AN: Apologies for the delay. Applying for jobs has taken over my life! You know what else has taken over my life? Pokemon Go. I hope you all are enjoying the new game!

"I mean, it's just weird. He died in the dirt. We pulled him back out, and now we're just putting him back in the dirt."

"Charizard." The Lickitung nudged him.

"Yeah." Charizard pressed two claws together and twisted them towards his mouth, miming the motion of locking it shut.

Even though she felt more like a mascot, Pikachu knew she was considered as the de-facto leader of Pokemon, she was expected to officiate the memorial services Ash had arranged. There was one for the countless Pokemon turned into infinity energy. There was one for the dozens of Pokemon and the few humans who had fallen during the rebellion effort. And now, there was one for Venusaur.

She cringed at the thought. Venusaur got his own funeral, not that he would know any better. And she kicked herself for thinking it wasn't fair. It wasn't fair that he died in the first place. And he died from a chain of events that she started. But so did a lot of the others. The Pidgey she saw, or a Caterpie she never knew…were they even named? Memorial services could only happen if there's a memory of the person. So what about those who nobody remembered?

Pikachu felt a hundred eyes on her, and she knew she was expected to speak.

Meowth walked up next to her. "I got da human side covered."

She nodded and took a deep breath, straining her voice so she could be heard. "Venusaur…was a very good friend of mine."

A Tangela placed a single flower on the mound of dirt. A grass-type tradition.

"He was strong. He was the only Bulbasaur I knew who could dig. And his vines were like hands to him…but…" She trailed off for a moment. At funerals for Pokemon, she knew it was customary for mourners to share the deceased's skills in battle. But Venusaur was so much more than that. "But that doesn't mean anything compared to how kind and loyal he is—was. I remember, one time, he let me and Ash ride on him all the way back to the Pokecenter when we were really tired at Victory Road. He never complained." She scratched the back of her head. How long was she supposed to talk? Would Venusaur like what she was saying?

Pikachu scanned the crowd and searched for the faces she knew. Ash's head hung, eyes downcast. Charizard was biting his lip. Psydu—no, Golduck—was sitting in the middle of his new admirers, eyes downcast. Wartortle was…Wartortle was not there. She sighed and looked again. The turtle was several yards away from all the others, sitting by himself at the edge of the field. His knees curled up towards his carapace.

"I know I should talk more about how strong he was—" Someone in the crowd coughed. "And he was strong. But what was more important was that he was always improving—always training, always trying to be better. That means so much more than natural strength."

She hesitated, then continued. "What makes some Pokemon more powerful than others?" Some mumbles spread across the Pokemon and humans. "We hear trainers whisper about numbers—IVs—and we all know about levels and types and…"

Her voice became stronger. "We all know how strong Venusaur was. But are there limits? Is there a potential every Pokemon has, and that's it? I refuse to believe it."

"I know I was lucky when it came to those numbers we're not supposed to know about. And then I had a great trainer." She nodded at Ash. "But can we judge a Pokemon for being unlucky? Or choosing not to train? Or even not having the chance to train in the first place? Being born a common type? When humans see us as nothing but battlers—things, tools—that's when, that's when something like infinity energy can happen."

"In the end, though, I guess none of that matters. Everyone's got a life, and everyone has the right to live that life."

Meowth's voice had grown quieter, then stopped. Her last sentence remained untranslated for the humans who couldn't understand. There was an uncomfortable silence that felt heavy and thick. "Uh, Meowth, can you get that last bit too?"

He was staring off into the distance, paws clenched into fists, knuckles white. He snapped to attention at the mention of his name: "Sorry, I got, uh, distracted." He shook his head in an attempt to clear his thoughts and said, "But in the end, all dat doesn't matter. Everyone has a life, and everyone has a right ta live it."

Pikachu closed her eyes after hearing her words echoed in the human language. The silence now felt right.

/

Night had fallen, and Rock Tunnel held a small reception in Venusaur's honor. Steelix had made a special rock-table for the occasion, and some berries were meticulously arranged on it. Pokemon milled about, some crying, others holding out paws or fins or claws in comforting gestures. The humans were quiet and hugged the walls.

Meowth was with the humans, slumped over, reeking of a human liquor that probably had the same appeal as coffee. He muttered at Brock: "So da big guy gets killed and not me. Wish it coulda been me. He was nice…" He slurred his words.

Jessie and James watched their partner from a safe distance. "Should we stop him?"

"Yeah."

Pikachu watched as the two humans gently cajoled the cat into going to bed.

Wartortle waddled towards her, stumbling once. He smelled like the drink too. "You made it about yourself, Pikachu."

She winced. "Wartortle, I—"

"I was his best friend. I should've given the speech."

Pikachu shrank back. "Wartortle, I know—"

His voice cracked, and his face softened. "I—No I know. I didn't mean that. I'm just—he—I'm going out."

Wartortle shuffled away.

"He's taking it hard." Arms crossed across her chest, Misty looked down at Pikachu and frowned. "He'll come back around eventually."

/

Wartortle smelled smoke as soon as he was out of the cave. He followed the scent to Lavender town—which was in flames. A mob of humans were rioting, throwing rocks through windows. A few set tires on fire and wheeled them down the main road.

"Hey! You! Yeah, you! Go back to the forest!"

"What? Me?" Wartortle pointed to himself, not knowing who was talking to him.

A Nidorina poked her head out of a nearby shrub. "The humans have gone nuts. Get out of here."

"I can tell." He sent a bubble beam towards an incoming burning tire, extinguishing the flames. "What happened?"

"All their lights went out."

And it was true. Lavender City was dark. No streetlights, no lights in shining through windows.