I take in Kenji's attire as he arrives beside Koga. I don't know what to say.

"Showing your true colours then?" Lance sneers.

"It's how Batty knew me," Kenji says quietly.

"That's not true," Ellie pipes up softly. She hurries from Steven and I to him and reaches out to grasp his gloved hand and give it a squeeze.

He glances to her from the shade of his black cap and nods. "It is, it's what we both were, Team Rocket together, lived for it, served it, died because of it." His head droops as he falls silent.

I look to Koga and see him watching impassively, arms folded and looking a little exposed without his red scarf. It was ruined with my blood when he used it to bind my wound. Ellie offered to return hers to him, but he turned it down as tatty. Although it is tatty I think perhaps he has a fondness for seeing Ellie still wearing it after all this time.

"Is it wise wearing it here?" Looker queries. He makes a noticeable effort to keep his tone neutral unlike Lance. "I mean, a lot of people saw those Grunts when they attacked the city."
He's right but I think I understand why Kenji has chosen to don his Team Rocket uniform today. It is how Batty knew life with him and today we're saying goodbye to Batty, so I suppose Kenji wants to honour the memory of their life together, even the bad.

"It'll be okay," I say. "The people don't really know much about what happened, he'll get some looks but so will I."

I reach for my wound instinctively, pressing my palm up against my shirt where it is concealed. In my other hand I have a walking cane, an utterly abhorrent thing that I have to hold instead of my briefcase, but it is a necessity at the moment for I can barely manage ten steps even with it. I have had stares and mutters over my appearance for days now and cannot seem to avoid people despite my desire for privacy.

In the time that has passed since the attack so much has happened and yet here we all remain in Medali.

Geeta has left a large void, fleeing for the Pokemon League and hiding there as she argues back against my challenge that she tried to murder me and conspired with villains ten years ago to smuggle my daughter from the country, and leading to the murder of my wife, her Pokemon and Mia's Pokemon. The others, Hassel and Rika, have tried to keep this news suppressed, not out of loyalty to Geeta but to me. Until this mess has been sorted and charges formally brought, they don't want the public learning of it and choosing sides, lest Geeta influence them to turn on me. I couldn't care if the public did turn on me, I've never wanted their attention. The only thing in life I've ever wanted I can't have and of course I didn't appreciate it when I did have it.

Lance and Looker have been negotiating with their local forces in a bid to ensure Troy is securely transported back to Kanto along with the other Grunts that were captured. There has been a minor debate over which of them should have custody, whether he should go to Kanto or Johto, and doubt over whether either is safe to have him while Giovanni remains free. The conclusion is that they will take him together, but Looker has delayed it until today as he wanted to attend Batty's farewell.

I glance over to my right and see Steven standing there with Morty. He looks to me briefly with impatience before turning his stare on Ellie. He has not said it, but I know he will want to make plans to leave too, and I know he will insist Ellie is with him. His mother remains unwell and in critical condition.

"Are you sure…Larry that it's okay here?"

I look over to Kenji at his quiet, sad voice, he sounds so unlike himself and Arceus help me I am upset about it. He remains bruised and cut with a subtler limp than mine but it is not his injuries that drain him, rather it is the dullness his face has taken on and the darkness that has robbed him of his irritable but merry pluck and charm.

I nod back to him reassuringly. "I can't think of a more worthy spot," I say sincerely, "and it is a well-tended place."

I look to the small, grey stones before us, headstones that line up one of Medali's Pokemon graveyards. The small soul house dwells nearby, stoic and grey with colouring flowers on either side of its doors. The spot we stand us is on a small hill, basking in the morning sun and scented with an abundance of flowers. It is where Dobby and my wife's Pokemon have been put to rest.

Spooky is curled up in front of a headstone, napping on the soft dirt before a bouquet of white flowers like he is on the most comfortable bed. It is a tad disturbing given it is Dobby's resting place.

A new headstone and an open plot have welcomed Batty's casket and are waiting for it to be buried. I managed to arrange it with a few connections after Kenji kept crying that Batty was cold and alone in the Pokemon Centre and needed a nice place to rest. He had mumbled about taking him back to Kanto but Koga took him aside and somehow persuaded him it was best having Batty stay here.

"I don't know what to say," Kenji murmurs. He pulls away from Ellie and steps up to the open plot. "I'm sorry, I can never be sorry enough, I tried to call you back Batty, but you wouldn't come. Why wouldn't you come?!" He yells out the question as tears streak down his face. "Why did you even join me huh? You knew I wasn't good; I didn't deserve you, I didn't but I want you back anyway Batty!"

Ellie rushes to him again and grabs him sideways with her arms. "Kenji don't be angry," she says softly. "How did you meet Batty? You've never told me."

He sniffles and rubs his sleeve under his nose. "In a cave near Mt. Moon, some stupid Jigglypuff was singing me to sleep and this brave little Zubat came along and fought it off. He was so tiny and so friendly, and I tried to shoo him off after, but he kept following me and then all these other Zubat swarmed him, they were being mean to him because he was little so I had to take him in then. I had a Poke Ball and I got him into it for safety and got bit by the rest of them but he was so worth it. Gio was so cross," Kenji smiles as he says this, "he gave off about every Grunt catching a Zubat out of laziness, but he just didn't get it."

