The light reflected across Sinnoh became unbearably distant as the sun began to hide in favor of twilight. Wingulls extended their feathers and fled the oncoming darknesss in flocks, onlooking children starry-eyed despite there being no stars in sight. A kindergartener bears a tight grip on a sickly elder's hand as she gives an account of a tale of chaos and romance amalgamated together.

And down by the docks there resided a ferry, whereby several dozens of people were hurrying one another to set themselves aboard as passengers in anticipation of arriving in the Kanto region, the thought of its adventurous aesthetic dripping different shades of daylight in the mind of thirteen-year-old Ash Ketchum, whose demeanor was made of bittersweet bliss.

He stood a mile away from the ferry looking over the sea, thinking back on some various events from when he first set out to achieve his dream of becoming a Pokemon master, and how he had come so far from being a naive and inexperienced trainer to being an accomplished and competent trainer who still had yet to achieve anything at all, and of the people who supported him in doing so.

Now the feeling of lost was one he thought he'd conquered, but at this moment a bothersome little voice in his head was telling him otherwise. Now Ash was a genuinely strong and enduring person, having defeated Pokémon whom many would consider to be national threats, and already having achieved eight gym badges from three regions in a matter of three years. And despite the persistent disappoint he was met with in the Pokémon league, he had won the Orange League. And in his travels he had met and abandoned many people, leaving most of them off with the false hopes of seeing them again someday, whether by fate or coincidence. Somewhere along the line he had made a habit of doing this, though he wasn't sure exactly how or when it happened. But hope, he decided, was one of, if not the most important thing in life. It was sort of a remedy for cynicism, gave him the power to push forward when he felt he couldn't move on from a loss, or failure to meet his own expectations. And maybe he left people so soon because he didn't like to grow attached, as he had with others.

Because whenever he emotionally invested himself in other people he found himself unable to simply leave them. I guess once the bond formed it's hard to break. For a split-second the image of his first traveling partner appeared within his head, and he recalled when he first met Misty. He'd only just left Pallet Town when he had stolen her bike to so he and Pikachu could escape a Spearow he'd trifled with earlier in the day, since he concluded he needed something faster than his legs to run from its wrath. As most would expect, she was furious with him, but by chance the pair reunited in a nearby Pokemon center. There found her bike electrocuted and demanded Ash buy her a new one. However, he had no money and so he disregarded her complaints, traveling to Pewter City instead to achieve his first gym badge. But to his annoyance, Misty had begun following him, and when he questioned her motives she said she'd continue traveling with him until he had paid her back.

However, soon thereafter the pair became almost inseparable as friends. Sure, they bickered like children, but as many arguments they had there were twice the resolves. Though he never came to her for help, Misty offered him constructive criticism whenever he was unsure of what to do in her own playful manner, and there was no doubt she cared for him, which is why she remained with him from his travels in Kanto to his victory in the Orange League to his fall in Johto. She had hidden behind the redundant excuse of staying with him so he could return her bike, but the truth is she had grown attached to him and didn't like having to maintain the mantle of being Cerulean City's gym leader. Some suggested she might have even fallen for him in the romantic sense. But if that were the case, he was far too dense to comprehend her feelings. Not to mention, their paths weren't exactly aligned, as she eventually had to return to Cerulean City due to her sisters' incompetence as Pokémon trainers. So Ash upheld his promise to buy her a new bicycle and the two said their goodbyes. It was a brief moment that felt like forever, and since then she had only returned to him once during his travels in Hoenn by chance.

At the thought of Hoenn, his mind traced back to when he first met May, who had joined him in his travels there. At first, May only tagged along for the sole purpose of exploring new places. She wasn't particularly fond of Pokémon and despite her hometown community expecting her to follow in the footsteps of her father, Professor Norman, she wasn't too knowledgeable about any of the species either. Regardless of this she found joy in Pokémon coordinating and therefore wanted to compete in contests, but since she had no clue of his to tame a Pokémon Ash found himself in position to become her mentor. He had never considered himself to be a teacher until meeting her. And gradually she became a wiser coordinator as time passed despite early struggles, so obviously he had succeeded in something. Now while May was a fairly kindhearted girl who meant no harm, she often disagreed with Ash on little things that led to big arguments. But, just like with Misty, they always were able to resolve their issues with each other. He figured he had some influence on her opinion on Pokémon too, because when she witnessed the unconditional loyalty between Pikachu and him she began to crave that sort of friendship. So Ash and May had their moments, but overall had a pretty desirable friendship. He found himself missing her and Misty alike, and then at the thought of May he recollected his memories with her little brother, Max, who at some point became his younger sibling as well, except not by blood.

