Just as Xia You had said, Ash soon woke up.
Just as May and Dawn seemed to have reached an agreement and returned to the ward hand in hand, smiling, Ash slowly opened his eyes.
Only then, from his own account, did they learn exactly what he had experienced after being struck by that Dark Void.
It turned out that the instant Dark Void hit him, his consciousness had entered a strange space. Apart from the absence of any living things and the sky and pond water turning purplish-black, the terrain, town, and trees were no different from those in the world around them, as though... he were inside an identical mirror image!
In that mirror world, Ash had also been attacked by Darkrai. After fleeing all over the place, he had finally fallen into a huge black hole, and only at the instant he fell into it had he woken up.
"I felt..." Ash hesitated. "I felt like I'd been in that world for hours!"
"In fact, you really were in that world for hours." May pointed to the clock on the wall, then had Ash look at the sky outside. "It's already afternoon. You were lying in this bed for two whole hours!"
"Huh?" Ash froze. "So... I really was trapped in that world for ages?! That Darkrai actually has that much power? Darn it, no wonder I'm so, so hungry now!"
Hearing that, they finally realized how long it had been since they had eaten. Seeing that Ash was full of life again and out of danger, they discussed it and quickly agreed on a plan. At the enthusiastic invitation of Ash and the others, Iris joined them as they headed to the nearest restaurant.
Of course, Xia You had invited Tonio too, but the man had