Hello, my lovely readers! I'm super excited to be posting this new chapter from MY OWN laptop! Somehow, it managed to not die from its virus attack, and everything is safe! I've never been happier over anything in my life as far my computer is concerned ^^

So, at the end of last chapter, I left you with the (admittedly evil) cliffhanger of Ash appearing to be left dead after Loki's merciless attacks. So what will happen now? Read on and find out!

Castor bit his lip as he watched Misty cry over Ash's nonresponsive body. Pikachu, who had been left shocked by all of the concurrent aura attacks, was now sitting by Ash as well, tears welling up in his own beady black eyes. Castor couldn't be sure if the Pokémon master was dead or not; he wasn't sending out any aura signals. Even if Ash wasn't dead, he was completely drained of his energy, and severely exhausted.

I can't stand to see miss so upset, and her husband in such poor condition, Castor thought darkly. But what can I do to help her?

Suddenly, he got an idea. Castor wasn't certain that it would work, but he knew that he needed to try. Ash clearly meant the world to Misty, and if Castor didn't even attempt to save the man, he would have no purpose in life.

Moving over to Ash, Castor surveyed his unconscious being one last time before pressing a hand against the older man's forehead. It was sweaty, with his front black locks stuck and matted to the skin. Misty, who was still wailing, looked up at Castor, her tear filled eyes glinting with a sense of curiosity.

"C…Castor," Misty hiccupped. "Wh…what are you doing?"

"I'm trying to revive him," Castor closed his eyes in order to concentrate, something that he normally didn't have to do in order to use his aura. "I will do my best, miss."

"With…with an aura transfer?"

"Yes."

"But Castor, you don't have much energy left yourself!"

"Your husband is the one who needs to live, not me," Castor shook his head. "He has you and your children. I am alone in this world, and I've done it a disservice by accompanying Loki all these years. So I must help your husband."

"You'll…you'll die…" Misty whispered.

"It's alright," Castor gasped as his eyes turned blue. "I promise, miss. It will be alright."

Misty watched through watery eyes as Castor transferred his aura into Ash, trying desperately to bring the Pokémon master back into consciousness. He was trembling as he pushed the aura out, although Ash was showing no signs of waking up. The sapphire hue of Castor's eyes was beginning to fade into a much lighter blue, and his breathing was becoming much more erratic.

"Castor," Misty frowned.

"M…my aura…" Castor heaved, "it isn't enough…"

Misty whimpered and looked back down at Ash. His head lolled in her lap, her hand still on his cheek. So Ash had thought he was alone after Loki's lie, but now Misty had physical evidence that she was alone. She would give anything to have Ash back…anything.

"Ash…" Misty whispered as her tears began to fall on Ash's handsome and almost peaceful face, "I love you…and I'm sorry…"

The glow in Castor's eyes had all but disappeared, and he himself seemed to be on the verge of tears. He couldn't save Ash, and now Misty was devastated. Castor had found Misty to be an even better friend than Loki, and now he had let her down in the worst way imaginable.

As Misty cried, the baby that she carried seemed to become irate. It began to thrash around, violently hitting every spot inside Misty's stomach. She gasped and clutched her bump, her tears only increasing as the baby hurt her. Castor furrowed his brow and watched as Misty struggled with the unborn baby, her hand slowly losing its grip on her belly and instead gathering the material of her shirt into a tight fist.

"Miss, are you alright?" Castor asked weakly.

"The…the baby…she's hurting me…" Misty choked out. "Ah! S…something must be wrong…"

Suddenly, Misty's heavy stomach let out a bright sapphire light, causing both Misty and Castor to gasp.

"What…what's going on?" Misty stammered, her eyes widening.

"She's using her aura," Castor gawked. "Though, for what I'm not entirely sure."

The pain searing through Misty's abdomen slowly dissipated, and all that remained was the powerful glow created from the baby's aura. The light soon spread towards Ash's head, and danced idly above the grown man's clammy forehead. It then covered his eyes, the glow intensifying for a few moments before fading back to a less concentrated shade.

