Ash's Little Sister

The End

Ash's POV

After placing Rose in custody, I head back to the lab above Hammerlocke. I take the elevator up and call out to Sapphire.

"Hey, Saph! Rose is in police custody now." I freeze in my tracks when I don't see her.

"Sapphire?" All I see is a phone discarded on the floor. I remember Sapphire's earlier request to listen to a recording in her phone. I unlock her phone, seeing one titled To Ash and Mom. I hit play. Her words wash over me, making my heart sinks.

"No, no, no, no, no, no! This is a goodbye message!" Pikachu climbs up on my shoulder.

"Pika!" I grab my bag and sprint out of Hammerlocke. I nearly collide with Sapphire's Lucario. Lucario grabs my wrist, pulling me in the direction of the Wild Area. I gasp out some words between breaths.

"Where's... Sapphire.. at?" Lucario ignores me, but the grief on his face is clear.

"Lu.." My legs burn with exhaustion and I struggle to breathe.

"Hff.. hff." Finally, Lucario stops. I see Sapphire's spectral form, barely visible on the grass. I make a grab for her shoulders, but my hands pass right through her. Tears sting my eyes.

"No, Sapphire! You have to wake up!" Lucario drops to his knees, beginning to glow with power. He channels his Aura abilities into Sapphire's form, but nothing happens. I shake my head.

"She's made of Dynamax energy. Your Aura won't help here." Lucario's eyes widen and his palms glow with red light. My mind flashes back to when he used Sapphire's Dynamax energy, that was in his body, to calm Mudsdale. He channels that power into Sapphire. Her body becomes more solid. I cheer.

"Keep going, Lucario!" I swear I see her eyes flutter for a moment, but she begins to fade again. Finally, she fades away completely, leaving nothing but a person shaped indentation in the grass where she laid. I slam my fists on the ground, pain and grief whirling inside me like a tempest.

"No! Come back to me!" Pikachu nuzzles against me, trying to comfort me. I fail to draw solace from him. I look up, seeing tears streaming from Lucario's eyes. I fight back a sob, trying to be strong.

"I'll never, ever forget you. No matter where you are, you'll always be my baby sister."

One year later

I shuffle through my notecards, looking over my speech for Sapphire's memorial. After the region got back on it's feet, Sapphire was named the hero of Galar. Today is the holiday that marks the day of her sacrifice. We've called it Sapphire Remembrance Day. Tears threaten to pool in my eyes, and I feel a hand on my shoulder. Leon smiles a sad smile.

"I know you miss her, but she would want you to remember everything she did for Galar, not the sorrow that she left behind." I nod.

"I know. I just miss her. Our Mom was a wreck when I broke the news to her. Grief never gets easier; you just find ways to cope with it." My gaze shifts to the podium that we erected in the Wild Area, near where Sapphire passed on. Hundreds of Galar's people gather on the grass, here to pay tribute to their hero. The speakers flare as they announce me.

"Here to say a few words about Sapphire is her own brother, Champion Ash Ketchum." I trudge onto the stage where Sapphire's Pokémon wait. Lucario, Mudsdale, Ninetales, Gloom, Vaporeon, and Drifblim. I pull out my flash cards, my hands shaking. I begin to read.

"Sapphire was... is the most amazing person I know. She was kind, generous, patient, and..." I stare at the cards, emotion making my voice choke off. I tear the flash cards into pieces.