Hello, all. Been a while. Life and stuff got in the way for the last couple of months, but I present you with a new chapter after that cliffhanger we ended on last time. We're getting close to the end.

Hope you enjoy it.

It was hopeless now.

This had to be a bad dream.

Misty had a hard time wrapping her head around what she just saw play out in front of her. Had she really just seen that? Did that really just happen? The orange-haired girl's cerulean blue eyes were wide with shock and horror. Things never felt more hopeless than they did right now.

At first it seemed as though Ash and Troy were going to make it back to the island safely. They were just two miles away from shore when then things quickly took a devastating turn. First, Troy fell into the sea and then Lugia did, taking Ash with it. Now both of them were nowhere to be found. As if right on cue, things rapidly took a turn for the worse. The sea became rougher and twisters appeared out of the sky around the three islands.

Misty generally liked to think of herself as a brave person, but this was one of those rare moments where she had a hard time keeping it together. Lucario and Carol cried out in distress seeing Troy fall, but she was completely numb. She already prepared herself for something happening to Troy, but when she saw Ash fall…it hit differently. Like a part of her soul had just died.

The redhead was completely beside herself. For the first time in her life that she could remember, she did not know what to do. That scared her to her core. It made her feel inadequate as a Pokémon trainer, but more importantly as a friend.

"Here."

Misty snapped out of her thoughts at the voice. She looked to her left and saw Melody with her flute extended out to her. The brunette also had a determined look on her face. Still, Misty had to wonder why she was extending the flute out to her.

"What?" she asked.

"Legend or not, Ash can't do this alone," Melody explained. "I'll go and look for him and Troy. If something should happen, I need someone to be able to play Lugia's song. The only person I trust to do that is you, Misty."

Misty looked between the girl and the flute several times. This was such an unexpected offer. Why her and not her sister, the former festival maiden? It didn't make any sense to her. She and Melody definitely did not have the best start. As she grew to know her over the course of this adventure, Misty saw that Melody was always ready to jump in when the chips were down. She was a person you'd want to have by your side in times of trouble. While she appreciated the offer, she had to go find Ash herself.

"No," she said, shaking her head. "You have to be the one to play Lugia's song. It's the festival maiden's job to play the song. It would not be appropriate for me to do it."

Melody frowned. "That's very noble of you, Misty, but–"

"I'll go look for Ash and Troy." Misty then smiled. "And Ash is never really alone because he's got…me."

Her cheeks warmed up after she said that. It was like she had confessed a deep, dark secret she did not want anyone to know about. In a way, she had, but she hoped it didn't go to the depths she thought it had.

Ash meant a lot to her. To think it all started with him stealing her bike after fishing him out of the river. They had gone through so much since then. Over the course of this long and crazy journey together, it was less about her wanting him to pay her back for the bike and more because she wanted to be around him. Now that he was in trouble, it was up to her to save the day.

Melody seemed to understand where she was coming from because she smiled in understanding. Misty smiled back and the two of them shook hands. For how things started, she was happy to see where they got to. This was probably the start of a long friendship.

"Make sure they come back," Melody said.

Misty nodded. "I will."

Carol then stepped forward. "I'm going with you, Misty," she said. "If there is a chance Troy is alive, let me be the one to find him. You find Ash."

Misty bit her lip. Troy. She wasn't sure if he was still alive after that plunge into the water. He fell quite a long way into the water, one that hardly anyone would survive from. It was a fool's mission if she were completely honest. That was a hard thing for her to admit because Troy was also important to her.

The redhead turned to Lucario. The jackal Pokémon's red eyes were still shrouded with despair. Even so, she saw that it wanted to believe that there was some hope that its trainer was still alive. Misty reached out and took the jackal's paw in her hand. She smiled at Lucario and gave its paw a squeeze. Lucario returned her smile with one of its own.

Misty nodded to Lucario and looked back at Carol.

"Can you swim well, Carol?" she asked.

The older brunette smiled. "Ten-time island swimming champion, I'll have you know," she said.

Misty smiled again. This just might work.

"Okay. Let's go."

The sea was rougher than anything Misty ever experienced as she fought to keep her head up against the waves. Every stroke was met with harsh resistance, as if the sea was determined to stop her from reaching Ash. The water was so cold. It felt like a million white hot knives were stabbing into her skin, even with her jacket on.