As the light continued to disappear, Ash let out a soft, barely audible moan, and twitched one of his eyebrows. Both Castor and Misty gasped at the sudden action, and a new hope began to fill Misty's heart as a tiny smile grew on her otherwise worn face.

"Ash?" Misty beckoned sweetly.

At the sound of her voice, Ash groaned yet again, a little more loudly this time, and started to tilt his head back towards Misty.

"Pikapi!" Pikachu cheered.

"That's it honey," Misty encouraged, beaming at her slowly awakening husband as more tears collected in her dark green eyes. "Come back to me."

Ash's eyelids finally lifted, his light russet orbs searching Misty's face with a certain sense of curiosity. Misty smiled gently at him, an action which Ash returned after a short moment of deliberation.

"Misty," Ash spoke, his voice hoarse and rough.

At that moment, the red head shrieked. It alarmed both Castor and Ash, the latter of whom jumped at the sudden noise. He stared directly into Misty's face, expecting her to be infuriated and ready to strike. Ash flinched in anticipation, but that moment never came.

Instead, a jovial Misty let out another happy cry as she threw her arms around Ash, hugging him so tightly he was afraid his lungs would burst. He could feel her body trembling, a sign that she was crying. Ash sighed and comfortingly rubbed the back of Misty's neck as she buried her face into the space between his own neck and shoulder.

"Hey now angel," Ash soothed, whispering into Misty's ear. "Don't cry. We're all okay now, right?"

"Mmmhm," Misty nodded as she raised her head. Ash smiled gently and wiped her remaining tears away, earning an appreciate giggle from his wife. "I know. But…these are happy tears, Ashy."

"I don't care if they're sad or if they're happy," Ash pressed his forehead against Misty's. "The one thing I can't stand to see are tears coming out of those pretty green eyes of yours."

"You almost died though," Misty frowned now, the color fading from her cheeks.

"But I didn't," Ash comforted. Furrowing his brow slightly, Ash wondered aloud, "I was so weak though. Who saved me?"

Misty smirked and turned her glance over towards Castor, who was sitting in complete silence as he observed the couple. Ash noticed Misty's turned gaze, so he too decided to look in that direction. Locking eyes with the navy haired man, Ash remembered that this was the same person who had given him some aura in order to fight Loki.

"Castor did," Misty replied as she took Ash's hand into her own. "He started to transfer his aura to you almost as soon as he sent Loki flying."

"Loki!" Ash gasped. He jumped to his feet, bracing himself for an attack from the evil man. Unfortunately, Ash was still weak from the effects of Loki's aura spheres, and he quickly fell back down on his knees.

"Ash, take it easy," Misty implored, resting a hand on his knee.

"I'm sorry babe," Ash smiled weakly. "I just got nervous is all." Shifting his eyes around in mistrust, Ash muttered, "so where is that jerk? I swore I'd kill him."

"Castor took care of that too," Misty assured her husband. "Loki is gone, Ash, and he'll never hurt anybody again."

Once again, Ash turned towards Castor, who blushed slightly and nodded sheepishly. "Indeed I did, Pokémon master. I knew that I had to take care of him. Loki may have been a friend long ago, but he'd become nothing but trouble. When I saw him about to hurt your wife and child, I couldn't stand for it any longer."

"And you helped give me my energy back to fight him," Ash murmured, looking down at his hands. He thought for a few moments before raising his eyes back to Castor and smiling boldly. "Thank you. I'm sorry for shoving you before, and not trusting you."

"I certainly can't blame you," Castor shook his head. "Besides, you shouldn't really be thanking me for reviving you."

"Huh? Why not? Didn't you help me just now?"

"Well, yes. But…I only half helped."

"Half helped?" Ash repeated, looking around the room for someone else who could've helped in bringing him back to consciousness. When he saw no one, Ash looked back at Castor and inquired, "who did the other half, then?"

