The Heart Must Survive
Part 3 - Grief And Goodbyes
Disclaimer: I'm only borrowing these characters. (Don't worry, 4Kids, I'll have 'em back by curfew so you can keep messing 'em up) And my money's going to a new DVD player and Pokémon DVDs, so there's no point suing me.
Summary: After Ash's death, Pallet Town must pull together to get over the loss of one of their most beloved trainers. But the pain is so much greater in the Ketchum household...
A/N: Kleenex alert, kleenex alert! Get out that box right now!
************************************************************************
The mood in Pallet Town was a somber one that day. The small village was still in shock over the death of one of their own Pokémon trainers. Ash Ketchum had passed away no more than a week before, after being involved in a devastating hit-and-run, which turned out to be a plot to kill one of his friends rather than him. The whole town was shaken by the bizarre turn that the accident had taken. There was hardly ever any crime in Pallet, and when there was one, especially one that took the life of a resident, shock and sadness were always the predominant emotions. But this time, anger threatened to take over as details of the hit-and-run began to filter out into the public.
The story was, so far, that the four friends - Ash Ketchum, Misty Williams, Tracey Sketchit, and Brock Harrison - had been drifting apart due to a conflict between Tracey and Brock. Ash and Misty, involved in their two-year relationship, really didn't want to have to take sides, so both suggested that Tracey and Brock take time out from each other. They did so, but one night, Brock had gone out, planning to run down Tracey in a fit of anger. Ash had been with Tracey at the time and had saved him by pushing him out to the curb, but the car had run him down instead. Someone - no one knew who, she preferred to remain anonymous - had seen the whole thing and had called it in at the same time as Tracey was calling an ambulance for his fallen friend. The Pewter City Officer Jenny had found the car and confirmed that it belonged to Brock. A massive investigation had followed, the impact of which was just drifting into Pallet, and Brock had been immediately charged with murder and attempted murder. Now all that was left was to stand trial and see if anyone could think of a reason not to lock him away for the crime.
* * *
Misty tossed and turned in her sleep, finally bolting awake in bed when the demons in her sleep became too much for her to take. She looked at the bedside clock, which was flashing 12:00. She was startled by a flash of lightning and the subsequent clap of thunder. Rain pounded against the window. "Power must have gone out," she said to herself. She looked to her side before painfully reminding herself that her fiancé was no longer there. He would never be there, ever again. Tears sprung to her eyes, like they had done so many times already. She climbed out of bed, pulled on a housecoat, and headed to the bathroom.
"How am I going to go on?" she said to her reflection in the bathroom mirror. "How can anyone expect me to?" She made a face at her reflection. The reflection refused to show her the happy, proud young woman that she had once been. Instead, it showed her a grieving, devastated woman, one whose life had been destroyed before she had even hit twenty years old. She missed Ash more than she ever knew that she would. He had been her life since the day she met him. Of course, she never admitted it until she was seventeen. Then, almost immediately, their relationship had taken off. Two years had blazed by, and before they knew it, Ash had asked her to marry him. She had accepted, and the two had just been planning their wedding when it had happened. Misty was torn with feelings of grief. The pain of losing a loved one came down on her like a ton of bricks, sometimes making it hard for her to even breathe. She couldn't even leave the house half of the time. She felt horrible enough as it was, and the occasional comments like, "oh, I know you two were close," and "it must be so hard for you right now," from passersby just made her feel worse.
She heard a sound behind her and spun to see Delia, Ash's mother, standing in the doorway. The loss of her son had reduced Delia to nothing but a shadow of her former self. Once bubbly and enthusiastic, Delia almost never spoke anymore and was always in a depressed state of mind. She looked way beyond her years, the grieving adding at least ten years to her face. Even as she stood in the doorway now, her eyes were red and puffy from crying and she looked like she was having trouble standing up. "Misty..." she said in a small, weak voice. "I heard you get up...are you okay?"
Misty knew what Delia meant, the only thing that kept her from saying something like, "of course I'm not!" She slowly nodded.
Delia walked up to her. "Nightmare?" she guessed.
Misty nodded.
