plates began to glow brightly in their hands before slowly floating up into the sky. The plates began to spin and give off even more light, even to the point that Ash and the girls had to shield their eyes from the light. Once the light finally faded, the three of them looked up into the sky and were surprised to see a small purple flute lowering itself back down toward them. Ash caught the flute in his hands and they all looked at it curiously.
"What is that?" Akari asked.
"Some kind of flute?" May guessed. Ash wasn't sure, but suddenly his phone beeped with an alert. Curious, he took the phone out and looked at the message on the screen. "Ash?"
"Play the Azure Flute and complete your task." he read aloud. Both girls watched as Ash took a deep breath and began to play the flute. To his surprise, even though he had never played one before, a beautiful melody began to waft through the air. He continued to play with a gentle rhythm and to everyone's surprise, a staircase made of light began to form, leading from the base of the mountain to the heavens above. Ash played the flute until the staircase appeared to be complete and they all marveled at the spectacle before them.
"Whoa…" May whispered.
"What the...? How…?" Akari stammered, trying to come to terms with a staircase that appeared from out of nowhere. Ash, however, while he was certainly surprised to see a staircase appear from nothing, he knew exactly what it meant.
"It's time to go May…" he told her gently, drawing her and Akari's attention.
"Go…?" she asked. "Go where…?" Ash struggled to find the words to explain, but as she often did, Akari knew the answer.
"...You two are going home...aren't you?" she asked, a sad look crossing her face.
"Yeah…" he said with a small nod. May's eyes widened in surprise as Akari let out a sad sigh.
"Home…? You mean b-back to...the future…?" he asked, surprising Akari.
"You two are from the future…?"
"Yeah…we are." Ash nodded.
"So what you told Volo was the truth…" May slowly realized.
"Yes…we've completed the task we were sent here for. So we need to leave…as nice as this place is we don't belong here…" he explained, gently taking her hand.
"W-What about our Pokémon...?" she asked, trying to process all the information at once.
"We'll have to leave them here…aside from Pikachu and Glaceon, they belong here." he confirmed.
"B-But how will we know they'll be safe...? Or happy…?" she insisted. Ash sighed as he tried to think. He was worried about leaving his Pokemon too. They all had become his friends as much as his other Pokemon had, but he knew they couldn't possibly bring them to the future.
"I...I could take care of them." Akari suddenly piped up, drawing their attention.
"Akari?" Ash wondered.
"You'd really do that…?" May asked.
"Yeah…" she answered with a small nod. "It's the least I could do after all you two have done...both for me and for Hisui."
"Thank you so much, Akari. That means a lot to both of us." Ash smiled as both he and May let out their Pokemon. The two trainers spent several minutes saying goodbye to their team members and thanking them for everything they had done over the last few weeks. It was a very tearful moment and it was hard to get through, but even still they did it and gave the pokeballs to Akari.
"Thank you, Akari…good luck." May said genuinely, offering a handshake which Akari accepted.
"Thanks, May…treat him well." Akari responded.
"I will…" she nodded. With that, Akari turned towards Ash and hugged him. Ash blushed in surprise but was quick to realize the gesture was platonic, so he reciprocated.
"...Will I ever see you again...?" she whispered.
"I…I don't think so Akari…" he admitted, knowing he couldn't lie to her this time. Akari held him close for a few moments longer, taking a deep breath to steady herself.
"...Then I guess this is goodbye…"
"Yeah…"
"Thank you for being my partner...I'll never forget you…"
"Thank you for everything you did for us…" Akari slowly let him go and after giving her one more smile, Ash took May's hand. She blushes as Ash smiled at her. "Let's go home May."
"I-I…" May stammered nervously. Ash could see the fear in her eyes but he only gave her hand a gentle squeeze in response.
"Trust me May. Just trust me one more time." he pleaded. The gentleness of his voice seemed to resonate with May and her nerves seemed to fade. With one more nod, the two of them started walking up the stairs as their partners went with them. Akari and the other Pokemon watched as the two disappeared into the clouds and before long, the staircase disappeared too.
Meanwhile, Ash and May continued up the staircase until they reached the top, where they were surprised to find a portal awaiting them. After a moment's hesitation, they all stepped through the portal and found themselves in a much calmer version of the time portal they had come through originally.
"Whoa…" May gasped. Ash looked around curiously when all of a sudden, Arceus appeared before them in all his grandeur. "Eep!"
"No no May it's alright. This is Arceus. The one who sent us here." he quickly explained.
"O-Oh…sorry…" she replied sheepishly.
"Quite alright young May. You both have done it. You have my most sincere gratitude for saving the future." Arceus answered.
"Your welcome Arceus. I'm glad we could help." Ash replied, giving a small smile. "But I have to ask, with everything that happened back there…is the future going to be ok? Akari and everyone else we…we didn't damage the timeline too much did we…?"
"Do not worry Ash. The changes you two made were very minor in the grand scheme of things. Akari will live a wonderful life and her line will still result in your friend Dawn. As will the descendants of all the others you met. You've simply ensured their futures." Arceus promised them.
"That's a relief…" May sighed.
"Indeed. But there is still one matter left to fix." Arceus added, turning towards May in particular. "I can restore your memories if you would like."
"You...you can...?" she asked. Arceus merely nodded as she slowly turned towards Ash, trying to figure out what she should do. Recognizing the look on her face, Ash simply smiled at her.
"It's your choice May. I love you no matter what." he promised her. May gave the matter a bit more thought before she took a deep breath and answered.
"I want to remember you…us…everything…" she announced. Ash couldn't hide his smile as he nodded in approval. Arceus closed his eyes and began to glow softly. May's eyes closed as her body started glowing as well. The restoration took only a few moments as Ash watched with bated breath. It was then that the glow faded and May slowly opened her eyes, looking back at Ash once again.
"May...?" he asked cautiously. To his relief, May flashed him a smile that looked just like it had before they left.
"Ash…"
"Do you...do you have your memories back...?"
"Right down to kiss you gave me before we came to Hisui…" she smiled. Ash smiled back and couldn't resist putting his arms around her. May laughed and pulled him into a passionate kiss and he wasted no time in reciprocating. They stayed in their lip lock for several moments longer before finally being forced to pull away for air. Ash turned from her to Arceus and couldn't wipe the smile from his face.
"Thank you, Arceus…"
"You're very welcome Ash." Ash turned his head back to May and took a deep breath, knowing he still had more to do before they got home.
"May now that you remember us…there's something I have to tell you…about me and Akari…the thing is we kinda-"
"I know."
"You huh?!"
"I saw the way you two were looking at each other before. Obviously, something happened between you two. And from what I can tell, you went through a lot of hard times while we were separated. But after everything that's happened, even though I didn't know who you were, I could still tell that you were still loyal to me. And after everything you did for me no matter what else was going on, I could never hold one bad night against you. So please relax. It's ok." she explained. Ash's eyes were wide in shock as he stood completely stunned. She giggled softly at his reaction until he finally snapped out of it and pulled her body closer to his.
"You are just so amazing you know that…?"
"So I've heard." she replied with a slight tease. The two were quickly locked into another passionate kiss for another few moments before the need for air broke them apart again. May was the first opens her eyes, and was surprised to find the two of them standing back in their own backyard once again, as if they had never left home. Ash opened his eyes and mirrored her expression, looking around in surprise.
"We're back home…?" he wondered aloud.
"Sure looks like it…" she said as she flashed him another smile. "And it's good to be back."
"I couldn't agree more." he laughed.
"I love you."
"I love you too." that was all they needed to say before another kiss overtook them.
The End