"That little baby girl of yours," Castor chuckled, nodding towards Misty's stomach.

Ash's jaw dropped slightly, and he turned to Misty. She was smiling gently, resting a hand on the middle of her protruding midsection. Ash moved closer to Misty, his chocolate brown eyes twinkling in both amazement and disbelief. "Misty…?"

"Our daughter is amazing, Ash," Misty breathed, a small giggle escaping from her throat. "She's all you."

Ash felt like he could hardly breathe. Reaching out, he gently caressed Misty's pregnant belly before sliding forward and wrapping his arms around her expanded waistline, resting his cheek on the swell of her stomach.

"I love you more than you'll ever know, baby girl," Ash whispered so quietly that only Misty could hear what he was saying. "I'm so grateful for you."

"Ash," Misty whimpered happily as she gently touched the back of Ash's head.

Ash turned his head so his mouth was right against Misty's stomach. Chuckling so that his warm breath traveled through Misty's shirt and tickled her skin, Ash batted his eyelashes and murmured a sweet, "I love you," before kissing his wife's bump.

Castor watched the scene with glittering eyes. The reunited family was a wonderful sight, and it truly warmed Castor's heart. Deep down, it made Castor wonder what it would be like to be surrounded by people who loved him as dearly as this unborn child was loved. It must be a great feeling, he assumed, and he wanted to experience it for his own.

"Let me land the ship," Castor piped up quietly, feeling almost guilty for breaking up the delicate moment. Ash and Misty looked towards him, neither of their happy expressions breaking. "I should get you two back to your twins." Castor got up and headed out of the room. As he did so, Misty came to realization and gasped in a horrified fashion.

"Oh, Aiden and Michelle," Misty's face paled as she turned back towards Ash. "They must be terrified, my poor babies. Did Loki scare them when he came down and told you that awful lie?"

"No, they had no idea what he said to me," Ash shook his head. "I couldn't bring myself to tell them what had happened to you. Well…what I thought had happened to you. I was on the verge of cracking and telling them the truth when our little baby sent me that aura signal. That's when I realized that you and her were safe; or at least alive."

"Baby girl," Misty beamed as she looked down at her stomach. "You are so, so amazing! You just love your Daddy, don't you? You won't stand to be separated from him, huh?"

"We should name her Angel," Ash chuckled glowingly.

"No, that's your nickname for me!" Misty retorted in an almost defensive manner.

"Right, I forgot my sweet Misty could be so possessive," Ash teased, watching gleefully as the red head growled lowly and turned a light shade of red. "Either way, our daughter really is a wonderful little thing. She's going to need a perfect name to match!"

"Her name could be Haven," Misty suggested brightly. "Like a safe haven. I think that's a cute, appropriate name for her."

"Nah, it sounds weird," Ash dismissed the idea. "What about Bella? That one's pretty."

"I hate that name," Misty stated bluntly.

"Why do you hate the name Bella?" Ash seemed rather confused by Misty's response.

"I don't know. I just do. It isn't for our daughter, that's all I know."

"Alright then. Say, you know what name I still love?"

Misty sighed tiredly before plainly uttering, "AJ?"

"No, that's for a boy, Mist," Ash winked playfully.

"Ah, I suppose you're right. Let's see…a girl's name…Ashley?"

"Come on angel, quit making fun of me!"

"I'm only playing dear," Misty pulled Ash forward and kissed his lips. Pulling away, she shrugged, "I don't know. Tell me which name."

"Kate," Ash's eyes sparked at the thought.

"Oh yeah!" Misty giggled airily. "I forgot. You were obsessed with that name for Michelle!"

"Yeah, but your name for her was better," Ash nodded. "Our little Shelly looks much more like a Michelle than she does a Kate. But if we get used to calling this baby Kate now…"

"I just don't know," Misty's smile eased slightly as she looked away in an almost shy fashion. "This sounds weird, I guess, but she doesn't quite feel like a Kate either."