Delia stared at their reflections for a moment before she managed to choke out, "Ash's funeral is tomorrow," she said. "Or, today, rather..."
"What time is it?" Misty asked.
"About five in the morning," Delia replied. "We had better get to bed...we need a lot of rest."
Misty nodded and the two women retreated back to their rooms.
* * *
Professor Oak and Tracey were already at the church when Delia and Misty pulled up. The elderly professor looked tired and years older than he actually was. Tracey was sitting on a bench, his head in his hands. Ash's death had hit him especially hard, because he had been there when Ash had been run down, not to mention the fact that he was the one that the hit was meant for.
Professor Oak jogged over to the car to help Delia out, while Misty climbed out on her own and immediately walked over to where Tracey sat. She sat beside him. "I don't want to go in there," she said.
"Me neither," Tracey said.
"Are you going to make it through?"
Tracey looked up at her. "I'll be fine," he said. "You should worry about yourself."
Misty shook her head. "I've been doing that since Ash died...the more I worry about me, the worse I feel."
Tracey didn't reply.
"Hey, Misty!" a voice called out.
Misty looked up to see her sisters, Daisy, Lily, and Violet, walking up the pathway. Under any other circumstances, she would have been annoyed, but not now. She ran to the trio and threw her arms around Daisy. She was just too glad to see relatives.
"We heard all about it, Misty," Violet said, already fighting back tears.
"We're so sorry," Lily said. "We couldn't call ourselves your sisters if we didn't come down and try to help you."
"Thank you," Misty said.
Misty followed Delia to the entrance of the church, not wanting her to have to 'greet' people on her own. Greet...yeah, right. Anyone who came to a funeral and expected to hear, 'hey, how are you? Whadaya think of the weather?' was out of their minds. A person was dead, gone forever. In Misty's mind, that was cause enough for silence. Besides, sympathy was to grief what gasoline was to a fire - it only added to it. As she watched people shake hands with Delia, she couldn't help but think that some people knew that saying 'oh, I'm so sorry,' or 'he was a good boy,' would only drive that emotional knife deeper into Delia's heart.
Finally, people that Misty knew began to wander in. Just about every one of Kanto's Gym Leaders - Lieutenant Surge, Koga, Erika, Sabrina, Blaine - a few of the Johto Gym Leaders - Falkner, Bugsy, Whitney, Jasmine - and all five members of the 'Orange Crew' - Sissy, Danny, Rudy, Louanna, and Drake. Ritchie walked in, head low, his Pikachu, 'Sparky', on his shoulder. Snap was without his camera. Casey, the young trainer they had met in Johto, paused at the door before walking in hesitantly. Melody had to force herself to walk in. Professor Ivy had a hand over her eyes as she walked in. Professor Elm's eyes were fixed on the floor. Misty recognized three people that she had met on New Island with the whole Mewtwo escapade, but she was unsure of their names. Molly Hale clung to her mother's skirt and her father's hand. And the most surprising arrival - Jessie and James. The two of them held each other's hands tightly. Misty couldn't hold herself back and walked up to them. "I never expected you two to be here," she said, amazingly without crying.
Jessie lowered her eyes. "We had to come...we felt so bad...we heard that you and Ash were...engaged. We're sorry about this."
Misty nodded. "I know," she said.
The funeral started just as the last people took their seats. Misty, Delia, Professor Oak, and Tracey sat in the front pew, even though Misty would have preferred to sit in the back. She could feel the eyes of hundreds of people on her back. She could practically hear their thoughts. And when she tried to ignore it, her eyes would fall on the casket. Her eyes welled up as she thought of who was enclosed in it. And in less than two hours, she wouldn't even get to see it anymore. Ash, his casket, everything would be gone, buried in a cemetary marked only by a simple stone marker for all eternity.
She felt a hand on hers and looked over at Tracey. His eyes asked her a silent question - are you okay?
