All right, this is the last chapter, and all will be revealed...I like surprise endings...I hope that this is enough of one for you. Thank you everyone that reviewed on ff.net. I enjoyed making this. Well folks, ON TO THE STORY! __________________________________________________________________________________________________ If the Ash Ketchum/Oak wedding was small, then the funeral for Ash Ketchum, Pokemon Master, was one of the biggest in all of Kanto's history. Professors Ivy and Elm, Tracey Sketchit, Lance, Agatha, Lorielei, Bruno, AJ, and the rest of the gym leaders from around Kanto, and many trainers and others who had been touched by his Pokemon journey-from the most remote sightseer to the toughest battler was there, or were watching with the overflow outside Indigo Hall where huge projection screens had been set up. Misty gave the eulogy, and the audience was in tears as she finished. Among the many things she described were his life as she knew it. She drew some laughs when she told how she met Ash, how dense he was, how she always pounded him with her mallet, and even more laughs when she pulled it out and hit Gary on the head with it after Gary butted in and told a very bad joke. But she drew tears as she told of his heroics, blasting Team Rocket off time and time again, and his last act of heroism-saving her from the Beedrills. Suddenly the doors in the back boomed open, "Prepare for trouble!" rang out a young female voice, and several guys in the audience had hearts in their eyes as a figure stepped through the door, wearing a leather coat and pants, along with sunglasses. "And make it double!" a male figure dressed in leather and wearing sunglasses said, entering the room with a smirk. Several of the girls now stared at this new figure, but figured rightly that these two were together. "To protect the world from Rocket tyranny!" the female yelled out again, ripping off her shades and the hat that had been holding back her flowing red hair. "To all peoples-whether tall or mini!" the guy yelled back, louder than the girl, if that was possible. "Jessie!" the girl yelled out, punching the air with her fist. "JAMES!" the boy yelled, slipping out two roses from each of his sleeves into his hands and tossed them into the audience. There was a stampede as the girls in the audience ran for the roses that dropped from James' outstretched hand. Jessie merely glared at James. "Team Rocket's going down at the speed of light!" she grinned at the people that were assembled for Ash's funeral, and blew a kiss at one of the guys. Now it waas James' turn to glare at her. James whipped off his shades and "It's their fault that it's come to a fight!" Suddenly a feline figure leaped between the two and tried to come to a stop on the marble floor, but only succeeded in leaving long scratch marks and making a sound equivalent of kids dragging their fingernails down a chalkboard, "MEEEEEEEEOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOWTH!" the feline screeched, and hit a statue of one of the previous Indigo League champions. "Dat's right!" it finished the motto in a dazed sort of tone, before falling over, barely conscious. "Hi mom! I'm on da TV now!" it said as it got shakily to its feet, before losing its traction and again falling onto the floor. Then a female Meowth walked through the door, with a cat-sized leather jacket and sporting shades, "Meowth, whenever are you gonna learn?" it asked, "You have to USE the floor instead of playing on it!" "Hey, honey, I'm not trying to play on it!! Okay? I was just tryin' to do what I normally do!" Meowth protested, falling down again, and getting shakily to its feet, and didn't fall down. The Meowth giggled, "Seems to me you just did." and glided across the marble floor. "And that's the Team Rocket, that I was telling you about, Ladies and gentlemen, but did I tell you that they're putting together a Pokemon band? They're the singers, the two Meowths are the guitarists, and they're looking for Pokemon to help play with 'em!" Misty called out from the front of the room. Suddenly the room burst into applause, and James and Jessie merely blushed and scuffed at the floor with their boots, while Meowth slid across the floor into the wall behind them, screaming something no one could hear. ********************************************************************************************** "Misty," Ash said to her, "I love you! Will you marry me?" Before she could answer, his face became wrinkled, and he withered away before her eyes, to what he had been just