"We haven't seen her yet, though!" Ash stroked Misty's cheek, earning a surprised but happy little shriek from the gym leader. "Well, we have, but I would hardly call sonogram pictures a very good judge of what our child is going to look like."

"I know that," Misty blushed slightly. "But Kate is such a delicate, airy sounding name…and our daughter is a little bit rough."

"What do you mean?" Ash blinked.

"Well, she likes to kick me really hard. And at the worst times too! She already doesn't like to sleep, you know. Ever since I've been away from you, I'm almost certain she hasn't gone to sleep. I just feel her bouncing around all the time. And she's a little fighter too. She made sure that Loki didn't drive you away! And all of that through using supernatural powers. As an unborn baby. You really think this little girl is gonna be a gentle thing?"

"I'm not sure," Ash rubbed his chin. "All I know is that I'm going to treat her like a little princess, just like I do with Michelle."

"Says the man who never wanted a daughter," Misty scoffed with a smirk.

"I never said I didn't want a daughter," Ash gently tweaked his wife's nose. Smirking at her ticklish reaction, Ash continued, "I was afraid to have a daughter, at first. I was almost certain I would mess a little girl up. But I guess I didn't, because Michelle and I are like the best of friends."

"She adores you," Misty beamed. "I've never seen such a Daddy's girl before. And now, our new baby girl seems to have just as much love for you as Michelle does!"

"I don't think we're going to be able to pick a name for this baby until she's born," Ash sighed playfully as he shook his head.

"Me either," Misty agreed. "We need to see her face before we make any big decisions like what we're going to call her for the rest of her life."

Unable to think of what else to say, Ash leaned forward and engulfed his wife in a tight embrace. He was so happy to be back with her, both of them safe and sound. It just made Ash want to melt in the presence of his beautiful, red headed gym leader. Misty laughed sweetly once Ash's arms were wrapped around her and nestled into the hug, cuddling her head against the Pokémon master's chest. Both could feel the ship beginning to land, but neither of them wanted to move from the comfortable position they were currently in.

"Don't stop," Misty murmured once the ship was finally on the ground. "I want to stay like this forever."

"But we can't," Ash kissed the top of her head. "We have to go see Aiden and Michelle. They were really worried about you, angel."

"I do want to see my babies," Misty smiled gently. Looking up at Ash with sparkling green eyes, Misty announced, "I want to go."

"What a turn around," Ash remarked in a playful fashion. He rose to his feet and offered Misty his hand, knowing that It would be more difficult for her to get up than it had been for him. Misty giggle and accepted Ash's assistance, although she wasn't about to fawn over her husband's sweet action.

"I can still get up by myself you know," Misty cocked an eyebrow. "I mean, it's a little hard, but I'm not completely immobile yet."

"I know, but you are about six months along," Ash smirked. "It won't be much longer before you'll need me to carry you everywhere."

"What?" A heavy blush flooded Misty's cheeks as she scowled. "That's not gonna happen, Ash Ketchum!"

"Whatever you say, beautiful," Ash threw in a teasing wink for good measure.

"No way!"

"Oh, am I interrupting something?"

Ash and Misty looked towards the doorway, where Castor was standing with an almost embarrassed look on his face. The couple laughed before simultaneously shaking their heads.

"Nah, you're good Castor," Ash chuckled. "Don't worry about it."

"I've landed the ship, as I assume the two of you have already guessed," Castor informed the two. "We're right in the middle of a forest, though which one I'm not entirely sure. Trying to read ma-I mean, Loki's tracking system is like trying to read in a foreign language. But I do believe your children are nearby. Are they with another adult?"

"Yeah, Ash, who did you leave the twins with?" Misty suddenly felt a surge of nervousness overtake her.

"It's alright Mist, they're with Brock," Ash assured with a gorgeous smile. "He forced his way into coming with me to find you. I didn't want to get him involved at first, because hurting anybody else would kill me. But he really was a big help."