"So right from the start you helped each other," Ellie says kindly.

Kenji nods. "Yeah, we had a lot of adventures but…why did it have to end here? I should've done something more, I failed him Ellie."

"You didn't Kenji. I heard him, when he said goodbye, I told you at the hospital, he just wanted us safe, both of us, and he…" Ellie's voice starts to break now as the sorrow of our situation finally overwhelms her. "He said to thank you Kenji for being his trainer and friend."

Kenji bows his head and sniffles once more.

"Let's…" Ellie's voice trembles again. "Let's say that Kenji. He was your friend, your Batty, and he's always going to be those things."

Looker's loud sobbing shocks me so much I almost stumble over in surprise. I watch as he throws himself at Koga in his grief and the ninja tenses up as horror fills his stare as Looker's arms pin his own to his sides.

I smile despite the sad situation and see Morty giving a small smile too. The psychic reaches over to pat Looker awkwardly on the shoulder.

"There, there Looker, stop suffocating Koga."

"Well, you can't get a better mourner than that," Steven speaks up in a dry show of humour.

I glance over to him and see he remains stoic but there is perhaps a small glimmer of sympathy in his grey stare.

"That is true," I agree as Looker continues to sob.

"Say goodbye to Batty, Kenji," Ellie says gently.

"I…I don't want to."
"I know but he wouldn't want you unhappy, he'd want you to keep going for Fluffy and Ratty."

"Going to where?" Kenji asks miserably. "Back to the Rockets?"

"I…I don't know."

I feel a brush of grief that is not mine and look to Ellie. She is still so devoted to Kenji and despairing over being separated from him. He should go back to Kanto or Johto and his brother and be done with Ellie but that doesn't seem right. He has given more for Ellie's safety than I have, even in spite of Geeta, Lance and Looker all trying to arrest him and Lance beating him up, he stayed on, and he fought to keep Ellie safe.

I move to stand beside his other side and hunt through my jacket pocket before producing a small sandwich wrapped in paper.

"You said he liked cheese with sausage." I offer it over to Kenji.

Kenji looks to me and I see a ghost of a smile before he shakes his head. "You and food Larry." He reaches out and takes it. "Thanks."

Kenji tosses the sandwich down to rest on the casket. "Goodbye Batty, I'll always love you pal."

"I'll miss you and your kisses," Ellie says gently. She reaches her palm up to her mouth and blows a kiss down.

I stare down at the casket and murmur, "thank you for keeping her safe for me."

Words done, we turn away and make a slow retreat from the site. The workers will fill in the plot and make it look pretty. It will be tended by the same people who have tended the others over the years, changing out the flowers when I cannot.

As I hobble, I think very briefly of another grave I do not go to. I have not spoken to Ellie of it and I don't think I can. It is not far from here, minded by strangers because I can't face it.

I am relieved to step into a waiting taxi to fare us back to town. We head to the Treasure Eatery where I have a collection of private booths secured for our arrival. Drinks and snacks are already waiting and lunch will be within the hour.

I make my excuses to dart out for a few errands and secure another taxi through town. I have something I need to do and if I don't do it now while it's in my head, I will lose courage and not do it at all.

I am relieved to find my destination open and free for service. My task does not take as long as expected and I am back to the Treasure Eatery just as lunch is being served.

I reach the table and Ellie looks up to me with relief. Lance sits at the end of the table beside Steven engaged in conversation. I don't know why he came today, perhaps just to keep an eye on everyone.

Kenji sits in silence with an untouched plate of cooling food before him.

"Kenji," I address him calmly, "I know where you are going after this."

Kenji turns his head up to face me, gloomy as if expecting me to deliver bad news.

"Where?" Ellies asks with worry.

"With us," I say, "to Hoenn."

"To where?" Kenji's brown stare buds with confusion.

I turn to Steven and see he is watching and listening to me now. "Hoenn, Steven's mother is in hospital so they need to check on her and I haven't been there before and I could do with leaving here while things are tense. You haven't been either, have you?"

Kenji shakes his head, I can see he is still confused.

A hum of excitement and joy quivers through my body and I turn to Ellie who smiles up at me with gratitude.

"The tickets are bought, for all of us, we'll go in two days. I hope that's okay."

"Who's all of us?" Koga demands.

I look over to the ninja who sits with Morty and Looker, the former seems amused, and the latter looks like he might cry again.

"Myself, Kenji, Ellie, and Steven," I answer.

"Humph. That's rude. I lost my scarf for you."

"Did you…want to come?" I had assumed Koga would want to go home but maybe he's like myself and in need of a means to avoid people.

"I do foresee you enjoying some stone city," Morty teases, "and something with fossils."
"That's Rustboro," Ellie says, "where mum and…where they are." She looks to me and I give her a gentle smile.

"Do you need a ticket then?" I ask the ninja.

"Well Kenji and you can't be trusted unsupervised, that's clear," he scoffs.

"Hyuck-hyuck-hyuck." Kenji gives the first happy laugh I've heard from in a while. "Hoenn huh. I didn't think of Hoenn."