Once the darkness had reached the early sunrise through the broken windows. A solemn reverence had befallen them. A boy, whose stubborn attitude had lead to the loss of someone he really cared about. A Pokémon who had the fighting spirit of a dragon.

Raticate was gone, and there was nothing that would fill that void, yet. Despite his broken understanding of Pokémon and how they were to be handled as creatures. He had once thought of Raticate as something more, more of a friend. He contemplated for what felt like minutes, holding onto the very tool that would enshroud his Pokémon's fate.

The shovel made contact with the ground and Blue had spent hours preparing his gravestone with Raticate's name etched into it. Out of all the gravestones that he could find. This one was partly broken in half. While the oval was retaining its shape.

His shovel continued to slice deep into the ground almost like his own soul was being severed deep within his heart.

Blue had never once tried to cry about things. He only wanted to at least show some dignity around both his sister and his prestigious grandfather. But the mere fact that Raticate's presence had left him in this mortal world only ached his bitter heart.

Penny only observed from a distance. Not saying a word to him as she sat on the ground huddling her knees together all by her lonesome.

She never once looked at Blue, but rather to the floor. Her Pokémon, Growlithe was released from her Poké Ball nestled next to her master. Fearing that Blue would lose his temper and try to battle her again. Yet, she left him alone. Her remorse on what happened that night consumed her to endless disintegration. She felt responsible for what happened and for that she didn't feel the need to say anything of value to him.

Blue's shovel continued to dig down below the brittle concrete. He located this shovel near the exit of the third floor and understood that this tool must have seen and even assisted in burying the dead of countless Trainers' Pokémon.

He was exhausted, confused; he had never been woken up to the slumber of how significant this Pokémon's life was to him. He pulled the shovel up off the ground and rested the metal item atop the harder surface. Clasping hold of the handle. He gripped it further with bitter contemplation for what felt like an eternity.

"Was he a Pokémon that you knew well?...." Broke Penny's silence with a slight hesitant squeal.

The boy turned his sunken head and faced his enemy. His eyes glared with judgement. How could she of all people interrupt his grief with such a disrespectful question like that? It was already sickening enough that she had taken something from him, yet she was the annoying prick who ended it all for him.

"Yes." He relented to try and calm his inner turmoil.

"He was a Rattata when I was three years old. The only time I've seen him this happy in the Tower was the time he and I would play fetch together. He was my pet...."

Penny had heard enough; she couldn't take anymore of the guilt. She kept her mouth shut for the time being, yet Blue had stammered about, continuing the story to his mortal foe.

"I tossed the stick out to him so I could teach him how to obey commands. He didn't understand it at first, since he was only just a tiny baby. But after some time... and a few throws he finally figured out how to obey and started retrieving the stick back to me.... the only time I can recall ever seeing him this happy, smiling, wagging his tail. It was a sign, that somehow I knew that he knew how to love."

"So, he showed you how happy he was that he had achieved something?" Inquired Penny with cautious empathy in her voice.

Blue nodded and smiled afterward, he recalled times where the successes of this Pokémon had been the learning part and that his failures had proven to his Pokémon many times that he would try and do better each throw of the stick. But then he knew after a frown. They were all in vain.

"I went to my grandfather and told him about my experience. He had told me that Pokémon are a bit different from humans. They do have emotion, but they don't know to properly show that like we do. So he didn't believe that they smiled like I thought they did."

The times which Blue was raised within scientific discipline had changed him overtime. He never quite understood what his grandfather meant when they couldn't properly smile, or even emote certain expressions. After hearing this, all it did was baffle him.

Professor Oak was just a scientist; he wanted to learn about the intricacies of Pokémon and learn more about their biology. He understood that love and care for Pokémon was valuable. While he was respectable in his field. Blue never quite understood his facade.

How could he not understand that Pokémon can express even if they were different from humans? He always took the literal approach when it came to Pokémon so how come Raticate couldn't emulate the same after Blue spent time with him and his grandfather at the lab?

"When he told me that Pokémon couldn't emulate emotion I believed him. So I saw no consequence in seeing them express that emotion. They were tools for sport and pets for companionship—

"But you were wrong. You saw your Pokémon getting fired up to fight." She emphasized to him after witnessing such an astounding performance from his Raticate.

Blue nodded once more, affirming to Penny what he had just learned and witnessed.

"Grown ups like my gramps don't understand everything that there is to Pokémon despite his absolute love and obsession for them. But after he mentioned that, they just felt like regular monsters to me. So over time; I just accepted what they were and didn't fight back his logic. After all, he was the one that understood Pokémon better than me." He continued.

"Nowadays, I have a hard time believing that Pokémon even understand or even acknowledge humans. Despite their primitive intelligence to ours. But, Raticate showed potential and it was the second time I saw him smile like that in a long time..."

