Setting:
•Amber (Wolfe Alias) POV•
Chapter Forty
Elegy for the Living
I found myself yet again at the remains of the schoolhouse. It was a beautiful day again. There were only a few white patches of snow left on the trees; spring really had sprung. Something then brought my attention to the maple tree at which I used to read. There was a small congregation of people nearby, and I approached.
In the congregation, I made out some of the people I did know and a lot that I didn't. More and more people began to arrive as time seemed to pass. Even though it was a beautiful day, there was a hush among the crowd, then it dawned upon me.
This is my funeral…
I walked up to the base of the tree, where my tombstone had already been placed. I supposed the body was buried early so no one would see the horror of it.
I swear to you, person who died, one day I'll give you your own funeral. I'll find out who you are.
Behind the tree were three people who were in a group talking together. The first was my childhood friend, Red. He was dressed in a black polo shirt and black slacks. His face held no emotion in it whatsoever, but I knew by his eyes that he was taking my death harder than he let on.
The next person was my childhood rival and best friend, Blue. He was wearing a black button-up shirt with black dress pants as well. His usual charismatic grin wasn't there that day. His eyes were also red and a little puffy. Blue was never afraid to show his emotions, but I didn't think I really meant so much for him to openly cry. It still hurt me though, that my two childhood friends were crying like that.
The third person was none other than Silver. His face tried to copy the emotionless expression of Red's but I knew better. It showed utter loss and devastation. Silver was dressed in clothes I never saw him wear before; he looked stunningly nice. His brilliant red hair was combed back with his bangs that usually parted to the left tamed. His red eyes were bloodshot, which I figured might have been from lack of sleep. He wore something that looked similar to a tuxedo, though it wasn't quite so formal. It was a stately silver in color, and he wore black dress pants to go with it. His black shoes were shined and polished more than I had ever seen them before.
He just stood silently in the presence of the other two while they talked. He seemed distant; just looking at him made the beautiful day seem gray with storm clouds. Finally, Red and Blue stopped talking, and the two approached the other side of the tree. The crowd, which had turned into a pretty large mass, hushed into complete silence. I took my place in the front and watched.
Am I really about to watch a funeral meant for myself?
Red spoke up first. It was as if he looked into the eyes of everyone in the audience. His voice was quiet, yet commanding. "Today, we're gathered here together to remember Amber Neilstone. As some of you may know, she had been my friend for most of my life. She was charismatic and reckless. And a lot of the time she was impulsive, but she was a great friend. I'll never forget the time we teamed up to save Saffron City from Team Rocket. Her bravery had at the time seemed to save the entire region."
"Everyone, I ask you all to remember her for her exploits. She fought hard to make this region a better place for all of us. I will always respect her, even if she is gone now. Thank you, Amber. Rest easy..." He bowed and stepped back.
Wow, that was pretty nice of Red to say all that. Typical he made it sound like a speech—that's Red for you. But still, he respects me? That's something. He's probably an even better trainer than me. If he would have competed in the Indigo League, I'm certain things would have been interesting.
Blue cleared his throat, which made me look at him next. I saw him try to summon up that charismatic grin of his. "Hey, yeah… I completely agree with Red," he started off. "Amber was my number one rival and probably one of the craziest friends I had. She, Red, another friend, and I all grew up together. We were a team. We all made this pact that one day we'd determine who was the best trainer around. And now, there's only two of us left…" He trailed off. I could tell he was trying to get a handle on his emotions.
"You know, it didn't have to be that way. Whoever murdered my friend should be more than sorry. I'm speaking to whoever killed Amber when I say this: you murdered not only a sweet person, but she was my rival! She was my best friend; she was a lot of people's friend. And most importantly, she was a hero…" He continued, his voice cracking slightly.
"Sure, she had help, but when push came to shove? She never gave up. We can all thank her that Kanto is as peaceful as it is today! If Amber hadn't been so determined, if she would have given up, we could all be in fear for our own lives." He added.
"So yeah, I agree with Red. I respect you, Amber. More than you'll ever know. I'm sorry I hadn't been a better friend throughout the years. I let our rivalry get the better of me. I thought that if I hung around you, it'd show my weaknesses to you. I wish I could just tell you how sorry I am." He hung his head as his voice went a bit quieter.
