"Well... I guess this is it guys." Ash told his first companions, Brock and Misty.

He couldn't begin to describe how devastating this was for him, to have to part with his very first traveling companions for the Hoenn region. He couldn't begin to imagine what good could come out of no longer being with them. They were the closest, greatest friends, besides Gary who he had known since he could remember. They were both there for nearly all of his greatest adventures, especially Misty, who was with him since the very beginning of his journey.

I close my eyes

And I can see

The day we met

Ever since he began his travels, Misty had always stuck around. He knew there was no way in a million years he'd ever trade away that memory of when he found out that she had been following him, nearly jumping out of her skin at the sight of his newly caught Caterpie. True, she had constantly resorted to the initial bike incident as the reason for her actions, but that didn't matter any more, because Nurse Joy fixed it. She could have her bike back and be able to happily go back home, right? Yet that wasn't the same reasoning that Misty had. She was disappointed, because now that she had no more excuses, they couldn't keep traveling together, especially now since her sisters left the gym unattended.

Just one moment then I knew

You're my best friend

Do anything for you

Despite him breaking her beloved bike, she quickly grew accustomed to the wild adventures that came with Team Rocket and the black haired boy. He knew that, even after this, they'd remain the best of friends, or at least he hopes. He'd do anything to see her again, and he could only infer that she wished the same. Deep inside, Ash believed that maybe, just maybe, if they held on tight enough, they would see each other again, like she had never left. Misty, however, knew that not everyone gets what they wish for.

We've gone so far

And done so much

And I feel

Like we've always been together

Right by my side

Through think and thin

He knew that they fought a lot. He would always snap at her. He knew she had a short temper, but sometimes his anger made him forget to limit himself from crossing the boundaries. Although, despite the bumps on the road, they always looked out for each other. They had always been together, side by side. Even if they weren't always on the same side, they went through it together, through thick and thin. He couldn't imagine anyone else by his side throughout his journey to become a Pokémon Master.

You're the part of my life

I'll always remember

He knew that he'd never ever forget her. It was too painful for him to even dare to conjure up the thought of a life without her. She, Brock, Gary, and even Tracey were all a part of his plan to becoming the very best. He never regretted the idea one bit until now, where he realized to himself that he had set his expectations too high, even in a world where legends and dreams come true every day with the help of Pokémon.

The time has come

"Yeah..." Misty looked down. She couldn't face him. How could she? This was probably the last time she'd ever see him, as he was right now. That is, if she'll ever see him again.

It's for the best

I know it

She knew it was for the best. He had a dream to accomplish, one that'd take years to achieve. She'd only get in the way, she told herself. She knew he'd tell her otherwise, but she didn't care. She would slow him down, and the sooner he accomplished his dream, the better. She knew that this was for the best, but deep inside, she couldn't accept a boring life without that idiot.

Who could have guessed that you and I

Somehow, someday

We'd have to say goodbye

~

This was it, the moment when he would have to leave to rethink his outlook on the world. Leaving her behind, and the fact that she wouldn't be able to look for him tugged at her heartstrings. Who knows if they'll ever see each other again?

He didn't know how to part from her. He had unintentionally become bound to her, without even realizing it himself. He had begun to idolize the enemy. The enemy, he knew, she no longer was to him. She never was the enemy, but his father was. The expression of unrelenting greed encased in the very core of his father's eyes shattered every thing N had ever believed in no less than the second it took for Hilda to stand up for him against his father. Somehow, in that moment, they had a connection. A connection that he could not yet understand.

That was why he was leaving. He had to relearn what it meant to be human. A human without the influence of the man he once called father. He yearned for that wisdom between the bonds of humans and Pokémon, and the connection he felt between him and the girl with the Snivy back in Accumula Town. The connection she had with the Grass Snake Pokémon that she had only just met was beyond anything he had ever known. That was his dream, to learn and understand from others' experiences, what it really meant to love a Pokémon. To learn what it meant to love a person, and the loyalty, trust, and hardships that came with it. She gave him the willpower to seek the truth. What did he ever do to deserve such kindness?

Sadly, he knew that the time had come.