She nodded and weaved her fingers through his. Finally, she had to stand up to deliver the eulogy that she had promised to give. She kept her eyes low, knowing that the sympathetic expressions of the people in the room would break her down to tears. She took a deep breath to steady her voice and began to speak. "I knew Ash for seven years...we met after I saved him from drowning...and we were together ever since. We shared so much in the time that we knew each other...I felt like he was a part of me, because I could go to him with any kind of problem and he would understand...I don't think I've ever been as happy as I was on the day that he proposed to me...I thought that we would be together for the rest of our lives, that I would never have to feel lonely anymore...well, I have to say that I feel so alone that it's...it's hard to wake up in the morning...all I have to comfort me is the knowledge that Ash died with me and his mother by his side...and that, even though it may not be recognized, he was a hero. He saved the life of my best friend...he gave his life so someone else may live on..." She wiped tears from her eyes, wishing that she could bring herself to look away from the casket. "People used to say that he was stupid, dense, and reckless...even though I was usually the one to say it, I know now that he was the most caring person I've ever known. He wasn't reckless, he just acted with his heart. He always did what was right...and I'll miss that more than anything. I'll miss him for the rest of my life."
She sat back down, accepted a hug from Delia, and sat there for the rest of the ceremony, the words falling on deaf ears.
It was no more easier at the cemetary. The group gathered there was reduced to the people that Ash had known closely. There, a small CD player played two songs, one that Delia had chosen for her son, and one that Misty had chosen for her fiancé. First played 'The River' by Garth Brooks, Delia's tribute to Ash's indomitable spirit, and then played 'When You Come Back To Me Again', a song from the last movie that she and Ash had seen together.
After everyone except Delia, Tracey, and the professor had left, Misty approached the casket and ran her hand along the wood. "This is it," she said softly. "This is goodbye...I prayed that this would all be a bad dream...but we don't get everything we wish for...so...goodbye, Ash, and remember that I'll always love you."
Tracey watched her with a saddened expression as Delia said her goodbye, placing a small bouquet of white roses on the casket.
"I don't want to leave, Trace," Misty said weakly. "I don't want to say goodbye..."
"I know," Tracey said. "But...but he wanted you to go on, you know, Misty. That's all you can do."
* * *
Two days had passed since the funeral when they got the call from Officer Jenny. She looked tired, sad, and worried all at the same time. "I know that this is a horrible time...but we have to get the trial moving, or it could be years before we get into a courtroom," she said. "I...have to ask you to come down to the station in Pewter City."
On the ride down, Misty kept her eyes hidden behind a dark pair of sunglasses. Delia did the same. Tracey stared out of the window the whole trip. Professor Oak was driving and didn't say a word.
"Do you think they'll let us see him?"
The question came from Misty and startled everyone. "Why would you want to see him?" Professor Oak asked.
Misty looked at the group. "I want him to know what he did," she said. "I want him to know that he's the one responsible for all this crap."
"I think he knows," Tracey said. "He wanted to kill both of us...I don't think he'll have any remorse about this thing at all..."
"No, I don't think they will, Misty," the professor said.
Misty nodded and fell back into her silence. If the truth was to be told, she did want to see Brock before the trial. But she didn't want to see him as a friend. She wanted to yell at him, to scream at him, to take out all the anger and sadness of the past couple of weeks on him. She wanted him to suffer, and suffer badly. She wanted him to feel what she had been feeling. She wanted to see him locked in a cell for the rest of his life. She wanted to see a look of devastation on his face as the judge banged that gavel down.
Professor Oak took a deep breath as they pulled up in front of the police station. The place was surrounded by reporters and other recruits of the press. Cameras flashed and voices yelled out. The story was obviously big in Pewter. It was their former Gym Leader who was being accused of the crime, after all.
Professor Oak kept his arm around Delia as they fought through the crowd, and Tracey kept his arm around Misty. Things were already heating up, and the trial hadn't even begun yet.
Officer Jenny was waiting for them. "I'm sorry about the crowd and all of that," she said. "Now...if you would...I'd like to ask you all some questions."
TO BE CONTINUED....
A/N: Okay, I know that chapter kinda dragged, but I had to get Ash's funeral out of the way. In the next chapter, I'll do my best at portraying a realistic trial for Brock. Emotions are gonna run high, believe me...
