All Pokeumans Go To Heaven

“An explosion has killed three members of the Montana High PRT during a recon mission in…”

*click*

“Today we mourn the death of Jay Hilda, a 17 year old Staraptor who was stabbed to death after…”

*click*

“Pokéuman officials say the death toll is in the high twenties and rising, after a massive Pokéxtinction raid killed students and faculty alike at…”

I was slumped on our couch, flipping through the various Pokéuman news channels. The locations and situations were different, but the story was always the same. Innocent Pokéumans, their lives cut short by tragedy. Many were part of the PRT, some were murdered at the hands of Pokéxtinction, and others were killed in freak accidents. My heart was literally sinking with every horrible report. I was just glad Starr was out visiting Ryan and Mike was doing detention for setting fire to the pool, or they would have seen me depressed like this.

“Why does everything have to be about death lately…” I moaned as I clicked the remote with my paw.

I finally made it to the Long Island Base’s news channel, where our resident Loudred was reporting, in a much more hushed tone.

“Hello, my name is Larry Belowhich, and this is the LIPNN, your Long Island Pokéuman News Network. Today we celebrate the many Pokéumans who have sacrificed their lives to fight for our right to live. Yes today is National Pokéuman Remembrance Day, where we shall remember the lost souls who have died young and old, to celebrate their sacrifices and their lives. Long Island will be holding its annual ceremony this afternoon, and we encourage all to come.”

I finally switched off the TV and sighed as I lay down on the couch. Slowly, but surely, I began daydreaming.

I imagined myself out in the human world, living life as normal. Suddenly a Pokéxtinction agent busts into my abode and shoots me. I never saw it coming, never had a chance to see my life flash before me. Next, I’m laying in a coffin, my friends crying as they mourned. I wanted to scream, to comfort them, to tell them to stop crying because it was embarrassing. But I couldn’t because I was dead.

“NO! I’M NOT DEAD!”

I woke up from my hallucination, breathing heavily, heart pounding, tears formed in my eyes.

“It’s not fair,” I lamented, “Pokéumans don’t deserve to die young…”

“You know it will happen to everyone eventually, so whether it happens now or later is all irrelevant. That’s what I think,” said a disembodied voice that I knew too well.

“Well obviously you know what its like, considering you’re already dead,” I said sarcastically as Reggie’s spirit appeared next to me.

“I see it’s a big thing on your mind…” he said sternly.

“I dunno Reggie, it’s just…these guys were young, and being a Pokéuman is supposed to be great! But I’d rather be alive and human than Pokémon and dead. I…what happens to Pokéumans when they die? Do they all become spirits like you?”

Reggie shook his head, “No, many pass on to the afterlife, only a select few stay on Earth. But…I can show you if you want.”

The Grovyle reached out his claw. I slowly reached out, and suddenly I felt a whooshing sensation as my soul was sucked out. My Lucario body fell back onto the couch asleep. I was a spirit!

“Come Brandon, let me show you the world of the dead.”

As I was pulled into the light, I felt completely light, as if I were made of pure air.

“Some of the Pokéumans you’re gonna meet will have had completely different lives from you. They come from all different parts of the world, they have all died in many different ways, and their afterlives are different,” said Reggie.

“So you know how each of them died?” I asked curiously.

He nodded, “It’s like having an encyclopedia in your mind. So, let’s visit someone who we already know…”

---

We arrived at a quiet tranquil beach. The waves were rolling; it was calm, and very relaxed. On the shoreline was an Arcanine and a woman with blonde hair.

“Is that?” I asked.

The Arcanine turned around and smiled.

“Officer Johnny! It is you!” I called happily.

He ran over to me and licked my face, while his wife laughed and joined us.

“So, I see you finally met my wife,” he said.

“Yes, I can’t believe I married a huge flaming dog, but I still love him anyways,” Johnny’s wife said wrapping her arms around his mane.

“I can see you’re really at peace…” said Reggie dreamily.

“Yup, and its all thanks to you two! Now if you don’t mind, I have a heaven to enjoy. Brandon, I need you to kick Mr. X’s keister all the way to Mars you hear?”

I shook his paw one last time, “I promise,” I said as Reggie and I moved on.

---

There was a bright flash of light, then…nothing. We couldn’t see anything but total whiteness; it was like being stuck in the middle of a blizzard, minus the cold wind in our faces. I felt ground under my feet, but I couldn’t see anything there.

“Uh, Reggie? Where are we?” I asked. “Are we--?”

“From what I can see, we’re either in someone else’s version of heaven…” he replied, looking around, “…or, as someone else might put it, ‘in one hell of a snowstorm’.”

Just then, I heard a sound above me; it sounded like the flapping of a pair of wings. Reggie and I looked up to see…a Charizard, flying high above us.

