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-The Funeral-

June 17th, 2033. Midnight. Veilstone City, Sinnoh.

Lizzie lay in bed, staring blankly at the dark ceiling above her.

Everything felt like a bad dream. The past two days were static and blurred–everything moved in slow motion while she stood frozen in place. Her mind was fuzzy and her body numb. People filed in and out of the funeral home that day, but Lizzie didn't look at them—it was as if they or any of this weren't real at all. Dawn had put a hand on her head, murmuring something softly to her as she stared into the open casket; but Lizzie didn't know what she had said, or even that she had spoken at all.

Austin was gone—that was their reality now.

She had always heard in books that when people die, they look like they're asleep. But Lizzie knew now how sugar-coated those words were. When Austin slept he would leave his mouth hanging open—drooling or snoring as he tossed and turned repeatedly. But now his mouth was shut tightly as his body lay still and cold. There was nothing natural about it.

Seeing him like that did nothing but flash memories of the raging river. His body lay in the mud, cold and unmoving as his lips turned blue. The color drained from his face as blood spilled from his head and onto the ground. Her father pounded on his chest over and over, attempting to get any sign of life out of him—and when nothing happened, all he could do was stare.

Lizzie's stomach turned. The Champion was a symbol of power and protection. When people or Pokemon needed help, they would be the first to jump into action. They were strong enough to overcome any obstacle, all for the good of those who needed them most. So how could someone so strong break so easily?

How could someone who she had believed to be a hero fail?

She swallowed the lump she felt forming in her throat, not wanting to think about it any further. It was only then that she realized the silence that surrounded her in the dark room she was staying in felt like a heavy weight. Suddenly, she found her breathing strained and she felt like she was going to be sick. She sat up, putting a hand to her forehead and looked to the clock.

'12:43 AM'

It was late, but the night wasn't even close to being over. She hadn't slept at all, and the past few hours especially just seemed to drag on. She needed a change of atmosphere—at least for a little while. Shaking away her dizziness, Lizzie decided it would be best to step outside for some fresh air. She slid herself out of bed and exited the small room. Closing the door quietly behind her, she began to make her way downstairs.

"I don't care!"

The sound of glass shattering against the ground made Lizzie stop dead in her tracks, catching her breath. She quickly turned her head towards the source of the sound—it was coming from the kitchen.

"Maylene!" Lizzie heard her mother cry in alarm. "You're bleeding!"

Lizzie paused, her eyes on the kitchen doorway. She hesitated for a moment, wondering if she should just go back upstairs and leave it alone. Yet, somehow, she found herself tip-toeing towards the doorway and peeking her head inside.

Maylene stood in the center of the kitchen. A glass was broken on the floor in front of her, and her ankle was dripping with blood. But she didn't even seem to take notice of this injury, as the fire in her eyes was focused on Reggie. He sat at the kitchen table—his head hung low and his face buried in his hands.

"I don't care what your reasons are!" Maylene bellowed. "You were supposed to be watching them!"

Reggie shook his head, his face buried in his hands, as he murmured "I know", over and over again.

Lizzie's eyes widened. Her aunt had always been a cheery and outgoing person, only ever becoming angry when scolding her children or during lighthearted arguments. But this anger was different. Her expression was wild and her stance was firm, her fists shaking by her sides. This was a part of Maylene that Lizzie had never seen before, and it made her shrink back in fear.

"Maylene, you have to calm down!" Dawn pressed desperately, standing just inches away from where Maylene hovered over her husband.

Maylene snapped her head towards Dawn, gritting her teeth. "Don't tell me to calm down!" she yelled, and Dawn tensed. "My son is dead," she continued, her voice wavering as Dawn watched on sympathetically. "But maybe he wouldn't be if…" Maylene trailed off, her eyes returning to Reggie.

Lizzie could have sworn for a moment that she saw a twinge of guilt on Maylene's face as she looked down at him. But the moment was gone when Maylene suddenly took a breath and snapped her head forward, directing her anger on a new target.

"And what about you?" she snapped.

Lizzie paused, her gaze following Maylene's to where her father sat silently. He had been so quiet throughout all of this that she hadn't even noticed him. He was sitting on a chair against the back wall of the kitchen. His arms were crossed and his eyes averted. He didn't answer her.

"You've barely spoken a word to any of us since he died," Maylene said, her lip quivering slightly. "You've just been… sitting there." She scowled, as her hands curled into fists by her sides "You won't even look at us!"

Paul didn't respond. His hands gripped at his sleeves tighter as he refused to make eye contact with Maylene.

Dawn hesitated, opening her mouth to speak before Maylene let out a short huff.

"I get it," Maylene said shortly. "You're embarrassed, aren't you?"

Paul seemed to pause, his body tensing. For the first time, he flicked his gaze towards Maylene, but his expression didn't falter.