He climbed aboard Zekrom, ready to take off when he looked back to her, the sight surged a new emotion within him. Her eyes were brimming with tears, and it made him feel like she shouldn't be wasting her tears on him. He never deserved her worry, and he knew he never would. Nothing in his mind could convince him that, after all he's done, deserved her forgiveness.

"Hilda!" He called out to her. She wiped her eyes and focused them in his. The previous tears still left trails on her cheeks. He wanted to cheer her up, truly, he did. Though he knew he couldn't repay her for anything he's ever done, let alone raise her spirits. Alas, he continued, "You said you have a dream..." he proclaimed, recalling the moment in Chargestone Cave where he asked her if she had a dream, "That dream... Make it come true! Make your wonderful dream a reality, and it will become your truth!"

She was still crying, but her lips were upturned, hope glimmering in her eyes. He didn't understand what he was seeing. He wanted to see more of the feelings he could understand that made her giggle lightly, and heated her cheeks. He wanted to see the sparkles in her eyes whenever she discovered something new. He loved it when she was excited about sharing her knowledge in the few times he saw her on the television and in the rare cases that they actually spent time together, not caring about the overall fate they'd have to face. He loved how she was so eager to make others happy with her outgoingness. Even if her attempts were made in vain, she kept trying until she could make someone giggle or just a small smile. He was glad to have met her, and often wondered how things would be different if he had never been raised by Ghetsis. Would they have met? Would he have been a Pokémon Trainer like her?

That's why he had to go and explore the possibilities he had missed when he was isolated from society. He had to know the truth, and he wouldn't have been here without her.

Her demeanor suddenly shrunk, and with her face dimmed, she quietly questioned aloud, "But... what if I can't?"

Natural couldn't believe her doubt. She was the most motivated person he had ever met, if anyone could change the world, it should be her.

"Hilda," he reassured her, "if anyone can, it's you!"

Before looking to the world awaiting him, he turned back at her. To avoid changing his mind, he escaped her stare.

"Well then... farewell!" he cried, taking off into the sky on the black dragon.

And away he went. Leaving her to her thoughts...

You've helped me find

The strength inside

Before she started her journey, she had no intention of becoming great. She didn't think that being the champion was for her. She didn't think that she was strong. She thought she was just like everyone else. Not like Cheren, who was very determined and admittedly smart and strategic, or the ever energetic yet clumsy Bianca. She didn't think the connection she and her new Snivy has was any more special than the next person. But meeting N changed everything. He told her all of these things that fascinated him, like he had never met anyone like her before. He may have been the enemy then, but he made her believe that she was special, and that alone gave her the strength.

And the courage

To make my dreams come true

Back in Chargestone Cave, her dream she had thought of was to make everyone the best person they can be. Although as she watched him fly away into the distance, what she really wanted now more than anything was to see him again in the near future. To meet him again, but not as enemies, but as genuine friends. All she wanted, was to be his friend.

How will I find

Another friend

Like you

Ash watched as his best friends moved farther and farther away. He knew they had to leave, but he didn't want them to. They were his very first traveling companions, and they always will be. He knew that there was no replacing them. Ash looked at the items in his hands. A small handkerchief from Misty and some cutlery from Brock. He'd never find another friend like either of them. He never would find friends like them, because they were going to be unique in their own ways.

N looked back at the cloud covered ruins of the castle. He knew he had left her behind. He knew it had to happen, but he didn't want to hurt her. N held his necklace close to his chest. It was a locket, that only he knew how to open. On the inside, had the picture of him with her, her Snivy, and a Zorua. He'd never find another friend like her.

Two of a kind

That's what we are

Hilda looked at the sky. She wished she would've said something, something to make him stay, or something to make him take her with him. Though she knew that this was the way it had to be.

She fell to her knees, and cried, despite N's faith in her. Reshiram cooed cries of sympathy while nudging her and Serperior wrapped around her Trainer for a hug. She returned the affection, brushing Reshiram's fur and scratching underneath Serperior's chin. N and herself were one of a kind. No one would have a story like theirs.