"Oh, good," Misty covered her heart with her hand. Ash frowned, realizing that Misty was probably thinking they had been abducted by another villain. Reaching out, he began stroking the back of Misty's neck, quickly relaxing the gym leader.

"I can prove to you that they're alright," Ash whispered to Misty. "Come on."

"I believe you," Misty playfully smacked his cheek. Ash laughed and reached for Misty's hand, enclosing it in his own and leading her out of the room in search of the exit.

"They're going to be so excited to see you!" Ash chuckled, his face lighting up in excitement.

"Okay, okay, slow down!" Misty shrieked laughingly. "I'm a little bit heavier than usual! That makes it harder to run, you know."

"Sorry, I'm just really happy!" Ash turned his head to grin widely at his wife. Misty breathed out softly and returned the action. Castor, meanwhile, trailed behind the two, following after them in almost complete silence.

The Pokémon master practically skipped down the forest path, still pulling Misty along with him. She understood his joy over the fact that she was safe and sound, but she still found his unrelenting happiness to be a little off. Maybe because she didn't want to be dragged around by him while she had another human being taking up residence in her body and weighing her down.

"Do you even know where Brock and the kids are?" Misty asked Ash flatly after fifteen minutes of wandering around. At this point, Ash had stopped in his tracks, and was looking curiously in every direction.

"Well, I…"

"Oh, it's just like when we were kids!" Misty planted her hands on her hips and stomped her foot. "You never had a single idea of where we were going, did you?"

"Not really, but…"

"How could you be so foolish, Ash?"

"Hey, don't get mad at me!" Ash spun around, sounding rather panic stricken. "I was trying to do something good!"

"Trying, but not succeeding," Misty rolled her eyes.

"What's that supposed to mean?" Ash suddenly didn't look so amused.

"It means exactly what it sounds like."

"Why do you have to get on me?" Ash folded his arms, furrowing his brow. Pikachu, who had remained silent for the entire trek, sighed tiredly from his usual spot on Ash's shoulder. He was used to the couple fighting, of course, but even the electric mouse knew that now was not the time nor place to be making such a scene.

"Because I'm tired, hungry, and, last time I checked, pretty damn pregnant!" Misty stormed. "And that in itself means I'm sore and moody! I just want to see my children, know they're okay, and then go home and take a nice, long nap!"

Ash could only stand there with his mouth hanging open, unsure of how to react to Misty's sudden outburst. Clearly, her hormones were back and raging, and Ash was currently unprepared to deal with the drama and attitude his wife was giving him.

"Miss, if I may?" Castor called. Misty grew wide eyed and whipped around, a look of shock written on her face.

"Castor, have you been following us this whole time?"

"Indeed I have miss," Castor blushed slightly.

"AND YOU DIDN'T SAY ANYTHING?" Misty bellowed. Castor stepped back slightly, his own eyes widening at her sudden cry.

"Well, you and your dear husband just looked so happy…" Castor nervously waved his hands in front of himself. "I didn't want to intrude on the moment!"

"It's alright Castor," Ash sighed, gently gripping his wife's shoulder. "You have no reason to be sorry. My wife is just a little irritable right now; it has nothing to do with you. So, how do you know where my friend and kids are?"

"I can feel the twins' aura," Castor replied, his body relaxing as Ash reassured him. "If you would like, I can lead you to them."

"That would be wonderful," Ash smiled at the navy haired young man before giving his wife a gentle yet warning look. "Thank you, Castor."

Castor nodded happily and moved in front of the couple, ready to lead them to their children. Misty turned her head to glare at Ash, who looked completely unaffected by her hostile action.

"Everything will be alright, angel," Ash murmured to the still unhappy woman. "Just you wait and see."

XXX

"Brock, I'm scared."

Brock looked down at his goddaughter and gave the little red head a reassuring smile. The action didn't seem to soothe her, however, as she let out a small whine and folded her arms, sticking out her lower lip in a sure fire sign that she was about to cry.

"Baby girl, I'm sure your Daddy is just fine," Brock lifted the child up into his arms and gently rocked her back and forth. "He's very brave, you know."