before he died. Misty woke up screaming, for the fifth time that night. Later that night, Misty lay awake in bed, trying not to think about Ash being gone. Suddenly, there was a flash of light from beside her bed, and when she looked up, there was a Celebi hanging in midair. Misty sat straight up, an unspoken scream on her lips, as she saw the Mewtwo behind Celebi. "Dear, it's okay." a soft, soothing voice said to her. She looked fearfully to her left, and saw that Mew was sitting on her bed. "We-Mewtwo and I-called Celebi here to help you with your pain..." Misty swallowed and looked at Mewtwo. "But why should I trust you?" Gary asked Mewtwo, "From what I heard, you nearly killed my good friend Ash." Mewtwo sighed, "Brock, I know that this is hard for you, it's hard for me too. Celebi is here to show you what might have been if this hadn't happened, and maybe it will help you with your pain in losing Ash." Misty swallowed hard, "But why should I trust you? Can you give me a reason that I should trust you?" Mewtwo smiled softly, "No, you'll have to trust me." "Gary, please trust me!" Mew said in her soft voice, "Please trust me on this!" Misty took a deep breath, "Alright, I'm not sure if I trust you, Mewtwo, but I trust Mew, so, Celebi, show me what you want to." Suddenly Celebi rose up and opened a door in the space-time continuum, and Misty, Brock, and Gary, though miles apart, were all brought to the same place. and hovering above them was Celebi, their guide through time. All three had a feeling of being refreshed. For Gary, it felt like it had when he had beaten Ash for the Indigo League Championship, for Misty, it was like the feelign she got when Ash told her that he loved her, and for Brock...it's best leaving well enough alone. They all had the strange sensation of flying, and they followed Celebi as he flew towards a beuatiful tapestry. As they got closer, they began to see the individual threads, and then saw scenes moving through them quickly. It was as if they could see the entire world in just a small point of thread. Celebi flew along, then selected one thread for them. The three humans noticed Mew and Mewtwo waiting for them near it. "We must cloak you," Mew said, "Or else you will disrupt the space-time continuum, and all will become nothing, and time will be no more." The three agreed, and suddenly, just like that, they were invisible to all but themselves. Celebi flew along, and pointed at Mewtwo and Brock at one point, Gary and Mew at another point, and motioned for Misty to follow him at another. Misty touched the thread, and suddenly she and Celebi were at Cinnabar Island, hovering over an older version of herself and Ash. Ash was riding his Lapras, and laughing as Misty's Golduck splashed him as she past him. the hovering Misty smiled as Ash called out his Bulbasaur and vine-whipped her Golduck, then sped past Misty, sputtering, and her Golduck, who looked pretty upset. Ash reached the beach,and turned around, crowing, "I WON!!!! I WON!!! I BEAT A WATERFLOWER IN A SWIMMING CONTEST!" when the older Misty reached the beeach, she dug around in her bag and pulled out her trusty mallet, and pounded Ash with it. "This is all the time that I can allow you," Celebi said softly, "But may it ease your suffering in the time to come." Celebi opened a portal, and the two of them went through it. Misty sat up straight in bed, and looked around, a strangely peaceful feeling inside of her. She was in Ash's house, she knew that much, but where was she? She walked down the stairs, wrapped up in a robe, and saw a light peeking under a door. With a sharp intake of breath she realized it was Ash's room. Pushing open the door, she saw Ash there, sitting at his desk like he always did when he was home, but this time he wasn't studying his Pokedex, he had apparently just finished making something. Misty suddenly burst into tears, she must be dreaming. "Mist?" Ash asked, looking up and seeing her in the doorway, "What's wrong? Did you have that dream again?" And with those words, Misty remembered that the beach scene that she had seen with Celebi wasn't an alternative reality-it was a memory. Misty nodded her head, "Yes, Ash, I had the dream again. I'm sorry for barging in on you, Ash, I know that you like your privacy." Ash swallowed hard and scratched the back of his head. "Ah, yeah, I do, but Mist, I'm glad you came in when you did. I need to tell you something." Misty looked at him curiously, "What is it?" Ash blew out a deep breath and shut the door. "Shut your eyes," he commanded. Misty flicked