Oh, and I promise that I WILL write a happy story after this one...all this sad stuff is just depressing...
And I decided, after I read another fic, to give ya the lyrics to the two songs that I mentioned in the fic.
THE RIVER - GARTH BROOKS
You know a dream is like a river
Ever changing as it flows
And the dreamer's just a vessel
That must follow where it goes
Trying to learn from what's behind you
And never knowing what's in store
That makes each day a constant battle
Just to stay between the shores
CHORUS:
And I will sail my vessel
'Til the river runs dry
Like a bird upon the wind
These waters are my sky
I'll never reach my destination
If I never try
So I will sail my vessel
'Til the river runs dry
Too many times we stand aside
And let the water slip away
'Til what we put off 'til tomorrow
Has now become today
So don't you sit upon the shoreline
And say you're satisfied
Choose to chance the rapids
And dare to dance the tides
REPEAT CHORUS
And there's bound to be rough waters
And I know I'll take some falls
But with the good Lord as my captain
I can make it through them all
REPEAT CHORUS
WHEN YOU COME BACK TO ME AGAIN - GARTH BROOKS
There's a ship out, on the ocean At the mercy of the sea It's been tossed about, lost and broken Wandering aimlessly And God somehow you know that ship is me 'Cause there's a lighthouse, in the harbor Shining faithfully Pouring its light out, across the water For this sinking soul to see That someone out there still believes in me On a prayer, in a song I hear your voice and it keeps me hanging on Raining down, against the wind I'm reaching out 'til we reach the circle's end When you come back to me again There's a moment we all come to In our own time and our own space Where all that we've done, we can undo If our heart's in the right place On a prayer, in a song I hear your voice and it keeps me hanging on Raining down, against the wind I'm reaching out 'til we reach the circle's end When you come back to me again And again I see my yesterday's in front of me Unfolding like a mystery You're changing all that is and used to be On a prayer, in a song I hear your voice and it keeps me hanging on Raining down, against the wind I'm reaching out 'til we reach the circle's end When you come back to me again When you come back to me again
Part 3 - Grief And Goodbyes
Disclaimer: I'm only borrowing these characters. (Don't worry, 4Kids, I'll have 'em back by curfew so you can keep messing 'em up) And my money's going to a new DVD player and Pokémon DVDs, so there's no point suing me.
Summary: After Ash's death, Pallet Town must pull together to get over the loss of one of their most beloved trainers. But the pain is so much greater in the Ketchum household...
A/N: Kleenex alert, kleenex alert! Get out that box right now!
************************************************************************
The mood in Pallet Town was a somber one that day. The small village was still in shock over the death of one of their own Pokémon trainers. Ash Ketchum had passed away no more than a week before, after being involved in a devastating hit-and-run, which turned out to be a plot to kill one of his friends rather than him. The whole town was shaken by the bizarre turn that the accident had taken. There was hardly ever any crime in Pallet, and when there was one, especially one that took the life of a resident, shock and sadness were always the predominant emotions. But this time, anger threatened to take over as details of the hit-and-run began to filter out into the public.
The story was, so far, that the four friends - Ash Ketchum, Misty Williams, Tracey Sketchit, and Brock Harrison - had been drifting apart due to a conflict between Tracey and Brock. Ash and Misty, involved in their two-year relationship, really didn't want to have to take sides, so both suggested that Tracey and Brock take time out from each other. They did so, but one night, Brock had gone out, planning to run down Tracey in a fit of anger. Ash had been with Tracey at the time and had saved him by pushing him out to the curb, but the car had run him down instead. Someone - no one knew who, she preferred to remain anonymous - had seen the whole thing and had called it in at the same time as Tracey was calling an ambulance for his fallen friend. The Pewter City Officer Jenny had found the car and confirmed that it belonged to Brock. A massive investigation had followed, the impact of which was just drifting into Pallet, and Brock had been immediately charged with murder and attempted murder. Now all that was left was to stand trial and see if anyone could think of a reason not to lock him away for the crime.