“…Chris? Is that you?” Reggie called out, smiling.

“What the—?” the Charizard looked down at us, as he started to lower himself onto the “ground”. “Reggie? What’re you doing here? Don’t tell me you’re—!”

“Dead? Yes, yes, I am. And clearly, so are you.” Reggie nodded and shrugged. To me, he added, “Brandon, this is Chris. He’s—or, rather, he WAS—an Elite PRT member. Isn’t that right?”

“…Yeah. I wouldn’t want to go back to it, though. I like being dead,” Chris replied. “I had nothing left to live for, so why bother?”

“But…don’t you get tired of being stuck in this-this place?” I asked. “I mean, there’s literally nothing here!”

“There’s peace; it’s something I thought I’d never have, but…here it is.” The Charizard smiled, lifting off the ground. “Besides…this is heaven, isn’t it!? I can bring in anything I want, just by thinking about it! Watch…”

He closed his eyes as he hovered in the air. Suddenly, the whiteness melted away, revealing a lush, grassy plain under our feet. I could see a clear, blue lake nearby, surrounded by tall trees. The whole scene looked like a campsite.

“See? Sure beats the heck out of living the way I have.” Chris called out, flying in circles over our heads. “Now, if you’ll excuse me…I got some relaxing to do.”

“I think it’s time we moved on, Brandon,” said Reggie, watching Chris with interest. It was to him that he added, “I’ll see you around, Chris!”

We waved goodbye to the Charizard, and continued along.

---

The next stop on our tour through the afterlife brought us to a Jigglypuff who looked vaguely familiar. If I didn't know any better, I would have sworn that she looked exactly like Amy. Then again, taking a closer look at her, the similarities were so alarming that I had to ask Reggie.

"Reggie, wait a second..." I tugged on his arm. "That's Amy, isn't it? But that makes no sense. She's alive and well with us, isn't she?"

The Grovyle only chuckled. "Yes she is. And yet it is the same Amy you see here. You see, there are special cases in which some individuals stumble upon the power to rewrite their own history. Those who choose to do so have to...forfeit their lives. It is not an easy sacrifice to make at all."

The Jigglypuff seemed to momentarily leave her dream realm and stepped forward. "Oh. Hey, Brandon. I've heard a lot about you. And Reggie's right. That Amy that's with you...I've been watching over her all this time. I was supposed to transform when I was 20, but...I didn't take it too well, and when Darren died, a lot of really bad things happened. So I had to do what I did to save not just myself and Darren, but everyone who was affected by Pokéxtinction when they got Darren's power."

Her words made me think back to the awards ceremony in the auditorium, where she and Darren (well, the ones I knew) were congratulated for stopping a Pokéxtinction plot. So it originally went a lot worse than that...

I was still curious about one thing, though. "Amy...? What was it like for you to die?"

To my surprise, she still had that same content, resigned look on her face. None of anger, sadness, or regret. "It wasn't that bad at all, Brandon. It didn't hurt a bit. And heaven is a wonderful place, too. You get to meet your whole family and all of your ancestors that came before you and you can go wherever you want. And there's no fear, no pain, and no suffering."

Just the very look on her face was enough to make me believe her.

"But even so, as wonderful as it is...I'm also glad to see how Amy is doing. I know everything will be fine for her and Darren. I know it."

With a knowing look, she turned to go back to her realm, but not before looking back to me and Reggie. "Brandon, Reggie...thanks for coming. Feel free to visit anytime, okay?"

And with that, she left.

“Come Brandon, let me show you another example,” said Reggie and I was whisked away again.

---

"So, what's this place?" I asked, looking around. There were great building that looked to be made of gold. One could hear people singing Amazing Grace and other church songs, "It looks like a huge golden city."

"Well," Reggie said, "That's because it is. Most people call it Heaven."

"Wow," I said, walking along one of the golden streets. I wasn’t really a religious person, but it still seemed like it to me. "Who are we here to see?"

"Well, a Grovyle like me named Conner." Reggie said, "There he is!"

I looked in the direction Reggie pointed and saw a Grovyle, and Pikachu, and two human males talking.

"You see," Reggie began, "Conner and his friend Samuel, that's the human male to the right, are from a collapsed time stream. They came from the future and stopped something terrible from happening. Because of that, they died."

"Oh really," I said, "Then who is the Pikachu and the other human?"

"The Pikachu is from that same timeline, names Allen, I think; and the other one is John."

"From the same timeline too?"

"Nope, John as in Saint John."

"Really?" I asked.

---

I felt the whooshing sensation again, and when I opened my eyes, we were standing in a house of sorts. The walls were white, and when I looked out of the windows, all I saw was gray.

“Visitors? We haven’t had visitors in such a long time,” a voice spoke slowly.

