[attr="class","stonemain"]he opens his eyes and sees past the bloodshed and violence before him. the end of the battle and war looms within his grasp and all he has to do is reach out for it. but the more he tries, the more it distances itself.

no buzzwole comes for him this time, however. there are no distractions that would lead to his unfortunate demise. no morningstars to help. no allies to save. but the world requires balance—one life saved is another life lost.

he blinks and the next thing he knows, he's sitting by a round table in one of the elite four chambers. they talk about the usual politics: hoenn's safety, looming threats, and the aftermath of the three-day war, but none of them seem to stick. he hears them but he does not listen for he does not care. what matters is that they've won. what matters is that he's survived.

"councilman stone."

"hm?"

"do you agree?"

a pause.

"i don't."

he leans forward.

"councilman silph's service should be held separately. we have to honor his service to the region. his sacrifice. he is, after all, our hero."

even if it pains him to admit, FERNANDO SILPH is the key they needed to win the war, though the cost of his own life is only the cherry on top; a sick, satisfying feeling he keeps buried, perhaps never to be revealed.

and so, with the end of the three-day war, hoenn heals, it will mourn, and it will move on.

[attr="class","stonepoke"]