"Maylene," Dawn spoke up in concern.

But Maylene wouldn't let her get a word in. "No, Dawn," she snapped, turning her attention back onto Paul. "That's what it is, isn't?" she pressed, taking a step forward. "As the Champion, it's your job—your duty—to keep the people and Pokemon of Sinnoh safe." She lifted her hand, pointing a finger at Paul. "And yet you're embarrassed that even with all of your training, you still weren't strong enough to save one boy." Maylene's entire body began to tremble with anger as she hissed, "Your pride is hurt."

Paul's gaze narrowed, and this only seemed to make Maylene angrier.

"Look at you!" she said, her voice cracking. "You aren't strong enough to fess up to that! You won't even talk to your own daughter about what happened!" Lizzie tensed at this, and Maylene continued with, "Are you really that much of a coward? Or do you honestly just not care?"

The room fell into a heavy silence as Maylene waited for him to say something. Lizzie's body went cold at Maylene's words, and she hoped silently that her father would say something—that he would speak up and deny her accusations. But Paul remained silent, and Maylene's words continued to ring in her ears—the painful reminder of Paul locking himself away and finding himself unable to speak whenever she approached him. Her mind was a conflicting frenzy, and she didn't know where she should stand.

Maylene swallowed, watching Paul with wobbling eyes. After a moment, she looked to the ground, inhaling slowly. "As a member of the Elite Four, it's my duty to protect and believe in everything that the Champion stands for." Paul watched her closely, and Maylene lifted her head again, tears threatening to stream down her face. "But if the Champion is too weak to even talk to his family then I don't know what to believe in anymore."

Paul's gaze was locked onto Maylene's, his expression firm. He stayed quiet, processing what she had just said. Then, his eyes became glossy for a moment, as if with regret. But as soon as it came, it went. He shut his eyes, his face becoming hard as he furrowed his brows and turned his head away from her.

All Maylene could do was stare—unable to believe that Paul wouldn't even attempt to defend himself. For a moment, she looked desperate, and then her expression broke. She choked back a sob before taking a deep breath. "You're pathetic," she spat, turning on her heel and rushing out of the kitchen.

The front door slammed behind her, and moments later, Paul wordlessly rose from his chair and exited the room as well.

There was a beat of silence, followed by Reggie's small, muffled sobs as Dawn offered him quiet words of comfort. Lizzie's head was spinning, and her legs became weak as she pressed her back against the wall—staring at the ground with wide eyes.

June 17th, 2033. Late Afternoon. Veilstone City, Sinnoh.

The funeral service had just ended, but it was all a blur to Lizzie. She hadn't slept the night before. Her head was heavy and groggy, and she felt as though she might be sick every time she looked at Austin in the casket. The quiet sniffling and sobs of the people who sat around her sounded distant. One part of Lizzie wondered why she wasn't doing the same. During the course of the entire service, she found herself unable to shed a single tear. Now it was over, and she felt nothing.

Lizzie stood against the wall, watching from across the room as people approached the casket one-by-one. Each person placed a single, white flower on the inside before offering their final condolences to Reggie, Maylene and Joel. They would have to wait until all of the guests cleared out, and once they did, the coffin would be moved into a hearse and taken to a crematorium. Their family would follow, and once there, they would say their final goodbyes and wait for his body to turn to ash. Then it would all be over.

Lizzie swallowed, unable to look at the casket any longer. Her eyes searched the crowd until she spotted Dawn sitting nearby, Reggie and Maylene's youngest child, Isabelle, in her lap.

Isabelle was too young to completely understand what was going on, so Dawn had been the one to keep her distracted. Dawn had insisted for Lizzie to sit with them while they waited for the guests to clear out—but Lizzie told her that she wanted to be alone for a few minutes.

It was then that she noticed her father wasn't beside her mother. Throughout the course of the funeral, Paul had remained silent. His eyes were dull and he sat perfectly still. Several people had approached him at the start, offering their condolences, but he would simply nod—only half-acknowledging them. Dawn would occasionally murmur something to him, but Lizzie wasn't sure if he had even heard her at all.

Lizzie's eyes searched the crowd again before finally noticing a flash of purple, and she straightened out. Paul was pushing his way through the crowd and walking towards the back of the funeral home. Nobody seemed to notice him as he weaved through. Lizzie's eyes flicked to her mother. She was distracted, showing Isabelle something on her Poketch.

Taking a quick breath, Lizzie looked forward, following her father's trail. She could just barely make out the top of his head, but the further away he got, the more Lizzie's heart began to race. She found herself pushing through the crowd more frantically.

Finally, she got through the sea of mourners, stepping foot into the empty back entranceway. Her father stood just feet in front of her, his hand reaching for the door.

Lizzie's throat was dry as she watched him—though he didn't even seem to notice her. Swallowing, she asked, "What are you doing?"