“Who’s there?” I called out.

There was a shuffling of feet, and I heard something scrape against the walls. I spun around, trying to figure out where the sounds were coming from, when a Samurott came into view.

“Headmistress Ashley,” Reggie whispered, and the Samurott blinked.

“Years… It has been long years since I have heard my full name. Please, come and sit down,” she replied, walking off. I followed her, Reggie close behind.

“What happened to her?” I whispered to Reggie.

“She was Headmistress of a base up in Washington a decade or so ago. She was murdered by her second-in-command who was working with Pokéxtinction,” Reggie replied.

“What became of the base?” I asked.

“I will tell you if you sit,” Ashley commanded as they entered a room. It was completely blank.

“Where…” I started, but trailed off, as the room shifted, and a couch appeared. The Samurott sat down, as an armchair erupted from the ground underneath her.

“Sophie, come in and be hospitable,” Ashley mumbled. I heard the scraping sound again, and a Salamence entered from another hallway. She sat behind Ashley’s chair, and wrapped her tail around it.

“She told you to sit,” the dragon announced flatly. I walked over, and sat down on the couch, all the while being watched by the Salamence. Frankly, it was unnerving, but Reggie seemed unmoved as he sat beside me.

“So, you are wondering what happened to our lives?” Ashley asked.

“Umm… Yes,” I replied.

“I was killed by a Pokéuman I called my friend. I made a mistake, and paid for it with my life…” Ashley trailed off. Then, she sighed. “I haven’t had anyone but Sophie here to talk to for so long, and she’s not been much of a talker. I apologize if I don’t make sense.”

“Why haven’t you passed on if it’s been a long time?” Reggie asked.

“We weren’t like the others,” Sophie spoke up. “Solar and Lunar knew it was their time to die, and my husband passed on. However, I don’t think they knew that we wanted to wait for someone.”

“Who are Solar and Lunar? And who are you waiting for?” I asked.

“Solar and Lunar are… were, the guardians of my base. They were killed by the same person that killed me. The same person who is still at large…” Ashley sighed. “And… I’m waiting to see what comes to pass.”

“After we died, my daughter fought off our killer, and took back the base. I’m waiting to see how she and my son live to their potential,” Sophie added. “And… We are waiting for someone we left behind.”

“Thank you for visiting, I hope I don’t see you again anytime soon,” the Samurott finished, a joking tone in her voice.

I felt the whooshing sensation, and everything turned to gray. I felt like I was floating while Reggie spoke to me.

“They have chosen a limbo existence. Neither alive nor dead, and that house is just how they choose to create their limbo. Maybe soon they will be able to move on or maybe it will be some time,” Reggie explained.

---

I felt the moving sensation once more, this time landing Reggie and I in a lush, green pasture, surrounded by rolling hills. White clouds dotted the sky, lazily making their way across the sky. A small cottage house sat on a hill not too far away, and there were no trees in sight.

“Whose place is this?” I asked Reggie as we walked towards the house.

“Oh, give it a minute...” Reggie smiled coyly.

A few seconds later, two Scizor flew past us, each laughing as they chased each other over the hills. Seeing us, the two of them slowed down, turned back around and landed next to us.

“Hey Reggie,” the taller one greeted us, “Who's the Lucario?”

“Brandon, this is Martyn and Toby,” the Grovyle explained, motioning to the taller one before the shorter one. “Martyn was a PRT member from the base that was massacred. Toby is his brother. He was killed on accident while being chased by Pokéxtinction during his transformation.”

“Oh...” I muttered, not really sure what else to say.

“Nice to meet you, Brandon. Come on, we can talk inside,” Martyn gestured over to the house. We made our way up the hill, some walking, some flying, and went inside.

It was a nice, simple house. The front door led into a small entryway with three doorways. Following Martyn into the door in front of us, we came and sat down in the living room. Reggie and I took the couch as Toby took the armchair, leaving Martyn to stand behind him.

“So, what exactly happened?” I asked, directing the question at Toby.

“Well, all I really remember is that I started transforming first. Martyn tried his best at hiding it from our parents, but they must have figured out what was going on... Anyways, when Martyn started changing too, we figured we had to get out of there. We made a plan to leave early on a Saturday morning. Everything was going fine, until they started chasing us down.”

“Pokéxtinction?” I assumed.

“Yep. They had some Fire-type Pokéumans with them that kept trying to attack us as we ran. I was ahead of Martyn at the moment, because my wings had already started to grow. Suddenly, something hit my head really hard, and everything went black...”

“One of their attacks hit? I'm not sure how that would exactly kill you...”

“Ahem,” Reggie coughed, giving me a look.

“Oh, sorry,” I apologized. “Please, go on.”