her gaze over to Pikachu, who was smirking at her, then followed Ash's instructions. She could hear him moving around, doing what where she couldn't tell. Suddenly something cold went around her finger, and she gasped. Her eyes flew open, and there was Ash, kneeling in front of her, "Misty, I've wanted to do this for a long time, now, but this is the first time that I've managed to keep up my courage to do it. Misty, you're my oldest friend, except for Gary, really, and, Mist, will you marry me?" Misty smiled through her tears of joy as she looked down at her hand, and, on her finger, was the exact same ring that was in her dreams, "No Beedrills this time?" Ash looked up at her, "Huh? Nothing of yours got stolen by Beedrills, It was MY Metapod that was stolen by them!" Misty glared down at him, "Oh sure! Always thinking about your Pokemon, aren't you! You never think about anyone else." Ash recoiled as if shot, and then mumbled, "So I guess that means no." Misty felt as if someone had stabbed her through her heart, and put a hand on Ash's shoulder as he turned around, "Ash," she said softly, "I would be honored if I could marry you, as long as we could argue and still be friends." Ash whirled around and hugged her, "You've got a deal, Misty, You've got a deal." Outside hte window, four figures watched, all clothed in leather, and wearing ski masks. "You idiots!" A Meowth complained, "You strapped me ta you's back, and now I can't see!" "That's the point, right Brock?" Gary asked. "Yup, that's the whole point," James said. "Are you Brock?" Jessie asked, "Last time I checked, Mr. I Wanna Date was Brock." "Hey! That was mean!" James shouted, "We're ALL friends!" Suddenly there was the sound of a window sliding up, and James, Jessie, Brock, and Gary, hanging on ropes hanging from the ceiling, looked sheepishly at Ash and Misty. "Think of somethin' ta say!" Meowth hissed at James. "Uh...Acme Window Washers! We sell ski masks on the side!" James blurted out. Ash laughed and said, "Come on in through the front door, guys and girl, We're gonna have a party tonight!" "What's the occasion, Ashy boy?" Gary asked. Ash grinned, "I finally beat you in something, Gary. I'm engaged!" "to who?" Jessie and James asked together. Meowth whapped both of them with his paws, "Whod'ya think?" "Uh...Jessie?" James asked. Everyone but the two Rockets burst out laughing, and Jessie blushed. *** Misty sat up in bed, tears streaming down her face. how would she ever get over Ash's death? Even here, in Ash's home, she couldn't get him out of her mind. She stepped out of bed and walked to her vanity. Her hair was a mess-her eyes looked cried out. She picked up the ring with the dolphin on it and closed her fist around it. misty looked around her room, and saw Pikachu and Togepi sleeping next to each other. She smiled sadly to herself, and walked through the front door, looking at Delia's spotless kitchen. She walked out the door, and looked around Pallet Town, taking in the sights and smells of a Pallet Town evening. Turning her face southward, she walked until she reached the piers, and walked out on the longest one. Still fighting back tears, she sat down, dangling her feet over the edge, and looked up at the vast expanse of stars. She looked up, eyes moving back and forth, until she found the star that she had wanted. Her star...the one Ash had named for her, according to his will. Then, she noticed that it was just inside a constellation shaped like an "M." She burst into tears anew, and put her head down. It was hours before she raised her head back up, and, in that brief moment before dark and dawn, she thought she saw her star, and the star he had pointed out to her as his favorite, right beside her star, and for a fleeting moment, they twinkled in time, as if Ash was reaching across time and space to tell her that he still loved her. ____________________________________________________________________________________________ confused? don't be. This is kind of a trans-dimensional fic, though the Misty of the one ending doesn't know in another lifetime what she thought was her dream actually happened. Who knows if this happens in real life. We'll never know. I've enjoyed working on this fic. If anyone wants me to write a sequel, put your ideas in a review, and I'll consider it. also, if you want a prequel...once again, write it in the review...:) hmm...a sequel...maybe a trans-dimensional rift where the Misty of the "dream" dimension switches with the other Misty...now there's an idea...anyone want to give me ideas?