"Yeah, I know," Michelle mumbled, her eyes darkening slightly. "But Mommy says that sometimes he does stupid stuff. So what if he messes up?"

Brock choked back a laugh. Michelle was quick to notice this, and raised a questioning eyebrow. "Sorry sweetheart. You're just a funny little girl, is all. Trust me, in this situation, your Daddy wouldn't do anything stupid."

At least I hope he wouldn't, Brock thought, groaning inwardly at the idea.

The sound of grunting and aggravated whines soon caught Brock's attention. Looking over his shoulder, he caught sight of Aiden attempting to climb up a nearby tree, although not getting very far. The young boy just kept sliding back down, a look of provocation on his young face. Growling, Aiden popped back up and made another attempt, which finally prompted Brock to indulge in his curiosity.

"Aiden, buddy, what are you doing?" Brock called out.

"I…I wanna see where Daddy is!" Aiden answered while trying again to ascend the tree. The second attempt was met with the same result as the first, however, and this only caused Aiden to grow more irate.

"That's not very safe, little guy," Brock warned.

"I'll be fine!" Aiden grinned at the older man, his young exuberance shining like rays of sunlight. "I have superpowers like Daddy, you know."

"Yes, powers that will cause more harm than help," Brock muttered under his breath.

"Don't do that!" Michelle shrieked, harshly pinching Brock's cheek. The Pokémon doctor cried out in pain, quickly pulling the girl's small hand away from his face.

"Michelle! What was that for?"

"Mommy says to never talk that way," Michelle wagged a finger at her godfather, who in turn looked surprised by her words. "She says it's rude. I know because she yells at Daddy for it all the time!"

"I see, so you're the Misty police, huh?" Brock deadpanned.

"Yes," Michelle answered proudly, once again folding her arms. "Mommy says I'm her perfect little helper!"

Mini Misty, Brock thought as a little smirk grew on his face. I bet the new little girl ends up being Mini Misty part two.

"I just want Daddy to come back," Aiden grumbled, shuffling over to Brock. The older man chuckled, seeing that the boy was making it perfectly clear that his attempts to climb the tree had failed. "And with Mommy, too."

"Soon Aiden," Brock nudged the child with his foot. "I'm sure of it."

Aiden opened his mouth to respond, but he was quickly cut off by a voice that the young boy had grown accustomed with over the past few days.

"Ah, here they are!"

Brock, Aiden, and Michelle all looked ahead, gasping at who was coming towards them. Castor was leading the way, with Ash and Misty following eagerly behind him. Ash looked rather pleased with himself, but Misty, on the other hand, looked annoyed.

"Mommy!" Michelle shrieked, her face lighting up at the sight of her mother.

Misty glanced up, and her stony resolve melted away like ice. Upon seeing Michelle, a huge grin broke out on Misty's face, and her eyes instantly lit up. She tore away from Ash, suddenly finding speed and strength in herself that she never knew she could possess while pregnant.

"Michelle!" Misty breathed, ripping the girl out of Brock's arms. She knew full well she wasn't supposed to carry her children while she was pregnant, but Misty didn't care at this point. "I missed you so much sweetheart."

"I was scared, Mommy," Michelle buried her face into Misty's shoulder. "I was scared."

"I know, and I'm so sorry," Misty hugged the girl a little more tightly. "I won't ever scare you like that again. Promise."

"Mist, I know you're happy to see the twins again, but you can't be picking them up," Ash tried to frown, but he just couldn't while watching the happy reunion.

"Ash, leave me and my little girl alone," Misty murmured in an almost desperate fashion. Michelle hugged her mother a little more tightly, for fear of being separated from her. Misty did the same, leaving a hand on the back of her daughter's head in order to feel the girl's soft red locks. She felt the young girl's legs press against the sides of her swollen stomach, which only comforted Misty all the more.

"Mommy!" Aiden cried, wanting some attention for himself. Smiling guiltily, Misty kissed Michelle on the head before leaning down and placing the young girl on her feet in order to hold her arms out towards Aiden.