This time, Martyn spoke up. “Like Toby said, he was in front of me, using his wings to propel himself forward. One of the Pokéumans fired an attack, which missed and hit a tree. Instead of just catching it on fire, though, it just cut straight through the wood. The tree started falling, and I tried shouting a warning, but it was too late. Toby was already gone.”

“That's awful...” I commented, shifting uneasily in my seat. To be killed before you even get a chance at a new life... It was a terrible thing to think about.

“It's okay though. I waited for Martyn, and now he's here!” Toby chuckled, pushing up out of the armchair and hugging Martyn around the neck. Martyn laughed, giving his brother a quick hug in return.

“So, this place is Toby's?” I asked Reggie, searching for some clarification.

“Originally, yes, but now that Martyn's here, they share it,” came the reply.

“Then what are you guys waiting for? Why not cross over?” I questioned Martyn.

“Well, Toby's more than ready to go, but I'm waiting for a friend of mine,” Martyn answered. “You see, he's the one who killed me.” The Scizor must have noticed my look of shock. “He's not quite in his right mind. Long story short, a Pokéxtinction doctor put something in his brain that allows him to be controlled without him knowing it. Add that to the fact that he was in a Pokéxtinction base for a couple months before I rescued him, and you've got a very unstable Marowak.”

“Why wait for him, then?” I asked.

“Despite what he's done, he's still a friend. I just want him to know that I forgive him for what he did, and I also want to apologize for not being able to help him.”

“Brandon, it's time to go,” Reggie announced, standing up. Nodding, I stood up as well, reaching out a paw to the pair of Scizor.

“Thanks for coming,” Martyn smiled as we shook each other's equivalent of a hand.

“Who knows, maybe when you really do die, you can come over and play!” Toby beamed.

“Toby!” Martyn scolded him slightly.

“It's fine,” I laughed nervously. If I didn't beat Mr. X, that might happen sooner than later.

We started fazing out again, heading to the next destination.
---

Soon enough we found ourselves in the middle of a small grove of trees, a thin carpet of scattered autumn leaves dotting the ground. Quite a peaceful scene, really.

"So hey, Reggie. Whose place is this exactly?" I asked curiously. Reggie smiled at me then looked around.

"Well, she should be along soon; nobody ever comes through here without her knowing about it." I was a bit confused as I still didn't know who 'she' was, but my questions were soon answered as Reggie pointed upwards towards a forked tree branch. Lightly dosing in the crook was some sort of bipedal, cat-like creature with dull violet fur, a long tail with a pointed tip, and a white gem resting in her forehead. She almost appeared to be a hybrid. The creature looked up as we stepped closer and gave us a friendly, albeit slightly lazy, smile.

"Hey there," she called. Reggie waved.

"This is Kaysi, a Gengar and Persian hybrid. She died thanks to a bit of an overdose with a Perish Song." I lifted a brow at her and she grinned sheepishly, giving us a shrug.

"Hey, it saved my friends' lives so I'm not complaining. Sucked to die though. It was kind of painful considering I had like, four spikes embedded in my chest and four more in my back, but hey, the afterlife is nice and peaceful, and here, you can't exactly die again....I think, she laughed.

“Well as long as you’re happy right?” I said.

“Okay Brandon, let’s go,” said Reggie as we waved goodbye to Kaysi.

---
A fuzzy dark ball seemed to contrast itself out into view on the ground. Over its body was a reddish cloth with a bright floral pattern that flowed in a circular symmetry. When the two came closer, a long triangular appendage quickly rose to the air, connected somewhere in the center of the ball, and twitched once. It remain high and erect till another footstep was made, than the other of the pair rose, and soon the head of a fox like creature followed. The Umbreon yawned for a moment, and looked on sleepily to Reggie and Brandon. He shifted a little for a moment, and smacked his lips as he lazily pushed himself up into a sitting position. The cloth he wore was a modified Hawaiian type of shirt, the thin kind in which you would possibly wear off to the beach. The Umbreon's body was also a bit pudgy when compared to the standard Umbreon's Lethe build.

“Why hello there Reggie,” the Umbreon yawned for a moment, while rubbing his eyes with the back of a raised left paw.

“Hey! I didn't interrupt anything, right?”

“No, no... Just resting in peace,” the Umbreon chirped, smiling at his morbid joke. His eyes then shifted to Brandon in the back, studying him for a moment. His smile now growing broader, “Ahhhhh... the Spirit Sink himself in the flesh. Why didn't you tell me we were having live company? I would have wore a better shirt than this to greet him. Or... is he dead?”

“No, he's not dead,” Reggie chuckled.