He rolled Raticate's carcass down the hole that he dug and the Pokémon came to rest down below the shallow bottom. Blue bit down on his upper lip. Doing his best to hold back the tears that were readily tumbling down from his soft cheeks.

Penny watched on with helplessness, as my friend who had not understood the connection between Pokémon and people weigh down on his heart. The more he fought back after every pile of dirt he added into the shallow grave to bury his best friend, the worst the pile scattered.

Blue couldn't take it anymore.

He tossed the shovel violently up against the wall and buried his hands into his face and wailed with defeat.

"If only I had known, if only I had been there more to help him... if only I could see it again once more when he was not injured!" He exclaimed further, he sunk his knees into the ground in immense lamentation. The morning sun had pierced the veil of the dead and all Blue could do was rest his weary body from the pathetic mess of emotions that overflowed from his usual, stoic angst.

Penny, while observing Blue in this state of mournful behavior. Approached to grab hold of the shovel that he had just thrown and reached down to finish digging up the remaining pile and poured it into the hole. With her assistance; she patted down the grave and leaned up against the wall with the same sullen look as him.

"I know this is no consolation after what I just did. I never meant for any of this to happen—

"Yes you did, you liar." Responded Blue with argument. "You wanted to get rid of my Pokémon and that's what you did!" He shouted while violently grabbing hold of her cloak and throwing her against the wall with a stern look upon his face.

Growlithe barked and growled at the threatening physical rebuke received by his enemy who was harming her master.

This signal of danger evoked by Growlithe encouraged my friend to restrain himself and he suddenly received a physical slap across the cheek from the Diamond of three.

Shocked by this sudden impact, Blue had shifted from anger to grief again and Penny's split second response provided her time to get away from him and include this chastisement in kind.

"If you had seen it before, you could have protected him from me! You would have known when to protect your Pokémon from getting hurt!—

"YOU KILLED HIM!"

"I only fought to protect myself from you! You're Pokémon weren't the only ones in danger!"

"Had you fought with care, it would have never have happened." Gritted Blue.

"I NEVER WANTED THIS TO HAPPEN!" She yelped with tears in her eyes.

"All I wanted was to take them away, and prove to you that they cared. That Raticate loved you, you know that I saw that from the moment you and your Pokémon fought on the S.S. Anne and when you and I had that argument on that ship, I was insulted. But ever since that battle and after killing your Pokémon. I regret ever having interfered due to my negligence and my honor as an Apostle is shattered. Raticate WAS smiling at you, HE was proud of you...."

He sniffled from that response; his face wet from emotion. The words that she spoke hit him like a wall of bricks tumbling down upon him. The truth of that lying brat had permeated him and all he was, was nothing.

How could he know? He didn't know and because of his arrogance and his hot-headedness his Raticate had passed away from exerting himself further. Had he known that he could have prevented it in the past. Raticate would have still been there with him.

"We cannot bring him back Blue, you and I both made a mistake... we can only learn from the mistakes we made."

The Apostle was right, all that once was behind them they could never stop the flow of time to bring that moment back. The world was cruel and indifferent of other peoples life choices. The consequence of their actions had lead to this very moment and Blue knew that was all he could do.

But it still wasn't fair.

"Penny, I'm never going to forgive you for what you've done and if I ever see you again I'll destroy you... but you are right. Other Pokémon are in danger and god-willing if I have to watch my friends Pokémon suffer in this Tower as well. Your organization will feel the outcome." He continued while wiping the tears from off his face.

"My Pokémon is gone, but please help me at least save Gastly and Cubone. Not for my friends but for Pokémon. There are things I may never understand and I'll probably never be able to see that same expression ever again. But I want to see it again. Whether through mine or others Pokémon from this day forward, I'll try and find it again."

The Apostle was stunned by this response. She never expected this change of heart from a trainer who didn't understand, yet he was displaying interest in her way of thinking. She blushed with a wide smile as it seemed the mourning that they experienced had transformed them both.

She let him know with an affirmative nod that joining him on this crusade would make her a better person. Even though this would cost her the standing and reputation of the title she held. Penny was willing to make reconciliation for the blood she had on her hands.

Due to this resolve, my friend walked forward into another darkened staircase that lead toward a new beginning. Blue needed to try again, even though he doubted, even though he felt it was already feeling impossible to understand Pokémon altogether.

He needed to try.

This shift in attitude had temporarily dispelled whatever evil that was placed within Pokémon Tower at bay. And the powerful forces that emanated at the top could feel it.

The unholy alliance between the Apostle and the Pokédex Holder had begun and the evil that lurked within those high chambers were still smiling upon their misfortune.