* * *
Misty tossed and turned in her sleep, finally bolting awake in bed when the demons in her sleep became too much for her to take. She looked at the bedside clock, which was flashing 12:00. She was startled by a flash of lightning and the subsequent clap of thunder. Rain pounded against the window. "Power must have gone out," she said to herself. She looked to her side before painfully reminding herself that her fiancé was no longer there. He would never be there, ever again. Tears sprung to her eyes, like they had done so many times already. She climbed out of bed, pulled on a housecoat, and headed to the bathroom.
"How am I going to go on?" she said to her reflection in the bathroom mirror. "How can anyone expect me to?" She made a face at her reflection. The reflection refused to show her the happy, proud young woman that she had once been. Instead, it showed her a grieving, devastated woman, one whose life had been destroyed before she had even hit twenty years old. She missed Ash more than she ever knew that she would. He had been her life since the day she met him. Of course, she never admitted it until she was seventeen. Then, almost immediately, their relationship had taken off. Two years had blazed by, and before they knew it, Ash had asked her to marry him. She had accepted, and the two had just been planning their wedding when it had happened. Misty was torn with feelings of grief. The pain of losing a loved one came down on her like a ton of bricks, sometimes making it hard for her to even breathe. She couldn't even leave the house half of the time. She felt horrible enough as it was, and the occasional comments like, "oh, I know you two were close," and "it must be so hard for you right now," from passersby just made her feel worse.
She heard a sound behind her and spun to see Delia, Ash's mother, standing in the doorway. The loss of her son had reduced Delia to nothing but a shadow of her former self. Once bubbly and enthusiastic, Delia almost never spoke anymore and was always in a depressed state of mind. She looked way beyond her years, the grieving adding at least ten years to her face. Even as she stood in the doorway now, her eyes were red and puffy from crying and she looked like she was having trouble standing up. "Misty..." she said in a small, weak voice. "I heard you get up...are you okay?"
Misty knew what Delia meant, the only thing that kept her from saying something like, "of course I'm not!" She slowly nodded.
Delia walked up to her. "Nightmare?" she guessed.
Misty nodded.
Delia stared at their reflections for a moment before she managed to choke out, "Ash's funeral is tomorrow," she said. "Or, today, rather..."
"What time is it?" Misty asked.
"About five in the morning," Delia replied. "We had better get to bed...we need a lot of rest."
Misty nodded and the two women retreated back to their rooms.
* * *
Professor Oak and Tracey were already at the church when Delia and Misty pulled up. The elderly professor looked tired and years older than he actually was. Tracey was sitting on a bench, his head in his hands. Ash's death had hit him especially hard, because he had been there when Ash had been run down, not to mention the fact that he was the one that the hit was meant for.
Professor Oak jogged over to the car to help Delia out, while Misty climbed out on her own and immediately walked over to where Tracey sat. She sat beside him. "I don't want to go in there," she said.
"Me neither," Tracey said.
"Are you going to make it through?"
Tracey looked up at her. "I'll be fine," he said. "You should worry about yourself."
Misty shook her head. "I've been doing that since Ash died...the more I worry about me, the worse I feel."
Tracey didn't reply.
"Hey, Misty!" a voice called out.
Misty looked up to see her sisters, Daisy, Lily, and Violet, walking up the pathway. Under any other circumstances, she would have been annoyed, but not now. She ran to the trio and threw her arms around Daisy. She was just too glad to see relatives.
"We heard all about it, Misty," Violet said, already fighting back tears.
"We're so sorry," Lily said. "We couldn't call ourselves your sisters if we didn't come down and try to help you."
"Thank you," Misty said.
Misty followed Delia to the entrance of the church, not wanting her to have to 'greet' people on her own. Greet...yeah, right. Anyone who came to a funeral and expected to hear, 'hey, how are you? Whadaya think of the weather?' was out of their minds. A person was dead, gone forever. In Misty's mind, that was cause enough for silence. Besides, sympathy was to grief what gasoline was to a fire - it only added to it. As she watched people shake hands with Delia, she couldn't help but think that some people knew that saying 'oh, I'm so sorry,' or 'he was a good boy,' would only drive that emotional knife deeper into Delia's heart.