“Oh? Well good! Good! Glad to know it's just a temporary guest. I tell you, some of these guys up here can be a tad bit on the boring side with conversations and such... and the others, well....” the Umbreon made a sound with his tongue, then glanced off to the side while pulling his lips into a flat smile, looking to a few Pokéumans whom seemed to not be coping well, “Well, let's not get into that. Death isn't a pretty thing sometimes, and if you have regrets, you can easily feel them.” The Umbreon huffed for a moment, and then added under his breath, “And it's always the drop dead gorgeous ones.”

“Oh, now look at me rambling on! So, what brings you out of your body and into the mysterious afterlife?”

“Well, I was having a bit of death anxiety, so Reggie wanted to help me with that,” I said.

“Yes, it is also Pokéuman Memorial Day,” said Reggie.

“Pokéuman Memorial Day? Well... I'm touched that someone feels that I should be remembered. I always thought my adventures would mostly be some foot note ending on the right buttock cheek of a Snorlax,” the Umbreon rose to his feet, and skipped off in a prance around in a circle, using Psychic to recreate the moment of his death around them. What made it odd, though, was the fact that the Umbreon seemed to happily skip along while showing the gruesome scene.

“I was struck by a solid blow from a Steelix. I was a bit worried about my friend, and would have had some regrets if he was killed because of me pulling him into... well, into what I did. But... I saw he was still alive and kicking. That was enough for me to pass on.”

“I am Ryan Olaris. I probably haven't done anything as incredible as some of these folk, but... at least the small things still count.” The Umbreon gave a light shrug by raising his ears abruptly, and allowed them to fall once more.

He quickly dropped back into a sitting position, and continued on about himself, “I was a proud soldier in the army back when I was a human, and then a proud Pokéuman soldier in a hidden village in El'Paso. Things went down, and, long story short, I decided to retire from being a soldier and start a journey. That's when I met a dear friend of mine... A Treecko. Funnily enough, he actually spray painted himself black. I told him to get a hobby once, and he loved costuming, so he would do that every day.”

The Umbreon glanced to the side, creating a front view of the Treecko. Only this time, he was in the standard colors of a Treecko and carried a penguin backpack. “I had taught Leo everything I had learned as a soldier. How to use guns.... cover, stealth... you name it. I also showed him how to survive. And in turn, he decided to come with me as a wandering merchant. You see... we shipped things from base to base. If a base didn't have it, all someone had to do was special order it. We asked for payment, but not with money. Generally just random goods, like food and books. Of course... we were also treasure hunters in a way. If we learned of something of Pokéuman history; relics, artifacts, scriptures, we'd go to the ends of earth to collect it before someone else did. It usually ended up to a path with a lot of violence, but we had been... mostly successful.”

The Umbreon then laughed, and dispersed the projection. “Ah... but doing such things had given us a nasty reputation with the Pokéxtinction group globally, and we found a permanent place on the kill list. In my opinion... much better than being hypnotized, I tell ya.”

The Umbreon yawned once more and curled up into a ball closing his eyes. "Now... I'm going back to sleep... Wake me up if Leo ever shows up here soon... so I can jump up and break both off in his..." The Umbreon finished his sentence with a soft snoring sound.

“I think we should go,” said Reggie as we vanished to somewhere…less familiar and warm.

---

When my feet felt solid ground again, I nearly jumped back into the air at its sub-zero temperatures.

"Yikes! Re...Reg...gie... Wh...why is it so c...c...cold!" The Grovyle gave a broad sweep of his hand, revealing the crystal cavern before us. As I shivered in my fur, I found myself in the middle of a large cavity, seemingly hewn coarsely out of the crystal that seemed more like ice than anything else.

"Sadly, some Pokéumans are punished and can find no rest in the afterlife." Reggie intoned grimly, pointing a ghostly finger at the other end of the cavity. Wrapping my arms around myself, I shuffled across the crystal floor and tried to make out the distorted figure trapped in the walls. Upon closer inspection I could just make out the shape of a male Eeveelution, probably a Flareon. His body was upright with paws crossed on his chest, his muzzle angled down so that his closed eyes would look straight at whoever was looking at him.

"Wh...what happened t...t...to this guy?"

"He is suffering one of the worst possible punishments, one that is self inflicted." Reggie said with a piteous look on his face.

"Wh...why would h...h...he do that to himself?"

"He was an unrequited lover in life, one that was too afraid to speak out and declare his love for fear of rejection."

"How did he d...d...die?" I asked through chattering teeth.

"His last act became his declaration. He took a knife to his heart which was meant for the one he loved. Even in death, he carried that fear with him. Slowly he allowed that fear to encase and trap him, preventing him from enjoying true eternal rest." I approached the crystal tomb, feeling a twinge somewhere within me.

"That's... Terrible."

"Yes, and he will be stuck like this..."

"For all e...e...eternity?"