Max had used his father being a world famous Pokémon professor to his advantage and, unlike his sister, was very intuitive about the nature of Pokémon. Especially for his age, him being an estimate of eight or seven at the time of meeting Ash. Ash could see him becoming like his old man someday, due to his extensive knowledge. He never hesistated to criticize Ash when he made mistakes, no matter how insignificant they might have been. His nitpicking could become irritating after a while, but Ash also appreciated his presence because of that. He could tell that, in some shape or form, Max looked up to him, and because of their shared love for Pokémon they bonded and became like family to one another. Max had aspired to become a trainer just like him, and he was positive he'd be a great trainer in the future.

And like Misty before them, they eventually separated from Ash. May had decided to leave for another region to continue her coordinations and Max simply returned home. Max did not want to give up traveling, but he had no choice in the matter and prior to leaving Ash had managed to comfort him, like any brother figure would. Not to mention, his sister did a fine job of alleviating his pain herself.

Ash eventually caught up with May in Sinnoh, but only for a brief while. There she had also caught up with Brock and met his newfound female companion in Dawn. And they had similarities. Both were into Pokémon coordination, and both were prone to childlike whining after a contest defeat. They could be very endearing as much as they could be nuances. But Dawn, Ash thought, was slightly more feminine than the former. However he couldn't quite pinpoint how or why he felt that way. Perhaps because of her clothing? I don't know. Ash never wasted time on girls and nor did he care to, so something as trivial as feminity was still uncharted territory for him. But after traveling with Dawn for over a year it would have been impossible for him not to notice. Despite this, he found less trouble conversing with her than with others, with the exception of Brock. He figured this was because she was most like him compared to the others. Both cared a great deal for their friends and bore a strong sense of justice, especially for Pokémon who were being mistreated. Their common lust for adventure and competition could've created for a strong rivalry had they not been friends.

And of course, regardless of his companionship with Misty, Brock, May, and Dawn, he would find himself leaving his friends once again to partake in a different Pokémon league in another region, which was still undecided since he never was one to think so far ahead. He saw himself as just a person with a goal, and he wouldn't stop working until he attained that goal. Even if it meant losing the ones he cared for the most. That was the burden of having dream, Ash had learned. Nothing could be achieved without losing something in the process, and he'd vowed never to give up on himself, no matter how many sacrifices he had to make.

Still, it wasn't much fun.

"Hey, Ash, are you okay?"

In reflex Ash abruptly turned, caught dozing off into the nearby sea by none other than Dawn herself. Her expression was like that of a worried child. He had gone uncharacteristcally silent in the past few minutes, and she craved his conversation.

"Huh?" He muttered, before regaining his composure and realizing somewhere along the line the conversation between them had died down. Then he felt guilty because of his own mental mistakes. Because he acted as if she had already left when in fact, she was still there. So he struck her a smile and replied, "Oh, yeah."

Her lips tilted upwards in relief. She placed her hands on her hips before speaking,

"Could've fooled me."

He rubbed the back of his head and released a miniscule laugh. He often did that when he was bashful. Dawn's smile hadn't faded as she turned toward the vast sea moving in separate pink waveforms.

"It's beautiful, isn't it?"

Dumbfounded, Ash blinked. "What is?"

"The sea, Ash." She answered, a bit of dreariness in her tone. "It's pretty. I would like to someday catch a Lapras, and then maybe sail across the surface of the Sinnoh sea. I want to sail all the way to its summit. I think if I'm lucky I'll be able to, in fact I'm sure I will eventually." Her tone lightened at such a thought, "After all, it's only a matter of time before we all achieve what we've been aiming for, right?"