Moving swiftly through the water was all Misty could do in order to stay warm. That sounded easy enough, but executing it was another thing. She had a hard time getting her legs going – why didn't she take her shoes off? – and getting a breath was just as hard due to the cold and harsh waves. Her determination to find Ash before he drowned was the only thing keeping her going. She was not going to let him die.

Misty lifted her head to the right to get a visual on Carol. She hoped she wasn't struggling with the harsh conditions like she was. The older girl looked like she was moving through okay, better than her for that matter. All she could do was trust that Carol would find Troy and hope for the best. With that, Misty craned her head forward and kept on swimming.

Soon, a flash of yellow could be seen over the waves in front of her. That was Pikachu. She'd found them.

Misty knifed her way through the chop until she reached Ash's side. The raven-haired trainer was unconscious as the electric mouse was barely keeping them both afloat. Misty wrapped her arm around Ash's shoulders and held him close. She then reached down for the rope around her waist and gave it a tug, letting Tracey know to start pulling.

As she was pulled back to shore, Misty pressed her fingers to Ash's neck to feel for a pulse. She felt one there, but it was weak. He wasn't breathing either. She silently urged Tracey to pull a little harder. They were already moving fast, but she wanted him to do it a little harder and quicker. Time was of the essence.

It was not long before Misty could see the shore and Tracey pulling on the rope as hard as he could. Troy's Lucario was helping him pull. Misty was so thankful she kept Togepi with Melody back up at the shrine. It was not meant for these kinds of conditions and she was not going to jeopardize its safety.

With one final tug, she and Ash were pulled to shore. Tracey and Lucario pulled Ash out by his shoulders as Misty crawled on her hands and knees to get away from the water's edge. The whole journey left her exhausted as she struggled to catch her breath. She had not worked out like that in a long time. With one giant breath, she sprung into action to resuscitate Ash.

A quick check yielded that his pulse was stronger now, but he still wasn't breathing. Misty felt her whole face heat up as she looked at his lips. The usual solution to this problem was giving…mouth-to-mouth resuscitation. It would be almost like…kissing him. Her face got hotter before she shook her head out. This was not the time to worry about things like that. Not when Ash's life was potentially on the line.

Misty tilted Ash's head back to open his airway and blew two breaths into his mouth.

Nothing happened.

She then counted three seconds before giving another breath, hoping that this would wake Ash up.

Still, nothing happened.

"Come on, Ash!" she growled as she delivered yet another. "Don't do this to me! Breathe!"

A few more tries again delivered nothing. Tears welled up in Misty's eyes as she became more convinced by the moment it was too late. The stubborn part of her brain refused to give in so she continued delivering rescue breaths. It could not end like this!

Ash coughed violently just as she leaned in for another breath. His eyes instantly opened. Misty backed away quickly, not wanting Ash to get the wrong idea. She saw water spilling out of the corners of his mouth. Misty quickly turned him onto his side to make it easier for him to get it all out. She let out a sigh of relief and shed a few tears. Ash was okay.

"Good boy, Ash. Good boy," she said.

Ash coughed up some water that was stuck in his throat before rolling up to a sitting position. He reached into his pocket and pulled out a glass ball that was tinted blue. That had to be the third treasure. He had done it.

Misty was shocked to see him try and stand up. She laid a hand on his shoulder, encouraging him to stay down for a little bit. He had to still be a little disoriented. Ash ignored her touch and rose up to his feet. Sure enough, he stumbled as he tried to get settled. Tracey and Troy's Lucario held him up, but Ash promptly pushed them away.

"Ash, take it easy," Misty said. "Don't push yourself so hard."

"Thanks, Misty, but I have to do this," he replied.

Misty remained unsure that he would really be okay as Ash limped towards the stairs. Just in case he needed their help, she, Tracey and Troy's Lucario stayed a close distance behind.

She snuck a glance out at the sea for any sign of Carol with Troy, but saw nothing. Her face fell with sadness. Perhaps she wasn't successful in finding him. Hopefully Troy was guiding Ash to complete the mission right now. Things would never be the same, but Misty felt privileged to have known him for the short time that she did.

After a brief stumble, Ash made his way up the steps without needing any assistance. Misty had to applaud him for doing it unaided after what he just went through. Ash was stronger in ways that she could never have imagined, and he continued to amaze her every day.

