(Oh look, an update! Yay!
Next chapter—there will be drama. And probably blood. Most likely blood. Not much to say here. Yes, the creature's identity will be revealed next chapter as well. Yes, there will be a backlash against Tristan. Annnd...that's really all I have to say. Don't own.)
There was an aching silence.
"Morgan, you jackass." Bethany stood in the doorway, looking none too happy. Morgan stared in horror at the television. The static crackled cheerfully at him, fizzing out occasionally, almost as if it was blinking at him.
"They'll kill him. I have to save him." He rushed outside, screaming for Pidgeot. Olivia nodded at Jack, and they followed after.
"I thought you didn't love him?" Bethany said coolly. Morgan turned to her, and stopped. Bethany stared back at him, disappointment in her eyes as clear as snow. Morgan bit his lip.
"I...but...I loved you first..." Bethany's eyes softened.
"Morgan...I'm actually so glad you found him. I really am. Because I love you too, and I want to see you happy. Please don't be miserable forever on my account." She took his head into her silvery, translucent hands.
Morgan's eyes shone with tears. "But...I betrayed you. I love someone else now..." Bethany huffed, and smiled.
"It's not a betrayal. Please. Be happy. At least, in my memory, if nothing else. Please. Go find him, and save him. If you can still love him, Morgan..." Morgan nodded.
"I can." Bethany smiled.
"Then keep loving. It's the greatest gift you could give me...or him. I love you, Morgan." He hugged her one last time, and they stood there, perfect and infinite.
"And I love you, Bethany."
She faded away still in his arms, and Morgan closed his eyes, smiling.
"Daddy?" Olivia said, poking him in the shoulder. Morgan looked down at his daughter—and for an instant, saw Bethany, smiling back at him. He didn't falter from her gaze, but willed the tears not to fall. It would only cause her worry.
"Mm?" Olivia pointed to the bodies of Opal and Amai.
"I want to give them a proper burial."
"Father?" One of the girls asked softly. Jimmy turned to her.
"Yes, my child?" She shuffled her feet. The rest of the group looked nervous as well.
"One of those Elite Four members...is a homosexual. What...what should we do?" Jimmy's eyes lit up. He patted the girl on her head, ruffling her hair with an amused grin. The girl giggled at his touch.
"Now, now, Eden, we shall do as the Lord taught us. We will redeem him in the eyes of the Unknown God, who is great and powerful." Eden nodded slowly.
"Yes, Saint Jimmy. For by your healing grace, the Unknown God will redeem the fallen fornicator." The children chorused. Their eyes shone with delight, as they stood there in their white cloaks. Jimmy smiled, and scratched behind the ear of his sleeping Marowak.
The Bonekeeper snuffed, and rolled in his sleep. Jimmy laughed softly to himself for an instant.
"Good, good...now...we must spread the word."
Tristan had been thrown in a holding cell in Lavender almost immediately. Frankly, he wasn't surprised, nor did he care. He curled up in the corner, and prayed for death. He just didn't care anymore. He didn't want to live...if Morgan hated him...Morgan...
Tristan drew in a shuddering breath.
He'd been a young, naive Trainer with his Ivysaur a few years back—he'd been how old? Twenty? Twenty-two?
He wanted to remember Morgan as he'd seen him so long ago...so...
He curled up and dreamed of days gone by.
He'd grown up around Pokemon, and been a Trainer as soon as it became legal. He loved the idea of battling with the Pokemon he'd considered friends all throughout his childhood.
He never made it past round one of the Championship matches, but it didn't matter to him. He spent five years traveling around Kanto, exploring every inch of it with reckless abandon, traveling with his Pokemon like he'd always dreamed.
And Morgan had been a hot-blooded Rebel, back then. He was only about twenty when Tristan was fifteen, and Tristan idolized him, hearing tales of his fight against all those League officials with his Arcanine and Gengar.
However, one day, Morgan had been trapped by seven Officials. One had a Tyranitar that made quick work of both Gengar and Arcanine. He'd been trapped, and they were moving in to kill him, when Tristan happened to be in the same area of the Viridian Forest.
"Ivysaur! Razor Leaf!" He called, as the plant Pokemon sent out razor-sharp leaves that cut away at the men's hands. He called out his Houndour, and called, "Use Ember!"
He spat glowing sparks at the men, who retreated, burnt and bleeding, as Tristan congratulated both his Pokemon.
He looked up, only to find Morgan standing over him. The two of them stood there, staring at each other for a moment, until Morgan broke the contact. He sized Tristan up—and smiled.
"Well," he'd said with an air of amusement, "not bad. But you need to perfect your Pokemon's technique."
With that, Tristan took his hand, and was pulled up to stand again. Tristan looked at him, and asked, "Well?" Morgan caught his eye.
"Aah. You want to come with me, then?" Tristan blushed, and nodded. Morgan gave him a lazy smile.
"Well, then don't just stand there; I have to report back to the headquarters in a few minutes." And, dragging him along like a child's toy, he brought Tristan back to the Resistance Order's headquarters.
They'd worked side-by-side whenever they could. They were a team—even the other Rebels had to agree.
And then Bethany came.
Tristan felt no attraction for her outside friendship; but Morgan fell for her fast and hard. Tristan said nothing as his mentor slowly drifted away, spending more time with Bethany than him.
He said nothing as Morgan announced his fiancée was pregnant, and he continued his silence when she died, though on the inside, rejoicing. Morgan was all his now.
This was true. This was utterly true. Morgan clung to him like a baby clings to its' mother for hours at a time, sobbing as Tristan stroked his hair.