"I'll never forget all the fun times we had as kids, or the battles we had as trainers, or the time we busted up Team Rocket in Saffron City. You were one of a kind, and I'll miss you. I promise you that I'll work harder and live up to your expectations as a trainer. Your work for preserving peace for others won't be in vain. That's all…" He trailed off quietly. I could tell he was really trying not to cry.
Blue totally caught me off guard with everything he had said. He really looked up to me that much? It's amazing how you find out so much from your own funeral about people you've known all your life.
The crowd started talking in hushed tones as Silver then stepped forward. I knew he probably wasn't going to say anything since I knew how he hated crowds. For a while, he simply stared at my grave. I spied a rogue tear roll down his left cheek. He made no attempt to wipe it away. He took a deep breath and looked at the crowd, who fell into a silence under his red-eyed gaze.
It took a few minutes, but then he began. "I don't know where to begin, but I guess I'll start with the day I first met Amber. We were both younger. I was eight; she was ten. For those who don't know, she was once in Team Rocket and yes, I'm the son of the boss from Team Rocket. The day I first met her, my mother, who was her boss, wanted Amber to watch over me as a babysitter."
He smirked sadly. "At the time, I hated her because I figured she'd be just like the rest. What I didn't expect was to become her rival. She was a damn good battler, and from that day forward, for as long as we could, we had a battle every day. Of course, she'd always win, but I always strove to get better than her eventually."
"I had moved away for a while, and by the time I had returned, I finally got my first victory against her. The saying that time and distance apart puts a friendship on trial is true; and in our case, our friendship had only gotten stronger. She and I had decided that we'd escape Team Rocket, and one day we'd take them down."
"We did eventually get free, but unfortunately, she was captured, and Amber had returned to her duties as a Grunt in Team Rocket working at Mt. Moon never really remembering what she meant to me back then... And one day, a terrible accident happened where she was mining for fossils. I was told Amber had perished along with nearly fifty others. Some time later, when I heard of a lone girl challenging the organization that I had hated, I was shocked to learn it was the very same Amber I once knew." He said quietly.
"I was more shocked the next time I met her. Despite the fact that I ran away from Team Rocket, I didn't have an easy life. I didn't like people since they didn't like me. My reputation was bad regardless of what I did, so I was pretty surprised when her Larvitar, Brutus, showed up to play with my Sneasel at the Indigo League. Whenever she found her Larvitar, she thanked me for letting my Pokémon play with it, which threw me off right there. She didn't shy away from me because of my reputation at all, and I, in turn, pretended not to know who she was even though she was somewhat of a celebrity. She... forgot about our past, so I was nothing more than a stranger to her..." He continued.
"I don't know how it happened, but we became friends again during the League, and she defeated me in battle. She left some time later, and I was certain I'd never see Amber again. She proved me wrong yet again whenever she appeared on Mt. Silver for a competition. She persuaded me to enter it with her, and so we both began racing to the top so we could get the big money prize. During the course of the event, a random blizzard forced us to take shelter. A wild Rhyperior had nearly defeated her Jolteon." He recounted.
"Sneasel chased it away, and we stayed there until the blizzard ended. But, as I was exiting the cave, the Rhyperior returned and fired a Rock Blast at the ceiling above me. Even though she didn't know me very well, Amber nearly sacrificed her life to save mine. She pushed me out of the way just in time, but her legs were caught in the rock-fall as a result. Even though she was barely conscious, she still asked if I was alright." He said sadly.
"Later, I stuck around to take her out of the hospital. She was a handful right then and there. I learned quickly of her impatient side. She insisted on doing things that she couldn't do yet since she was still recovering. In a way, I became her guardian. We ended up building a schoolhouse together. The very rubble you see here today is what remains of the home we had, and the dreams she had." He looked at the charred skeleton of our former home in the background.
"The day she asked me to stay as a student, I felt honored to have such a good friend. I almost declined because some other student began shouting false accusations because of my background, but Amber stepped up and set that student in his place. She dared anyone to mess with me, and her threats worked. She even publicly stated in an interview that I had no ties to Team Rocket; that I couldn't be blamed for my heritage. Despite the fact that my parents were her mortal enemies, Amber still accepted me." He bowed his head as he spoke almost reverently.