Melody held Togepi outstretched for her once they arrived at the base of the shrine. The egg creature cried out happily as it reached its stubby limbs out for her. Misty happily accepted Togepi back into her arms and nuzzled the Pokémon cheek to cheek. Her heart felt whole once more. She had done her job. Now it was Ash's turn.

Ash ran up to the shrine and placed the glass ball in its proper place. Misty waited in breathless anticipation for what would happen next. For a moment, nothing happened. Then, the three spheres glowed brightly before their lights joined together to form a green light. A second later, the green light seemed to spread through the entire circle around them as symbols appeared in the snow beneath them.

Then, almost as if a bomb had exploded, the snow that covered the ground was sent up into the sky, revealing the stone ground beneath them. Just beyond them was a bed of nasturtium flowers. A bright green rush of water – or what seemed like water – spilled out from the shrine and into a big pool beneath it. The water then flowed from the circular basin and into the smaller ones belonging to the seven rock pillars that circled the shrine and washed up the columns like a flood.

Misty watched in amazement as the pillars turned from rock to crystal almost instantaneously. The sight left her completely at a loss for words. The way that things changed so quickly was so amazing. She looked at Melody, silently encouraging her to step forward and play the song on her flute.

Melody nodded and stepped up to the shrine. After a quick moment, the beautiful music that Misty had come to love so much over the last few hours returned. It was not just a serenade for her, but also seemed to gently lull the world back into the dance it had been doing for billions and billions of years.

The dark clouds parted, allowing sunlight to come flooding through and give light to a world that was had been shrouded in darkness that whole morning. The twisters that circled the three islands quickly vanished as if they had been apparitions. The bright green water flowed off of the cliff and onto the frozen sea below, washing over it like a flood as far as the eye could see. Even the titans of fire, ice and lightning seemed to have finally come to their senses and ceased the fighting that had plagued this land throughout the night. The three flew in a circle of harmony, symbolizing that peace had won this day.

A familiar water typhoon shot out of the water before rapidly dissipating, revealing Lugia in all its glory. The majestic creature let out a soft vocalization that sent shivers down Misty's spine. There was not a scratch or bruise on its body. It flew into the middle of the three birds' circle before letting out its beautiful sound once more. Moltres, Zapdos and Articuno responded in kind and let out their own vocalizations.

The three birds then broke apart and flew off to their respective islands. Lugia hovered over the sea and watched with what Misty assumed to be a proud expression on its face. She knew just how it felt right now, for she was just as proud of Ash for how brave he was. He had truly made all the difference on this day.

No music could be heard now. Misty looked over and saw that Melody had collapsed to her knees. Tracey was by her side in an instant checking on her, but Misty could see that she was fine. Probably just exhaustion from doing that whole song. Doing all that had to take a lot out of her.

Misty sensed someone was beside her. When she turned, she saw Ash along with Troy's Lucario. They both had forlorn looks on their faces. It took Misty a second before she figured out why they looked that way. Ash may have saved the whole world, but it came at a great cost – the group lost a dear friend in the process. Even so, it gave Misty comfort to know that Troy's sacrifice gave Ash a chance to get that sphere back to the island. The saying absolutely rang true: With great victory comes great sacrifice.

"Hey!"

Misty froze. That was Carol's voice. Judging by the sound of her voice, it wasn't a cry of sorrow or mourning. It was one of joy. She slowly turned along with Ash and Lucario.

Carol walked slowly over to them soaking wet, but she had a big smile on her face. Next to her, with his arm wrapped around her shoulder for support, was Troy. He was alive! A little haggard and wet, but alive. Troy looked up and smiled.

Lucario and Ash wasted no time rushing forward to give him a hug. Misty laughed before she and Togepi joined the group hug. Tears of relief spilled from her eyes.

"How did you survive that fall?" she asked.

Troy softly snorted and said, "Come on, Misty. You know it's going to take a lot more than that to keep me down."

Misty laughed again and hugged him. Soon, everyone was hugging, laughing and crying together as they basked in what they accomplished together. Every single one of them played a part in this prophecy. Ash may have been the one to retrieve the spheres, but he would not have succeeded if not for everyone's collective efforts.

He didn't just save the world. They all saved the world.

Looks like all's well that ends well. See you all next time with the epic conclusion. Be sure to leave a review and subscribe.

Tootles.