The winds blew of change, bitter, bitter change. Unlike in a Pokémon battle, where the combatants were merely knocked useless for a time, human life was not so easily bribed with. There were no miracle healing centers if the life was taken from them. They were done, just like the Pokémon that became too old outside of battle. When it was time, it was time.
And, although the most inopportune of times, this was hers and she was gone.
Kanto and Johto Leaders were all struck silent by the news that one of their own had fallen to fate, to whatever her god had prescribed for her (because not all of them agreed that Ho-Oh or Lugia or Suicune, Raikou, Entei were what she believed). A funeral service was to be made, in her favorite of places, the city center in Celadon, so these people that she had once touched could gather one last time to give thanks for her life.
From their corners of their respective regions, the Leaders and members of the League flocked to the city. All brought memories, gifts, final blessings. Most were teary-eyed, some stoic and still in silence, and they rejoiced in the time she had spent being one of them.
The first gift thrown into her casket was a collection of the League Badges, a memorial for her hard work in her position. It was followed by a long story from Lance, on how the loss of a member of this family would not change their strength, that it was only a setback and someone better, stronger, less likely to fall over dead would replace her. It angered some who had been affected most, to the point that they truly fled the ceremony to gather themselves.
Then the Leaders began to, in a single-file line, place something of meaning on her, getting one last look at her pale face and lifeless body before leaving. Whitney, who wanted to be first for many reasons, burst into tears but did not back down from death, placing a bouquet of flowers from the shop in Goldenrod inside and saying a prayer to Ho-Oh before backing away.
Brock, who came next, gave to her a stone he claimed had been on his person every time he had encountered trouble, in the hope that it would let her move through the afterlife with ease. He was followed by Misty, who laid down her absolute favorite swimsuit, stating it would have looked gorgeous on her if she was still alive.
Next came Bugsy, who spent more time talking to himself about what he was seeing than anyone else. His gift was a picture, one of him, her, and many friends on a trip to Mount Moon Square. Chuck, who was more in tears than Whitney had been, didn't say anything but instead gave up what seemed to be a glove, but was so torn and ragged that it was impossible to tell.
Erika, admittedly one of the most skeptical about her, handed over a kimono much like her own before thanking her for everything she had done in her years as a Gym Leader. Jasmine, already soft-spoken and kind, had no tangible gift but did have a speech filled to the brim with kind, warm things about her, and she made the way for Pryce, who passed on his jacket.
When it got to Sabrina, she carefully put in a bag of what seemed to be her own hair, which had always been a treasure to her, she said. Blaine, quite happily, sacrificed his glasses for the cause, because they were replaceable and life wasn't. That was followed by Blue, who also put in a picture, but this time of his Raticate that he had lost when he was younger, something that tied him emotionally to the situation.
Surge, in the same vein as Blaine, donated his glasses, but his were not going to be replaced, and he had known she had always loved them. Then, Morty, who had purposefully chosen to be last, stepped up to the casket and just prayed. Minutes ticked by while he leaned over her and attempted to make peace between all of the gods and her soul, even if he didn't necessarily believe in any other than Ho-Oh. After ten or so minutes, he took his headband off and put it on her, finally finished with what he wanted to do.
The service ended there, with two of the Leaders having not done anything, and all of the Elite Four having disappeared during it all. True to the plan, most everyone set off for home then, their final thoughts having been said and nothing else being there for them to do. However, for those who had left early, there was a certain retribution.
That night, because she had stayed to talk about the effect of it all with Erika and Clair (who hadn't wanted to be at the ceremony in any way, but being in town had been okay), Whitney happened to venture into the Department Store and, since the elevator was out of service, take the escalators up to the roof. When she got to the fourth floor, she was astounded to find two red-eyed men, both having been in here reminiscing rather than outside where the world could see their very apparent weakness to the loss.
Instead of being understanding of the situation (after all, Lance had been rude about her, why should her biggest fans stand for that?), she simply threw out all sense of caring and dragged Falkner away from Koga, stating that "the time for tears was over" and that it was "time to grow up." He didn't fight her, because in the helpless state he was in, he would have lost instantly, but he did break into a fit of unattractive tears.
Koga, at that, followed suit, the water falling out of his eyes in buckets for the little girl that he lost.
A/N: I wrote this for a challenge between me and some friends. The theme was death. (smartbot94 has a fic written for this exact challenge posted, too.) I hope that someone reads and enjoys this just a little bit. Leave me some feedback on it, by the way. :)
I don't own any of the characters included in this, okay?
Signel