When Morgan left Johto for Kanto, he took Tristan with him. He told him to wait in Viridian, and Tristan did. He waited for Morgan, and he didn't stop him, though some part of him knew what he was going to do.
Morgan came back with blood on his hands, and a large grin plastered across his face.
"Come, Tristan. We have to get to the Champion's suite now."
Soon after, Tristan was named as a member of the Elite Four.
Tristan wryly admitted to the others that he was basically Morgan's dog. But the leash worked both ways, and he didn't mind the collar in the slightest.
Morgan talked of Bethany, but less often. What worried him more was his child. Had she lived? Had she died a slow death, gasping for air as a newborn, slowly starving without a mother?
Tristan didn't know the child had lived. But the second he'd seen Livvy, he knew. And yet...he didn't mind that she had.
Because, even though she was a reminder of Bethany and Morgan's relationship...he did love her, as much as he loved her father.
But Morgan...
Tristan awoke with a sob.
But Morgan...
Morgan burst through the doors of the Radio Tower, and shrieked. "WHERE IS HE!?" The Director's head snapped up.
"Oh, sir! Yes, I know...it's waiting for you on the top floor. We held it—"
Morgan shoved the Director up against the wall, and snarled. "He is not an it. Now let me pass." He shoved his way past the guard, Livvy hot on his heels as he thundered up the steps three at a time, screaming, "TRISTAN! TRISTAN!"
Tristan looked up. Morgan's voice...
He sighed. Must be a dream. There is no way he would come and find him—
The door flew open, and the next thing he knew, he was being pulled into a hug while being screamed at. "You imbecile." Morgan spat. "Do you understand I have to PR the hell out of this?! Again!?"
Tristan pushed away from him, and shook his head. "You said you didn't love me." He accused, standing his ground. Morgan shook his head.
"Tristan...I...I thought I was betraying Bethany...but...I...I do love you. I really do. I need to be happy, and I need to be with you. Please forgive me...You're one of the only people I can trust, Tristan...please..." The black-haired man stared at him. Morgan's eyes shone with tears.
"They'll hate you." Tristan said softly. "They'll call for my death. All those churches that supported you...they'll be gone. They'll call for your resignation—" Morgan laughed, giving Tristan a lazily arrogant smile.
"I'm the motherfuckin' Champion of Kanto. I can do anything I damn well want to." Tristan caught his eyes again. Morgan meant every word.
"I am not bowing to the collective people if what the people want is hate. I never was for the people, Tristan—I was for the cause of what I believe to be right. It's as simple as that. The people aren't always right, you know." He said softly.
"You're...not...oh, Morgan!" Tristan wailed, rushing towards him and collapsing into his arms, sobbing hysterically. Morgan nodded to Olivia, who saluted him with an amused smile, and went back down the steps to where the bodies lay.
She looked down at Opal's still form, and knelt down, and as she heard the sound of the riots, still blazing in Celadon, she brushed her lips against his, as she picked his body up and walked to the Graveyard.
She hummed quietly as she set the body down, Jack gently putting down Amai's. Even quieter still, she dug the hole, shifting hands occasionally to ward off blisters, and stopping every so often until they'd reached about six feet. With a small sigh, she set both of their bodies in the hole gently, piling the dirt over the site as she knelt down.
A small white stone was lying on the ground, and as the sun rose, it caught the light and shone. Livvy smiled, and picked it up, examining it for a minute. It was perfect. It was a full circle, clear and unbroken.
"Rest in peace, Opal. You too, Amai." She whispered, before setting the stone down on the freshly-churned earth. It lay there, a small white dot on the cake-like earth. Jack wagged his tail just once, before bowing his head.
"I'm sorry." She whispered. "If it had been different...if there had been any other way..." She sighed. What was done was done.
She didn't know where his other Pokemon were. Probably ran off somewhere. Okay. Well, at least...the two of them had peace.
She beckoned to her Pokemon, and together, they walked out of the Graveyard and didn't look back.
The small creature poked her head out of the pile of bones. "Mommy?" It squeaked.
Making up her mind, the thing toddled right after Olivia, bone still clutched in her hand.
"Where to now?" Morgan asked. Olivia sighed.
"I guess to Saffron. If the Gym's still intact...I need the Badge. And I think Fuchsia's going to be out of commission for a bit." Morgan snapped his fingers.
"Oh, right! Malia asked for me to give this to you." He pressed the badge into her hands, and Olivia sighed with relief.
"Four down, four to go." She grumbled softly, before putting in her pocket. She paused.
"Daddy?" He looked at her, and he saw resignation in her eyes.
"Princess?" He asked, trying not to betray worry in his tone. She sighed.
"Daddy...if this is the last time I see you or Tristan...I love you both." Morgan knew exactly what she was worried about. He sighed.
"I haven't been the best father to you, Livs. But...I promise you..." He pulled her into as firm a hug as he could manage. "I won't leave you. After all this... Only death could make me leave."
Olivia wound her arms around him, and whispered softly, "That's what I'm afraid of."
They turned away, and Livvy heard them leave. She turned back, and screamed, "I LOVE YOU, DADDY!" To the rising wind.
There was a pause. And then the wind carried back, "Forever, princess!"
Livvy shed a few tears, but said nothing until she turned back to her Pokemon.
"To Saffron?" She queried. They all paused—and nodded.
"To Saffron."
With the little creature still following behind, they turned to the sun, rising defiantly overhead, and walked right into the rising dawn.