Misty looked out off her bedroom window. She wished she would've made an excuse as to why she still needed to travel with him, or convinced her sisters to let her go. Though she knew that this was the way it had to be.

She held the item in her hand close to her chest. It was his old Indigo League Expo cap, the one that she herself had wanted so badly. But on the inside, she knew that it was rightfully his. They were two of a kind, Ash and herself. That's what they were.

And it seems

Like we were always winning

They were the closest friends they could've ever been. They knew that they were both winners, simply because they shared that close bond that could never be broken, unlike her bike.

They were the greatest rivals they could have ever been, and even though her truth triumphed his ideals, they both won together, simply because they were both a part of one being. They were one truth, one ideal one white, one black, and all gray.

But as our team

Is torn apart

N couldn't take it anymore. His grip on the Deep Black Pokémon tightened, and he laid his head against it's neck, hiding his face behind his tea green hair, letting his tears fall. He wasn't prepared to move on from this.

Misty couldn't take it anymore. She brought her knees up to her chest and held them there. She let her tears soak his hat. The only thing keeping her from shutting out the world was her need to keep an eye on Togepi. But that's when she remembered how she got him, only making her hug him tighter and cry harder. She wasn't ready to move on from this.

Hilda stood and wiped away her tears, "Better?" the Vast White Pokémon asked her.

"Yeah, let's go," she replied, stroking it's fur while watching as the last light of day faded.

Ash walked on, wiping his tears away. His friends mean the world to him. He always had at least one friend go on to the next region with him. Now, he'd have to start all over.

"Pika?" Pikachu asked him, wondering if he was okay. The Mouse Pokémon knew he wasn't, but he needed him to say something, anything, to let him know that he was still hanging in there. Ash rubbed his partner's cheek with his free hand, his new cap casting a shadow over his features, "I won't lie, Pikachu. I'm not at all okay,"

I wish we could go back to the beginning

N clutched the locket in his palm,
"Natural," Zekrom irritably grunted at him. N froze and looked to the black dragon, "You can't possibly believe that you can actually learn more about the world by going away from the one who's taught you what you have learned so far?"

N thought for a moment and wondered if Zekrom was right. Though he couldn't stop thinking about starting over.

Ash wished he had a second chance, but at the same time, he wouldn't have had it any other way. He wouldn't have met and gotten to know her if he hadn't broken her bike. However, now was not the time to be worrying over the past. He had to look ahead of him. What needed to be done has been done.

~

Hilda soared down from the castle from the help of her Unfezant, into the busy crowds of Nimbasa City, that didn't seem to settle down, let alone pay her any heed. She knew that before she could challenge Alder, she had to do this one last time.

Sitting down in the seat felt lonelier than it did the last time she had ridden the ferris wheel.

The time has come

It's for the best

I know it

Looking out the window, she swore she could see a speck of black. It came closer and closer. Before she knew it, she was off the ferris wheel and hugging the tea green-haired boy who had returned.

Who could have guessed that you and I

Somehow, someway

We'd have to say goodbye

~

Misty and Brock couldn't believe it. They were going to see him again.
He was coming back to Pallet Town with his classmates from Alola, but only for a couple of days before returning. Although that didn't matter to them, especially Misty. Ash was right for once, they'd be together forever.

Little did she know, that wouldn't be the only time she'd see him and his classmates from Alola.

Only time can tell us how much we can learn from our experiences by how we handle them in the future.

Goodbyes are seen as unfortunate and difficult, yet in their own light, can be seen as a desirable difficulty.

What we learn from them can motivate us to be stronger than ourselves, and conquer them even better than before, making them even easier to manage.

You wouldn't wish a heavy burden on anyone, and yes, goodbyes don't always have the same effect on everyone. Many are often destroyed and left to suffocate in the sand without anyone to save them.

There can never be a definite answer that can apply to every situation.

Through guidance and understanding, we can determine whether or not we can accept and overcome the challenges we face.

However, it's only up to us to make to make the choice to climb our way out of the sandpit and leap back to the top of the jungle gym.

So, what will you do when it's the end of the beginning?

~

Somehow, today

We'd have to say

Goodbye