Finally, people that Misty knew began to wander in. Just about every one of Kanto's Gym Leaders - Lieutenant Surge, Koga, Erika, Sabrina, Blaine - a few of the Johto Gym Leaders - Falkner, Bugsy, Whitney, Jasmine - and all five members of the 'Orange Crew' - Sissy, Danny, Rudy, Louanna, and Drake. Ritchie walked in, head low, his Pikachu, 'Sparky', on his shoulder. Snap was without his camera. Casey, the young trainer they had met in Johto, paused at the door before walking in hesitantly. Melody had to force herself to walk in. Professor Ivy had a hand over her eyes as she walked in. Professor Elm's eyes were fixed on the floor. Misty recognized three people that she had met on New Island with the whole Mewtwo escapade, but she was unsure of their names. Molly Hale clung to her mother's skirt and her father's hand. And the most surprising arrival - Jessie and James. The two of them held each other's hands tightly. Misty couldn't hold herself back and walked up to them. "I never expected you two to be here," she said, amazingly without crying.
Jessie lowered her eyes. "We had to come...we felt so bad...we heard that you and Ash were...engaged. We're sorry about this."
Misty nodded. "I know," she said.
The funeral started just as the last people took their seats. Misty, Delia, Professor Oak, and Tracey sat in the front pew, even though Misty would have preferred to sit in the back. She could feel the eyes of hundreds of people on her back. She could practically hear their thoughts. And when she tried to ignore it, her eyes would fall on the casket. Her eyes welled up as she thought of who was enclosed in it. And in less than two hours, she wouldn't even get to see it anymore. Ash, his casket, everything would be gone, buried in a cemetary marked only by a simple stone marker for all eternity.
She felt a hand on hers and looked over at Tracey. His eyes asked her a silent question - are you okay?
She nodded and weaved her fingers through his. Finally, she had to stand up to deliver the eulogy that she had promised to give. She kept her eyes low, knowing that the sympathetic expressions of the people in the room would break her down to tears. She took a deep breath to steady her voice and began to speak. "I knew Ash for seven years...we met after I saved him from drowning...and we were together ever since. We shared so much in the time that we knew each other...I felt like he was a part of me, because I could go to him with any kind of problem and he would understand...I don't think I've ever been as happy as I was on the day that he proposed to me...I thought that we would be together for the rest of our lives, that I would never have to feel lonely anymore...well, I have to say that I feel so alone that it's...it's hard to wake up in the morning...all I have to comfort me is the knowledge that Ash died with me and his mother by his side...and that, even though it may not be recognized, he was a hero. He saved the life of my best friend...he gave his life so someone else may live on..." She wiped tears from her eyes, wishing that she could bring herself to look away from the casket. "People used to say that he was stupid, dense, and reckless...even though I was usually the one to say it, I know now that he was the most caring person I've ever known. He wasn't reckless, he just acted with his heart. He always did what was right...and I'll miss that more than anything. I'll miss him for the rest of my life."
She sat back down, accepted a hug from Delia, and sat there for the rest of the ceremony, the words falling on deaf ears.
It was no more easier at the cemetary. The group gathered there was reduced to the people that Ash had known closely. There, a small CD player played two songs, one that Delia had chosen for her son, and one that Misty had chosen for her fiancé. First played 'The River' by Garth Brooks, Delia's tribute to Ash's indomitable spirit, and then played 'When You Come Back To Me Again', a song from the last movie that she and Ash had seen together.
After everyone except Delia, Tracey, and the professor had left, Misty approached the casket and ran her hand along the wood. "This is it," she said softly. "This is goodbye...I prayed that this would all be a bad dream...but we don't get everything we wish for...so...goodbye, Ash, and remember that I'll always love you."
Tracey watched her with a saddened expression as Delia said her goodbye, placing a small bouquet of white roses on the casket.
"I don't want to leave, Trace," Misty said weakly. "I don't want to say goodbye..."
"I know," Tracey said. "But...but he wanted you to go on, you know, Misty. That's all you can do."
