Arceus was sitting on his throne in the Grand Hall, reading a copy of the Daily Pantheon while telepathically hovering a cup of tea next to him. He levitated the tea to his non-existent mouth, somehow sipping the drink while he mentally turned the page. He then dropped the cup, sending shards and tea sprawling across the polished floors as all of his attention was diverted to something he had not seen in the Honorable Mentions section since the "Altomare Incident": an obituary. His eyes scrolled over the contents, only for Arceus to repeat them verbally just to grasp the impact of what had happened.
"Keldeo the Critic perished at the age of sixteen while valiantly fighting against a plot hole. He was an apprentice to the Swords of Justice and a critic who enjoyed to make people laugh as well as to tear into awful fanfiction. His endeavors inspired many legendaries to pick up critiquing themselves, such as Kyurem, Genesect, Darkrai, the now retired Mewtwo and Arceus. He is survived by his three masters; Cobalion, Virizion, and Terrakion, his girlfriend Meloetta and his rival/spiritual successor; Kyurem the Critic. A short memorial service will be held in the Moor of Icirrus"
Arceus stopped reading after that and tossed the newspaper aside with a flick of the head. He then sighed and hovered over to the large window, gazing at the somehow, yet dramatically appropriate, setting sun. He started to think back at all the times that he and Keldeo didn't share, at all the experiences they didn't have, of how they didn't get through thick and thin together and how they didn't make the perfect team. And despite being only acquaintances, and occasionally giving each other advice, he still missed the young, upbeat colt. He would miss his wit, his friendly smile, and his zeal in defeating injustice.
But... Perhaps he might return one day. If that was the case, he eagerly looked forward to the return of the Critic.
"The review must go on, after all."
Note from the Author:
I made this chapter because, well, I wanted to just give my reflections on the impact of Matthias' leaving. Along with Aura Wielder he was something of a role model to me; what both an author and a critic should be, and I'm sure he was that way to a lot of other critics on this site who were inspired by his reviews. And while I like to think I've come a long way since my (almost) two years of being here, I know I certainly have a long way to go before I even get close to his level of expertise.
I suppose this also served as a wake-up call. It reminded me that everything has to come to a conclusion eventually, no matter how much we like it (example: Seinfeld). Whether or not he is just taking a hiatus or has retired from fanfiction, I don't know. What caused this, whether it was college, (more) technical problems, life or just a lack of motivation I don't know either. But I do know that a writer of his stature will not be forgotten, and that he will continue to inspire more writers, and be missed by the ones who knew him.
Finally, for those of you who are wondering when I will get a new review out, I can't say. But I will say it will be the last.