"I'm sorry baby," Misty beamed at her son, "you know I missed you too!"

"I missed you a lot too," Aiden whimpered. This surprised Misty greatly. Aiden rarely ever cried over anything! But here he was, about to cry over, all things, her.

"Oh, come here sweetheart," Misty breathed tearfully. Aiden jumped at her, nearly knocking the red head down. Her son was very strong for such a young kid, which Misty knew he got from his father. She embraced him tightly, gently rocking the boy back and forth while he gripped at her shoulders in order to gain a sense of security. "I'm not going anywhere baby," Misty assured the boy, "don't you worry."

Eventually, Aiden separated from his mother, although there were still tears set in his dark brown eyes. One escaped, and Misty cooed softly as she wiped the drop of water away. "No crying, buddy. It's okay."

Sighing, Misty stood back up, a slight pain travelling through her back. She grimaced but otherwise ignored the crick, looking towards Brock with a gentle smile. "Hi there, Brock."

"Misty, I'm so glad you're alright," Brock laughed just once, stepping forward to wrap his arms around the smaller gym leader. "You had me really worried."

"I know, sorry," Misty looked up with a delicate blush.

"Not your fault," Brock smirked, leaving a brotherly kiss on Misty's forehead.

The two friends separated, and Misty now set her attention on Castor, who once again looked touched by all the affection that was in the air.

"Castor, thank you so much for everything," Misty beamed at the younger man. "I really think you saved my life." Placing a hand on her belly, Misty's smile widened as she added, "and my baby's, too."

"Well, I know for a fact you saved mine," Ash approached the navy haired, former accomplice and grinned.

"You're both too kind," Castor bowed his head. "I'm truly grateful for having met the both of you, and being able to assist you in your time of need. This experience has helped me to open my eyes, and now I realize what I must do with my life."

"And what's that?" Misty inquired curiously.

"I keep running those words of yours through my head, from when we first met," Castor smirked. "That everyone has a choice in life. The more I thought about it, the more I realized that you were correct. I made a mistake, but now I'm ready to rectify it. I have decided that I am going to study to become a doctor. I want to be able to help more people in the way that I've helped you, and your husband."

"That sounds wonderful Castor!" Misty's eyes lit up. "I'm sure you'll do wonderfully with it."

"I certainly take your words to heart," Castor gave a nod. "I will try my very best. Perhaps I will even find a beautiful girl of my own, and one day be as happy as you and the dear Pokémon master. I would love nothing more."

"I'm sure you'll find somebody," Ash encouraged the younger man. "You have a lot of heart, Castor."

"You are all wonderful, and I promise that I shall remember this encounter for the rest of my life," Castor bowed to the group before him. "Maybe one day our paths will cross again, and in much happier circumstances than when we first met."

"I'm certain that we will," Misty giggled airily. "I look forward to that day!"

"Good luck!" Ash bid.

"Thank you again, and farewell!" Castor waved to his newfound friends before setting off towards the next chapter of his life, one that would hopefully be happier than what he had experienced ever since the demise of his family and rescuer.

"He's finally free," Misty sighed happily, raising her hand to cover her heart in bliss.

"And so are you," Ash beamed, throwing his arms around Misty and hugging her close. "So are you, angel."

I wasn't gonna let Ash die, no way :P He needs to be there for his baby girl!

I'm hoping to get another chapter up within the next week, because I have midterms coming up and don't know how much I'll be able to do during that time. I'm on a good pace right now though, and I've already started the next chapter, so it's looking pretty good right now!

Got lots of awesome reviews last chapter, so thanks for that! Lots of you knew that I wasn't going to kill Ash off. You guys know me all too well :P Those reviews are always great, though! I love seeing what you guys think of the current chapter and what will happen next. So, why don't you leave some more and tell me what you think? That'd be awesome! ;)

Until next time, dear readers, keep on reading and being awesome!