"Over the next two years, we became inseparable friends. Sure, some people made jokes that there was more going on than that, but neither of us were focused on things of that nature. I at least figured that life was longer than that so I'd figure out everything as it went along. Amber and I did a lot of things together. She was a terrific teacher. She worked with everyone to make certain everyone was on the same page. Despite her impatient and reckless nature, she was surprisingly patient with her students. She was also fair. Everyone had the same opportunities as everyone else. She didn't play favorites—even with me, her best friend." He smirked sadly.
He laughed softly as another tear rolled down his other cheek. "If anything, Amber made things harder for me since I was her best friend. Living with your teacher isn't the easiest thing in the world. She'd often take something I'd ask and turn it into a lesson plan. She was pretty crafty. Class was never boring. Really, Amber was the best teacher I could ever ask for."
"Amber was also a great daughter to her parents. Every Christmas she'd visit her mother. She convinced me to go just last Christmas. I'm glad I did. She loved her family and Pokémon greatly. She was definitely a person with more than enough devotion and loyalty to go around. At first, I thought she played favorites, but I soon learned that she was probably the most selfless person I knew. Amber would have sacrificed herself for anyone—even a total stranger. She hated to see people in pain or suffering. She had a deep empathy for people. She was also very intelligent. Although she didn't think things through all the time, with her spur of the moment plans, she was crafty. She pulled a number of pranks on me through the years we had known each other." He said quietly before sighing.
"Ah, I wish I could go back to those times. Amber truly was a special person. She rescued the region from the nightmare of Team Rocket. She didn't do it for the publicity; she simply did it to stop the suffering of others."
"Amber lived for justice. Yet, she died a martyr." At that, the crowd began whispering in hushed tones. "Yes, I say a martyr. I know full well who is responsible for her death. Even though she tried her hardest, Team Rocket had returned with a vengeance against her. They killed her in her own sleep because they were too cowardly to challenge her face to face!" Silver's words were cutting through the still air.
The next part of his speech surprised me the most as he addressed his parents, as if they were part of the crowd. He looked down at my blue marble tombstone yet again. "Mother, Father, are you happy now? Your biggest threat has been taken out with as much cowardice as ever. Did you have Amber killed because she lived for the weak? Did you decide to do away with her because she showed you up? What was it?!"
"Amber was a greater person than either of you will ever be. And I loved her more than I'll ever love either of you. Are you happy now? You've just made your son, the rightful heir to the business, your worst enemy. I'll take up Amber's place and stop you by myself." He vowed resolutely.
"Amber shouldn't have died so early. She had her whole life ahead of her. She had dreams—ambitions. She constantly talked about going explore the Johto region. Thanks to you, she'll never see the light of day again. Thanks to you, she'll never have another Pokémon battle or see her parents again. Thanks to you, there are people here grieving her loss. Thanks to you, I lost the most important person in my life…"
"I never realized it before I lost her, but Amber meant more to me than either of you would ever comprehend. So, thanks Mother and Father… I'll always remember this." He finished speaking and continued staring downward.
Tears were practically pouring down his cheeks at that point. I felt pretty moved by the speech as well, even though there were some parts that had me super confused, too. I definitely didn't remember meeting him when we were little kids, and I didn't know what he meant when he said I forgot that. But then again, I didn't really know exactly how accurate whatever this dream was, anyway.
I knew Silver was good with words, but damn. I don't think even I could have addressed a crowd like that. He doesn't even feel shame for crying, does he? Silver… If I would have known, I'd have changed it all.
Things are getting weird. I don't know who to trust in the Ops anymore. If only I could go back and change things… If only I could go forward and change things… If only I could tell you the truth.
You spoke too well of me for me to be the same cheap, conniving, person that I am. The person who tricked you and committed the greatest offense a person could ever commit to their best friend.
"Silver…" I mumbled.
"Great, again with my name." I heard him as I realized I was waking up.
I didn't even respond. Instead, involuntary tears were rolling down my own cheeks at the guilt of the betrayal of such a good friend.