Paul froze, and his body immediately tensed, his hand resting on the door handle.

Lizzie pursed her lips. Paul remained unmoving, his back turned to her. It was then that Lizzie noticed her legs shaking, and she felt weak.

"…Go back inside, Elizabeth," Paul answered simply, avoiding the question.

It was the first thing he had said to her in days, and Lizzie felt her breath catch. He didn't turn around when he spoke. His head was down, likely focused on the door handle he was grasping. Lizzie's heart pumped harder and she gripped at the bottom of her dress.

"…You're leaving, aren't you?"

"I need to train," he responded shortly.

Lizzie froze, her body running cold. "Train?" she repeated breathlessly. Paul didn't respond, and Lizzie shook her head. "But… but we need you here. Austin's body—they're going to…" she trailed off, unable to finish the sentence. A lump was beginning to form in her throat, but she swallowed it down. "You can't."

Lizzie watched him with pleading eyes, tightening her grip on her dress. But Paul didn't bother to turn and look at her—as if he were physically unable to. "…I have to go," he said quietly, finally pulling the door open.

As soon he opened the door, Lizzie felt as though everything in her body was pushed into overdrive. If he walked out now then everything that she grew up knowing about the Champion would be meaningless. Everything that Austin believed in would have been meaningless. If he walked out now, then everything would change—and she couldn't let that happen.

"Why couldn't you do it?" she asked quickly.

Paul stopped in his tracks, the door half-way open. But he didn't take his hand off of the handle.

There was no turning back now. She swallowed. "Why…" she started hesitantly, averting her eyes to the ground. "Why couldn't you save him?"

Paul remained unmoving, though it was clear that he was listening to her.

Lizzie felt her head spin, but she pressed on. "You're the Champion—you're supposed to keep people safe…. But you couldn't do it," she said, closing her eyes tightly. "Even with all that time you spent away from us to train, you couldn't do it… So why?"

The silence that followed Lizzie's question felt empty. She raised her eyes to look at Paul, but he hadn't budged. Lizzie felt a fire begin to burn faintly inside of her the longer she waited for his answer. Her breathing became heavy and her fists began to shake.

"Is what Aunt Maylene said true?"

She hadn't intended to bring up the argument from last night, but the words had fallen out of her mouth like water. Though it seemed to get a reaction out of Paul—his head lifted and his posture tensed.

Lizzie's began to tremble. "You won't talk to any of us… You won't look at us… And now you're leaving," she said shakily, her gaze focused on Paul. "Do you really not care? Or are you just afraid to admit you failed?"

Silence.

The fire inside of her raged stronger, and she clenched her fists tighter, feeling her fingernails dig into her palm. "Is the Champion really that weak?"

Silence.

Everything came rushing back to her all at once. Electivire's shattered shield. Austin being swept downstream. Paul dragging his body out of the water. The soil soaking up Austin's blood like a sponge. Her aunt and uncle's agonizing cries as the doctor gave them the news. Joel rushing into his parents arms as soon as he stepped off the plane. Austin's lifeless body in the casket as their entire family mourned over him. And all the while, Paul stood off to the side, quiet and blank. Whenever Lizzie would turn to him, he would turn away, and she would be left alone.

'The Champion is the person who protects all of Sinnoh—they're the ones who jump to action when we need them most. I wanna be like that, too!'

She burst.

"Say something!" Lizzie yelled.

Her entire body shook violently. She had never raised her voice at Paul, but she couldn't contain it. Though as soon as Lizzie's anger came, it went, and once again she was swallowed into emptiness. Her breathing slowed as she lifted her head to look at him. Her eyes were tired and pleading as she held onto her final sliver of hope that everything hadn't been meaningless.

"…Please, Dad."

Silence.

Lizzie pursed her lips, but before she could say another word, Paul suddenly turned to face her. Lizzie gasped slightly and took a step back as he gaze met her father's. He was staring down at her—his face hard and his eyes cold. The light from the open door cast over him, his shadow looming over Lizzie.

Suddenly, she felt small and weak under her father's stare. Paul's focus remained on her for a moment longer, his eyes studying hers. But then he turned his back on her and walked out the door.

Lizzie's eyes widened, and she took a breath. Stumbling forward, she reached her hand out to grasp him—but the door closed, and she was left alone.

She caught her balance before she could trip, and she lifted her head to stare at the closed door before her.

He was gone.

Lizzie shook her head, taking a step back. She didn't want to believe it. It couldn't be true.

But it was.

All of the nights she had sat up waiting for Paul to come home were pointless. The stories she had written of Paul helping those who needed him were a child's fantasy. Everything that Austin had wanted to fight for was fake. Everything that she had believed in was a lie.

It was all a lie.

'Let's support the Champion together. What do you say, Liz?'

The world beneath her broke. And for the first time that day, Lizzie's eyes began to water.

...And so it continues!