"Yeah," Ash replied, confidence clear in his voice. He had become considerably more optimistic in such a short matter of time, though he wasn't sure why he had been so uncharacteristically gloomy in the first place. "I'm sure you will, Dawn. Pokémon seem to kind of naturally flock toward you, and who can blame 'em? You're great!" He exclaimed with a wide, goofy smile.

Smitten by his words she swallowed her embarrasment before thanking him for the kind words.

"It's no problem, and don't forget to take care of yourself while we're gone." The way he delivered his words was a casual kind of serious. He meant full well what he said but didn't exaggerate anything. He was genuine with her as she was with him.

Her smile stuck as she extended her finger and said, "Yeah. You too, Ash." And she exclaimed, "No need to worry!"

He laughed again in response. He would miss her signature catchphrase, but not nearly as much as he would miss his adventures with her and Brock, who would only be returning with him to Kanto and thereafter leave to begin his studies as a Pokémon doctor.

Sometime ago Brock admitted Ash he much rather preferred caring for Pokémon in the medical sense than training them to fight in battles. Ash knew such altruism had always been part of his personality, and that was part of the many reasons he admired him. He had first witnessed that kind of compassion from Brock when the older teen gave him the Boulder Badge, despite the rocky circumstances. Brock had worked as a gym leader for Pewter City when Ash met him, and they engaged in a Pokémon battle. Ash first fought with an inexperienced Pikachu who was immediately crushed by the strength of Brock's Onix, and so he left the gym to contemplate his loss in disgrace. Then he came across a mysterious old man who knew some personal details about Brock. His father impregnated his mother with several children and then left to continue his career as a Pokémon trainer, leaving her heartbroken and her mental fortitude in vain. After she had finally passed away Brock came to an epiphany, and deciding he would be better than his birthers he began raising his younger brothers and sisters on his own, while also protecting the city's gym. Hearing this, Ash was overcome with sympathy but still was headstrong about a rematch with him. Noticing the flare in his eyes the shady elder named Flint led Ash to a hydroelectric plant, which could be used to power up Pikachu. Without hesitation the pair proceeded with this technique and once it had worked Ash returned to face Brock. Because Brock had made a complete mockery of Ash the first time they fought he was given no reason to believe the second time would be any different. To his mistake he underestimated Ash and Pikachu, and when he sent out his Geodude Pikachu defeated it by using a single attack. However, Pikachu had never felt such power before and he ended up accidentally releasing a Thundershock, which then damaged the gym minutes later. Because the sprinklers set off as a fire was then set ablaze by his earlier attack, weakening the second Pokémon Brock had sent out in Onix, a Rock-type. And noticing his weakened state Ash demanded Pikachu finish Onix off, but then he heard the voices of children from the stands above. These were Brock's little siblings, and so they plead for Ash to hold back because they loved and cherished their brother. And as guilt overtook our hero he reprimanded his words and decided he wasn't going to accept the Boulder Badge that way. So after apologizing to Pikachu for overworking him Ash again found himself leaving the gym emptyhanded Then he heard Brock yell his name in the distance, as he turned and saw him running toward him. Once Brock caught up with Ash he offered him the Boulder Badge, because despite Ash's inability to actually win against him in battle he was impressed by his integrity. Then appearing out of the blue was Flint, who revealed himself to be Brock's long-lost father. Flint apologized for his actions, and to some extent Brock was forgiving, as long as he would renew his responsibilities as a father while he joined Ash on his journey.

And unlike Misty, May and Max, Brock had remained with Ash throughout his first three expeditions in Kanto, Hoenn and Sinnoh, and had provided more wisdom than any of his other friends combined. This was only natural, as Brock was always the oldest of his traveling partners. He knew how to cook, so whenever anyone got hungry they wouldn't starve to death in the middle of nowhere. He had learned that from watching over his younger siblings all those years, and evidently Ash had become like a ninth sibling to him as years passed too. So their bond was strong, and he could only imagine traveling another region like Unova, Kalos or Alola without him.

