This is an important note. There will be some flashbacks and backstory in this chapter. I am saying that because I want it to be clear that some of the events in the past anime will NOT be different. Some will be but consider that the previous movies occurred normally, save the one just before this story, and the story may change later on if I decide to do a Pokemon Infinities The Rise of Darkrai. Now, I may end up doing more Pokemon infinities later but they probably won't connect to this story chronologically unless they are from Sinnoh. If that does happen, consider those stories to correspond to completely different universes.

With this said, lets continue.

Chapter 6 Memories of Recent Past

Ash gasped for breath as he pushed himself to his feet. Below his shadow, Shaymin rolled himself right side up and shook the dust out of his grassy fur. They both stared back at the mirror and watched as the ripples disappeared. It felt good to be back in the real world. Ash's body felt normal again as gravity became present once more. However, they were even more thankful to be away from Giratina; away from the demonic dragon.

"Keep Shaymin hidden, it will be what its looking for. Be careful, Ash, and also beware of mirrors."

Ash dwelled on Newtons parting words. He couldn't help but wonder what happened to him. Was he okay? Last he remembered, he saw Newton leaping away as Giratina charged after him. Ash could only hope that he somehow made it.

"Where were you?" Brock asked finally.

"The reverse world." Ash answered.

"What's that?"

"What happened to Newton? Didn't he come with?" Dawn interrupted.

"No. He stayed behind." Ash answered before facing the mirror again. "He said to keep Shaymin hidden and beware of mirrors." He looked at the reflections of themselves. He examined the left side of his jean. There was a small tear in the legging and a slight amount of skin was exposed. He then turned his focus to his face. The features looked different in many respects. Ash was not the boy from Kanto anymore. He was older; he was stronger; in some respects he was wiser. His eyes were more adult-like; his hair was darker; his skin showed the signs of constant travel.

Brock looked even more like an outdoors man. His arms were bigger, his face was darker, and he had visible facial hair. He was meant to be outside. He couldn't remember the last time he stayed somewhere for longer than a few months. He was constantly on the move. His body had the characteristics of a hiker, a mountain man, a backpacker, and a rock climber all at once. His skin was the color of stone. His clothes were worn and had several tears and marks in various places.

Dawns features were more fair. She looked newer; brighter; more youthful. She had not gone through many different regions as the other two did. She did not experience as much. Even though she approached the same age, Ash and Dawn were different. Ash was a trainer. He was more fond of nature and roughing the outdoors. He had done that for years. That was what made him happy, because it allowed him to experience more. Brock of course was once a gym leader and was now a breeder. He practically lived in the outdoors and was similar to Ash in many respects. Dawn, in contrast, was more fond of city life. Cities held the Pokemon contests and regional championships. She also felt more at home in populated areas. Ash traveled to experience the world and embark on adventures. Brock enjoyed the company and the thrills that came with exploration and adventurism. Dawn traveled to experience people and meet new friends.

This mentality is what caused her to meet Ash.

Ash remembered it all. How she befriended Piplup, explored the area around Twinleaf Town, and found Pikachu. She sought to find the mouse' trainer only to discover that it was a boy from Pallet Town named Ash Ketchum. The two quickly became friends and travelled together. When Ash told her his story, Dawn was thoroughly impressed. He had gotten in the top 16 of the Indigo league, won the Orange League, and defeated his rival, Gary, in Johto. Then he competed in Hoenn and won the Battle Frontier. He also told her about all of his additional adventures. How he saved the world from Mewtwo and Mew by sacrificing himself. He remembered that Dawn actually cried when he told her that story.

He then told her about all of his adventures. How he fulfilled the prophesy of the chosen one, how he saved his mother from the Unknown, how he met Mewtwo again and saved him from Giovanni, how he met Celebi and Sam and battled the Masked Maurader, how he met Latios and her sister Latias and helped them save Alto Mare from destruction, how he helped defeat the mutant Groudon, how he met Deoxys and managed to save LaRousse City, how he defeated the mirage master, how he became an Aura Knight and nearly died once again at the Tree of Beginning, and how he saved his friend May and the legendary Pokemon Manaphy.

She started to become skeptical of Ash after the third story. She refused to believe that he really did all of those things. Only with Brock's reassurance did she finally realize that he was telling the truth. After this, Ash was idolized by Dawn for a good length of time. She wanted Ash to tell his story to the world but Ash politely declined. Firstly, he didn't want the attention. Secondly, he had good reason to suspect that the world wouldn't believe him anyways. Lastly, he secretly enjoyed keeping all the glory to himself. Ash was glad when she eventually stopped idolizing him. He wanted to return to having a normal relationship with his new Sinnoh friend.

What he couldn't guess was that she would fall in love with him. It happened shortly after the idolization stage phased away, but Ash didn't really believe it at first and dismissed it as a form of respect. Only after Alamos did that change.

Many months ago

The battle was fierce. The attacks were coming from three legendary Pokemon. Dialga attacked everything in his way with Flash Cannon and Hyper Beams; Palkia used Aura Sphere and Aqua Tail on anything that seemed a threat; Darkrai used Dark Pulse and Dark Void on the two dragons. That was when it happened.

The aura sphere hit the balloon. Ash and the others were ascending to the Space-Time Tower when Palkia fired a pink sphere at them. Darkrai tried to stop the attack but Dialga was attacking the nightmare Pokemon; it stared helplessly as the shot crashed into the cabin. The railing was blasted off and Ash had to hold on with a fierce grip to stay inside.