* * *
Two days had passed since the funeral when they got the call from Officer Jenny. She looked tired, sad, and worried all at the same time. "I know that this is a horrible time...but we have to get the trial moving, or it could be years before we get into a courtroom," she said. "I...have to ask you to come down to the station in Pewter City."
On the ride down, Misty kept her eyes hidden behind a dark pair of sunglasses. Delia did the same. Tracey stared out of the window the whole trip. Professor Oak was driving and didn't say a word.
"Do you think they'll let us see him?"
The question came from Misty and startled everyone. "Why would you want to see him?" Professor Oak asked.
Misty looked at the group. "I want him to know what he did," she said. "I want him to know that he's the one responsible for all this crap."
"I think he knows," Tracey said. "He wanted to kill both of us...I don't think he'll have any remorse about this thing at all..."
"No, I don't think they will, Misty," the professor said.
Misty nodded and fell back into her silence. If the truth was to be told, she did want to see Brock before the trial. But she didn't want to see him as a friend. She wanted to yell at him, to scream at him, to take out all the anger and sadness of the past couple of weeks on him. She wanted him to suffer, and suffer badly. She wanted him to feel what she had been feeling. She wanted to see him locked in a cell for the rest of his life. She wanted to see a look of devastation on his face as the judge banged that gavel down.
Professor Oak took a deep breath as they pulled up in front of the police station. The place was surrounded by reporters and other recruits of the press. Cameras flashed and voices yelled out. The story was obviously big in Pewter. It was their former Gym Leader who was being accused of the crime, after all.
Professor Oak kept his arm around Delia as they fought through the crowd, and Tracey kept his arm around Misty. Things were already heating up, and the trial hadn't even begun yet.
Officer Jenny was waiting for them. "I'm sorry about the crowd and all of that," she said. "Now...if you would...I'd like to ask you all some questions."
TO BE CONTINUED....
A/N: Okay, I know that chapter kinda dragged, but I had to get Ash's funeral out of the way. In the next chapter, I'll do my best at portraying a realistic trial for Brock. Emotions are gonna run high, believe me...
Oh, and I promise that I WILL write a happy story after this one...all this sad stuff is just depressing...
And I decided, after I read another fic, to give ya the lyrics to the two songs that I mentioned in the fic.
THE RIVER - GARTH BROOKS
You know a dream is like a river
Ever changing as it flows
And the dreamer's just a vessel
That must follow where it goes
Trying to learn from what's behind you
And never knowing what's in store
That makes each day a constant battle
Just to stay between the shores
CHORUS:
And I will sail my vessel
'Til the river runs dry
Like a bird upon the wind
These waters are my sky
I'll never reach my destination
If I never try
So I will sail my vessel
'Til the river runs dry
Too many times we stand aside
And let the water slip away
'Til what we put off 'til tomorrow
Has now become today
So don't you sit upon the shoreline
And say you're satisfied
Choose to chance the rapids
And dare to dance the tides
REPEAT CHORUS
And there's bound to be rough waters
And I know I'll take some falls
But with the good Lord as my captain
I can make it through them all
REPEAT CHORUS
WHEN YOU COME BACK TO ME AGAIN - GARTH BROOKS
There's a ship out, on the ocean At the mercy of the sea It's been tossed about, lost and broken Wandering aimlessly And God somehow you know that ship is me 'Cause there's a lighthouse, in the harbor Shining faithfully Pouring its light out, across the water For this sinking soul to see That someone out there still believes in me On a prayer, in a song I hear your voice and it keeps me hanging on Raining down, against the wind I'm reaching out 'til we reach the circle's end When you come back to me again There's a moment we all come to In our own time and our own space Where all that we've done, we can undo If our heart's in the right place On a prayer, in a song I hear your voice and it keeps me hanging on Raining down, against the wind I'm reaching out 'til we reach the circle's end When you come back to me again And again I see my yesterday's in front of me Unfolding like a mystery You're changing all that is and used to be On a prayer, in a song I hear your voice and it keeps me hanging on Raining down, against the wind I'm reaching out 'til we reach the circle's end When you come back to me again When you come back to me again