"Yes... But there is always hope. Place your hand on his tomb." Shivering in the bitter cold, I placed a shakey paw on the smooth crystal that encased the Flareon, expecting to feel the same numbing chill as did my feet. With a mixture of surprise and mild relief, the crystal was warm, exuding an aura of comfort that enveloped me.

"It's... It's warm!"

"Just like his heart. In the end, few things last for the eternity that stands before us. One is love, the firey passion that enlivens the spirit. The other is hope, the warmth to the spirit and keeps the flame alive, even in the darkest of nights and in the most bitter of winters." I gazed upon the crystal tomb, looking once again at the Flareon. As Reggies led me away to our next destination, I thought I detected a hint of a smile on his muzzle.

"Calaf."

"Huh?" I looked at Reggie quizzically.

"His name was Calaf."

And just like that, we were gone.

---

Next we came to a strange, well it's hard to describe, but it kind of looked like an empty gray place, no not quite empty but void filled with a grey mist with some monotone walls just barely visible through it. It was very unnerving.

Reggie then pointed out a small pink cloud of something floating in place just up ahead and cleared his throat to which the cloud instantly reacted to by suddenly condensing together loosely into the from of a Ditto.

“Hello?” The pink Ditto said.

“Hello! Nice to meet you, I'm Reggie, and this is Brandon.”

“Wow, I think that's the first time I've had any contact with anyone since I died,” said the Ditto as his body started to break apart again, “Nice to meet you to, I'm Todd.”

“How come your body is doing that?” I asked.

Reggie gave me a “be polite” look.

But before he could say anything else Todd suddenly pulled his body together back into the form of a Ditto.

“It's ok,” he said, turning to me, “Sorry about that, it's just a side effect of how I died, I've been stuck in this limbo alone for so long that I've gotten into the habit of not trying to hold my body together.”

I then noticed a kind of odd looking reflection in his body, only it wasn’t a refection of us but of something else, it looked like a Sandslash standing together alongside a Pikachu in some sort of hallway, the Sandslash then turned back into a Ditto before transforming into a Rapidash without the flames and running off leaving the Pikachu behind.

“That's my brother Spencer, and probably the reason I can't move on to the afterlife, I can't bear to leave him behind, even though it's not like I can really do anything. I can see what he's doing at any given time by looking into the refection of my own body. But I can't interact with him at all, and he can't see me. I can just watch over him and relive my own memories”

At that point the refection in his body changed to a different sense, there were a bunch a Pokémon on one side, many of which were looking like they were in pain, up against a group of Pokémon and humans, probably extinctionists. Todd was standing in between them looking like he was in a lot of pain, he said something and then suddenly rushed at the extinctionists just as Todd dispersed his body and started pulling it together again though more loosely again and without the refection.

“Sorry about that, I let my mind wonder back to my d-” his voice catching on the last word.

I started to tear up. I felt sorry for the poor guy. He noticed me before waving his arms.

“Don't apologize! It's ok, really, so long as my brother is alive and happy I'm fine with this fate.”

After a brief silence Reggie said “Well we'd better be going now, it was nice speaking with you.”

“Same here, it's been to long since I talked with anyone, thank you for visiting,” Todd replied as he and the scene around him faded away.

“Is he going to be bound to that place forever?” I asked.

“I doubt it, one day he and his brother will be reunited, and when that day comes they will most likely be able to pass on together.”

---

We landed in a field with many hills. Much to our surprise, the air on the other side of a nearby hill was split by the sound of unnerving, maniacal giggling, almost as if a five-year-old girl had gone mad. Slowly, I turned to Reggie.

"What was that?"

His smile faded instantly and he shifted uncomfortably, nervously looking in the direction of the giggling.

"That... let's just say we don't visit her."

I ignored him and walked over the edge of the hill to see... I don't even know how to describe it. While the rest of the spirit realm was happy, green, and peaceful, this little pocket of space was as desolate and fractured as a wasteland. Floating in the center of the dark crater was a cage of pure white energy, radiating like light, and trapped inside was...

"Is that a Gastly?" I whispered to Reggie, a feeling of dread slowly filling my heart.

"No." He replied, with a look that could not be described as anything but pure, unbridled fear.

"No Gastly could ever be as mad as Nightmare."

A sharp crack filled the air as a midnight-black tentacle lashed out towards us, only to be vaporized by a bolt of white lightning from the cage.

"L-let's just leave it at that and go," he stammered, unnerved by that... thing's reaction. With one last, fearful glance, we walked away from the crater and, hopefully, far, far away from this... Nightmare.

---

We arrived in a blank void. There was nothing to see or anyone to meet.

“Reggie, what’s going on? There’s no one here.”

The Grovyle floated to me, “This next death will be shown to you through the eyes of the deceased. You will see what it was like for this Pokéuman to die.”

He placed his claw on my head, and the vision begun.