Dawn wasn't so lucky. She screamed as she fell backwards. It seemed to happen in slow motion to Ash. He remembered reaching out to grab her hand, but she was an inch too far. Ash could only watch as she roughly landed on the edge of a platform. She screamed in agony and began to slide off the edge.

"Dawn! NO!" Ash screamed.

After that, he didn't remember what he did exactly. He vaguely remembered leaping out to reach her. She had just slipped off the edge when Ash dove towards her. Somehow, he managed to grab her while also gripping the edge of the platform. Ash struggled to hold her; the weight was pulling him down and his grip was starting to fail. Dawn was slipping from his grasp.

"Dawn, hold on. I'll save you." Ash spoke.

"No, Ash, let go of me." Dawn gasped with teary eyes. "I can't hold you, I think I broke something."

"I can't let go!" Ash cried out. "I won't let go!"

His grip was failing. As the battle raged on, Ash knew how hopeless the situation was. He was gonna have to let her go. He didn't have the strength. If he held on to her any longer, then he would fall too. He had to make a choice.

That was when something happened in Ash. Suddenly, he saw every moment he shared with Dawn. Memories flashed before his eyes; every moment he shared with her suddenly returned in an instant. Ash had to save her; he couldn't imagine what would happen if he didn't. Adrenaline pumped through his body as he pulled Dawn with a newfound strength. Only when he puled her to the ledge did he see his hands glowing a sapphire blue.

Somehow, in some way, he channeled aura.

Dawn, with great effort, managed to pull herself up to the ledge. Ash used both hands to pull himself over the cliff as well. He looked at his hands again but the light was gone. Ash looked at his friend with great concern. She was gasping through sobs as she tried to lean on her right side. She was having trouble breathing. The pain was too great and she slipped into unconsciousness. Ash's first response was panic. Only when he felt her soft breathing did he relax. He gently lifted her with both hands and looked into the sky. The balloon was slowly coming down. It had temporarily halted its ascent and returned to lower ground. Brock jumped from the cabin and landed next to Ash.

"Dawn's hurt!" Ash began with a desperate tone. "I know what I have to do but I'm…..I'm scared! What if she-"

"I'll guard her." Brock reassured him. "Just save Alamos Town or we all die."

"Brock you're….the best." Ash smiled weakly before handing him Dawn. He turned around quickly and ascended to the top of the tower. It took him a lot of time, more than he would have liked. He had to leap over gaps in the stairs, traverse against walls, and climb up platforms he couldn't reach with a simple jump. When he reached the top he was nearly exhausted. Everything after seemed dreamlike, like a blur. He managed to stop the crisis before passing out from sheer exhaustion.

When he returned to see Dawn, she was in a hospital room with several bandages attached to her side. Ash waited patiently for an hour before her eyes finally returned. It was so beautiful to him. Her eyelids gently stirred from their quiet resting places. Her two jewels opened themselves and shined in the still light.

"Ash." Dawn whispered. "Is that you?"

"I'm here, Dawn." Ash replied. She tried to push herself up but she felt a sharp pain in her side. She collapsed on the bed and Ash rushed to help her. "The doctor says you have a broken rib so take it easy. Thankfully, there wasn't much internal bleeding. The fracture should heal in less than a few weeks."

Dawn rested her head on the pillow and breathed softly. Ash could tell that something was up, because she was struggling to maintain eye contact. She almost looked nervous. If the injuries weren't upsetting her then what was?

"When I was asleep, I had a nightmare." She began.

Ash winced and took the statement in like a stab.

"In the dream, I was in a dark place…..there was nobody and it was…..lonely. I ran everywhere but I couldn't find anyone. I was terrified because I was worried I…..would never get to see you again." She paused for a moment before continuing. "But I realized that…that every moment I shared with you, were among the happiest moments…..in my life. Meeting you in Twinleaf was not an accident. It was fate. And meeting you was the greatest thing that ever happened to me. And when I traveled with you and….learned about how heroic and caring you are….I realized something. There is a reason that I felt so connected to you. There is a reason why I was terrified at the tough of not…..being…..with you." She was crying as she struggled to let out the last of her speech. "I….I…..I think I love you, Ash. I want to be with you. Together."

Present Time

That was how it happened. After Alamos, he confessed that he loved her as well, though he questioned whether it was true or not. Eventually, he realized that it was true. He did love her and he wanted to protect her. Thus he became her boyfriend. He thought his life couldn't get any better; that he could never love anyone else. Only time would tell.

His thoughts were interrupted by a sudden noise. The mirror started to warp; a purple vortex was spinning rapidly and something passed by in the background. A growing sense of fear gripped the group. Shaymin was the first to react.

"It's coming back!" He screamed with a nervous expression.

"This place is dangerous!" Ash spoke up. "Lets go!"

"Hey, I still don't know whats going on!" Brock protested.

"Wait wait wait, what about me! I can't run!" Shaymin screamed as the humans started to run away. Ash quickly turned around and threw the Pokemon inside his backpack. Before Shaymin could argue, Ash zipped it up and ran back to the others. He hoped Giratina would not be able to follow.

Thank God thats over. I did not enjoy writing this chapter, but I hope its good for some backstory. In case your wondering, Ash has become an Aura knight, but he is not as powerful as Sir Aaron, at least not yet. Despite this, Ash has trained in his abilities and has good knowledge of aura, not weak or strong, just good. Good=Average. Hope that clarifies things, and I know this chapter was a little boring, but hey, the next one will have more action. Until then, see you around.

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