But, as aforementioned, he was never one to give up. He had gained much experience since he first left Kanto, and had learned many things. So wherever he decided to go, he would surely take on the mantle of Pokémon league champion there, right? After all, Ash considered failure experience, and the fourth time the charm.

"Man, that's a lot of stuff." Ash commented as Brock ran out the nearby market, carrying several overstuffed bags of who-knows-what on both sides of his body.

"Don't forget I have nine brothers and sisters in that family of mine." The visibly tired man explained while panting. And recognizing his statement as logical Ash offered no further elaboration. Nonetheless Brock continued, "Not to mention all the hot chicks waiting for me in Kanto." This time his voice spoke a lot more passion, but Dawn released a small sigh, skeptical of whether or not he actually knew anyone of the opposite sex aside from her.

Piplup chirped knowingly as the ferry sounded off from a short distance, noisy townfolk continuing to pass the trio of humans by, their footsteps patting against the ground melodically as they ran.

Alerted by this Ash ran ahead, Pikachu still steady on his shoulders. "Damn, I'm gonna be late!"

"Hey, wait up!"

He could hear Dawn yell from behind, as his two traveling companions did their best to catch up with him.

The trio had subconsciously raced each other as they surfaced the entrance of the ferry, with Ash being placed first to near her prowess, Brock second and Dawn dead last. She held Piplup in her arms before setting him down so he could weep over the departure of his best friend Pikachu, who awkwardly patted him on the back in response to the gesture.

"Ash, Brock," Dawn spoke, her voice subtly cracking, "One thing: Thank you."

Pikachu chirped cheerfully as Ash smiled and replied, "No, thank you."

His response was then repeated by Brock, a much taller fellow in comparison to the pair of adolescent trainers, and whose eyes were shifty but never strayed from the heat of the moment. Now was no exception, as he studied the body language of his departing friends. They both were tense but could deceive bystanders by smiling. Ash and Dawn, however, were already a few steps ahead of him. Sheepish, tired grins concealing the shared agnst.

Because over the course of a year their little team had vanquished crime syndicates, encountered legendaries and befriended many kinds of people with distinct viewpoints and contradicting lifestyles, some of which genuinely peaked their interest. Not to mention the plethora of Pokemon creatures they had never seen before was more than enough to provoke curiosity in anyone journeying across the region, and whenever one of the three found themselves struggling to push forward, they could rest knowing they had friends alongside to help carry a burden.

And eventually the girl's eyes softened as they found Ash's, and the wind toyed with her sapphire hair as an immediate but short silence stole the atmosphere. And Ash felt his body loosen some. He was unable to respond with words, either because he felt ordained not to or because he admired her apperance. In any instance, the silence was nice.

But all good things come to an end.

"Hurry, or you'll be late," She reminded.

Ash and Brock nodded simultaneously in agreement. "Right." Pikachu chirped cheerfully as the pair turned and set off for the ship, before stopping in their tracks when they heard Dawn's voice speak once more.

"Wait a minute!" She had yelled, running for Ash and extending her hand forward with a wishful smile that could only be found in a miniscule amount of people.

And grinning back Ash laughed and the two high-fived for what would seemingly be the last time for a fine while. Brock simply stood by and watched as the two slapped hands, impressed by the unbreakable bond the two shared. So as Ash and Brock entered the ferry their expressions did not change, the slight pessimism from earlier having faded.

As the ferry let off its final declaration of departure and began to make distance from the port, Ash could see water welling up in Dawn's eyes as reality began closing in on her. She shook her head in attempt to conceal her tears, but since he had already noticed a few hit the ground he decided he'd make a quick effort to reduce her pain some.

"No need to worry!"

Her eyes lighted up at his use of her catchphrase and her pain faded immediately as she heard him speak. Because she wiped the tears from her cheeks and waved her hands back at him in comfort with an exuberant look on her face and had done so until she could no longer see the ship. And even a moment after that she had found herself in the trance of waving her hands goodbye, before then falling back into reality and heading homewards for another solemn leave.

Disclaimer: I don't own Pokemon. I wish I did. Then the Sun and Moon anime wouldn't suck so badly.