I-I didn't know what happened. One second I was fighting by my younger brother. The next, I was there. In an abyss. A dark hole without any light. I was always falling......falling, or was I flying? I couldn't tell. There was no direction back there. No place to go, or to come from. Was that it, was that heaven....or hell? I floated aimlessly for ages, drifting in my own madness. A torture so complete, it drives one insane. That is the place for warriors. For loners. For those who reject mercy and know only hate and justice. My brother, I hoped he would forgive me. I couldn't warn him from this state. From this place. I have been drawn to far. Far to long. Far to gone. I had hope, that he shall would l find a way to escape my fate. My brother......James..... I had lost my mind, my sanity, in those long dark years, hours, minutes... Time unknown for those who wander in the darkest pits of hell. But, there was hope, and light at the end. A place with green grass and fragrant blooms. A place a peace and happiness. A place only reachable, to those who accept their fate. My fate, is over, my life is over. I was coming to a new era. A new home. I entered the clearing, seeing mountains spearing clouds, plains as endless as the sea, and a peaceful village sprawled in the middle. I was greeted by a lone Lucario amongst all the peasants there, for what else would I have called a peaceful Pokémon? The Lucario had only said one thing to me. A peace bringing, warm and loving hope. "Welcome home" he had said. And I then knew, this was where I was meant to be.

The vision ended.

“James…you mean…S-Sakato…?” I stammered, taken aback.

“Yes, this was Sakato’s brother, before being killed.”

I was reeled in emotion, the powerful sensations.

“Come Brandon, let me show on that’s less, serious…”

---

“These next deaths will observe rather than interfere with.”

Reggie placed his claw on my head again and another vision played.

It's dark in the elevator shaft, though that's hardly a problem for its occupant. Bundles of cables run down to the hook that keeps the lift from bringing its occupants to an untimely death.

"Foodsssss?"

And one of them, a purple one thicker than the rest, is moving.

"Funny... Monty wasss all chopsssup... Can't be Heaven, no foodsssss..."

The not-cable continues down the shaft, slithering sideways under a conveniently placed ventilation flap, then wandering through the dark tunnels, tongue flickering out a few times as the self proclaimed 'Monty The Great' searches for an exit.

Clack. Clack.

"Moussa? Moussaa good eatingsss..."

A security camera bristles on robotic legs, swiveling towards the grinning intruder.

"Here, moussa moussa moussa... Aha!"

WHAM!

And a split second later, the security team is getting a very good look at what lines the inside of an Arbok's throat - car keys, headphones, a pipette, a toothbrush...

Sirens wail, and the floor falls out from under the snake, dropping him straight into what appears to be an arena, bright lights, a howling crowd, some half-baked spiel about an eating contest contest, cameras all over the place, and his opponent: a grinning Herdier.

...Then there's something he does actually care about - an enormous stack of pizza boxes. Wider than a Snorlax, and taller than an Onyx, because the Author totally needed to throw in some random references here. And best of all, it's right between them.

"PIZZAAAAA!"

"FOODSSSSS!"

Of course, they both lunge for it; cardboard and pineapple and blood - I mean, tomato paste - going everywhere. They're shamelessly gorging themselves on the infinite pizza supply, and simultaneously tussling with each other over every piece. The action pleases the crowd, and the masses that watching the footage on their televisions, and the ratings are sky high, and Monty's totally got a fanbase now.

Maybe it's not true for other Pokéumans. But one thing's for sure:

This little Arbok's in Heaven.

The vision ended.

“Wow, I see that he’s happy with the finer things in life,” I said, kind of dumbfounded.

---

Another vision played, it was much shorter than the others however.

The Sneasel was wandering, staring at his claws, not caring where he was or where he went. He missed his wonderful nieces, that adventurous nephew, and hoped beyond hope that they would find a way to save their mother; his sister. All he could do now was watch from above, and wait, and wish them the very best.

“You see, this is a Pokéuman that sacrificed himself for his family. Now he watches over them,” observed Reggie.

“Oh wow, what is his name?” I asked.

“Leo,” is all he said before another vision played.

---

It was a cloudy day. Just like any other day in Ace's afterlife.

In the mist of all the clouds, one speck could be seen gliding - not it wasn't just a speck - a Pidgeot. This Pidgeot could be seen soaring, turning around amongst the clouds.

Soon, the bird seemed to shoot forwards, and glided upwards and over, in a loop. He proceeded to then barrel roll and suddenly nosedived into a cloud.

A moment of silence passed as nothing happened, the clouds drifting past. Just as they thought nothing was going to happen next, Ace suddenly shot out of a cloud in an explosion of mist, and let out a whoop of glory.

"WHOOOOOOOO!"

The vision ended.

“And this Pokéuman found freedom in his death. No fear, no feeling of being trapped, just simple freedom,” said Reggie.

“Wow…” I gasped in awe.

“Okay Brandon, I have one last person we need to meet before we return,” said Reggie. He grabbed my arm and we whooshed away once again.

---

Reggie and I appeared in what I identified as a tunnel leading to the seats of a large ballpark. Stepping out of the tunnel, we were met with an amazing view of the surprisingly enclosed structure. The field was lush, green and symmetrical; the two bullpens situated evenly in the right and left field corners. A pool sat in right center, just in front of a massive wall created by the gargantuan scoreboard.

The jumbotron was, surprisingly, an old fashioned piece of hardware, consisting of three screens. The left was an old style scoreboard that only displayed in gold, whereas the right was basically a giant TV. Above them both was a wider, thinner screen used to display animations for various purposes. Above it all was an “Arizona Republic” sign and a giant clock held by two thick, angled metal beams.

On the cement at the edge of the upper deck were digital scoreboards separated by old fashioned ballpark ads. The part of this scoreboard adorning the right field stands functioned as a strikeout meter, recording the number of K’s the home team had thrown. What’s more, said K’s were displayed as Circle K logos for some reason. To top it all off, there were scoreboards hanging in left and right field that listed the lineups for each team, and an all-time strikeout list hung in the left field concessions walkway.

“Whose heaven is this?” Reggie asked, clueless.

“I may have an idea…” I murmured. Turning to my right, I looked into what was marked as section 308, scanning the seats. The various humans occupying them seemed frozen in time; Reggie and I not fazing them in the least bit. Suddenly, a small boy stood up in row two, and at once I knew who we were visiting.

“Hello, Brandon.” The small, blonde-haired child remarked. Suddenly, he seemed to be blown away like steam, a shiny Umbreon revealed in his place.

“A-Austin… you’re d-dead?” I sputtered incredulously. One of my friends…dead…and I didn’t even know.

“Yeah… Pokéxtinction raided Discovery Base and I was killed fighting them off,” he explained, “Tyler’s trying everything he can to bring me back, though.”

“Wow…” I responded. I glanced down at the Psychic Gem hung around my neck, a unique item with infinite uses. Austin had made it himself.

“Say, they ever get that moon base up and running?” Reggie questioned curiously.

“It’s under construction now,” Austin answered, “That invasion, while unsuccessful, got things moving a lot faster.”

“…You left this for me?” I asked suddenly, catching the others off guard.

“Yes. I’ve been charging it with Psychic energy for years; it’s my final gift to you.” Austin confirmed.

“Thank you. It’s helped me master my Psychic move at long last,” I responded. Austin smiled.

“I’ve been waiting a long time to hear that,” he replied, “Care to show me your skills?” I nodded and used Psychic to lift the cola out of a man’s cup. After holding it in midair for a moment or two, I let the beverage fall back into its proper place.

“Well done,” Austin observed.

“Thank you, Austin,” I responded, “By the way, what is this place?”

“Bank One Ballpark, home of the Arizona Diamondbacks. It’s my own custom version of the park, a mix of its past and present,” he explained, “I used to come here with my dad several times each summer; it was so much fun. Then we moved to Texas… I haven’t been back since.”

“Wow…” I commented.

“Yeah… I’d give anything to go to just one more game…” Austin added sadly.

“Well, I suppose we’d best be moving on,” Reggie cut in. I frowned.

“Yeah…” I agreed. Austin managed to crack a smile.

“It’s okay, Brandon,” he assured me, “I know we’ll meet again someday.” I couldn’t help but grin.

“We sure will,” I replied. Austin and I shared a manly hug, after which he and Reggie shook hands.

“Goodbye, Brandon,” Austin remarked, “And thanks again for rescuing me, Reggie.”

“It was a pleasure, Austin.” Reggie responded, smiling.

“Goodbye, old friend.” I added. A lone tear slipped down Austin’s face before he turned and walked back into the stands, the image of the boy concealing him once more. I leaned into Reggie, a few tears slipping down my muzzle as we headed back down the tunnel. Reggie pulled me close, comforting me as we headed home.

---

When I opened my eyes, I was back in the base. I was back on the couch. I was back to being alive.

“Reggie?” I called out, but for once he didn’t respond.

I sat up and thought about everything I had seen, all of the Pokéumans who had lost their lives for various reasons. Some, like Chris and Johnny, had found peace, while others were trapped. Whatever the reasons, death happened to all of them, but they didn’t let it ruin their souls. For the first time in my life, I wasn’t afraid of death anymore. I didn’t feel sorry for the deceased. I know that when it was my time to go, it would be another adventure to begin.

The ceremony was to begin to honor the dead, so I quickly got off the couch and headed for the auditorium to pay my respects, and garner all that I have seen and learned.