December 10
The trial of Team Magma and Team Aqua started. They willingly allowed themselves to be taken in and told their sides of the story. The trial itself was held privately, but Ash, Green, and Gary managed to ask to sit in since they had personal ties to this, and with them was none other than the girl of the hour, Daisy.
When Green and Gary brought her after explaining the situation, Daisy went pale in shock and didn't say much. She looked down most of the time. She barely even gave Ash a proper hello when they saw each other.
Though Ash couldn't really blame her. I mean, her best friend who went missing years ago suddenly appeared, and apparently she was part of a criminal organization that almost destroyed Hoenn. You'd be shocked too.
So when they sat down in the stands, Ash gave her Vee to pet since it could help calm her down just a little.
Soon after, the trial started. The ones for the grunts would be held separately since they were still being investigated, but this one specifically was for the Admins and Archie and Maxie.
Following that, Amber took a plea deal, allowing him to avoid any major jail time, but he would be monitored by the Pokémon League until further notice, and his Pokémon would be taken into custody until he was deemed fit to have them back.
Shelly similarly took a plea deal, and it turned out Mr. Stone, after hearing about her, hired some expensive lawyers to help her case. Same for Tabitha, but we'll get there in a second.
The deal she got was suspended incarceration under League supervision: mandatory community restoration service in Hoenn, restricted travel, and a probation period of ten years. Any further criminal involvement would immediately void the agreement.
Next was Matt. He could not take a plea deal given his involvement and willingness to commit these crimes. They knew that thanks to the information Amber and Shelly gave, so with that, Matt was given a life sentence with the possibility of parole after 25 years.
And then there was Audrey. Yeah, no, nothing needed to be said there. She got three consecutive life sentences with no possibility of parole since basically all of them threw her under the bus, and to be fair, she deserved it.
Next onto Team Magma. Blaise took a similar deal to Amber, with the additional stipulation that he would serve two years in prison, then be monitored until the League deemed he had gone through proper rehabilitation.
Now, as for Tabitha and Courtney, their case was different. Tabitha claimed that Courtney never had any intentions of causing harm, nor did she directly commit terrorism. She was just forced to be part of this due to Maxie and Zenith's crimes.
And he pointed out that Courtney was not mentally stable, nor did she ever really understand what she was doing other than being asked by Maxie to do things, which she did since she was Maxie's adopted daughter.
Plus, he said that during all the missions they went on, he was the one who committed the crimes, not her.
With the information given, and after a quick psychological report on Courtney to confirm it, indeed, she had a mental disability that affected how she saw the world, confirming everything Tabitha revealed. The judges gave their verdict.
Courtney was officially classified as mentally unstable, meaning she could not have reasonably understood what she did or what Maxie did, if what Tabitha said was to be believed, so she would be placed under supervised rehabilitation and medical evaluation.
Following that, she might be placed in a care facility or under the care of a suitable guardian.
As for Tabitha, since he pretty much put all the blame on himself in front of everyone, he received a life sentence, of which he needed to serve at least ten years before being allowed the possibility of parole.
The reason most of these sentences were so lax compared to what you might think they should receive is because, one, they all pled guilty and took plea deals, most of them anyway, two, they had Mr. Stone's lawyers helping them, and three, they played a part in helping stop the crisis. Granted, that did not mean they were scot-free, but it helped reduce their sentences.
As for Archie and Maxie, they didn't have their trial yet because both of them were bedridden in the hospital. By law, they couldn't be sentenced until they were fit to stand in the courtroom, so it was delayed for now.
So when that happened, they were all taken away, and Daisy immediately announced to Green, Gary, and Ash that she was going to apply to be Courtney's guardian since, as far as she knew, Courtney didn't have any other family.
And she wanted her best friend back.
The gang didn't stop her. In fact, Green announced she was going with her, saying that maybe her being there might help.
Ash and Gary wished them luck, so they went their separate ways. Ash and Gary walked out and immediately saw the streets covered in snow.
Gary took a breath, "Man...Hoenn really wasn't built for snow."
Ash walked next to him with his hands behind his head, "No kidding."
Gary laughed quietly.
For a moment neither of them said anything. They just walked. They weren't in a town, just near the League headquarters since that's where the trial was, so they couldn't really go grab something to eat or anything.
But neither of them were really hungry. After having to sit through that court session, they kind of lost the will to do much of anything else.
Ash glanced over, "You alright?"
Gary shrugged, "Yeah." He looked back toward the courthouse, "…Still weird."
Ash nodded, "Yeah," he muttered, "You think Daisy is gonna be alright?"
Gary waved his hand, "She'll be fine. You know how stubborn she can get when she wants something, and Green is with her. Those guys don't stand a chance."
Ash chuckled and kept walking with him, "Hm, yeah, you're probably right. Still kinda feel bad for her."
Gary sighed again, "Me too, but what good is that?"
They walked over to a bench and sat down in the snow, and Gary leaned back looking at the clear sky, "How are May and Max?"
"They're fine," Ash said, rubbing Pikachu's fur while Vee snuggled inside his jacket, "After everything, and you know, the stuff with me and Norman, when I went there they kinda refused to let go of me."
Ash shrugged, "Honestly, I wanna go check up on them right now, but I'm worried I might actually get adopted by May's mom."
"Again, really?" Gary snorted, "Serves you right for being a good person."
"Woooowww, so because I care about my friends I deserve to suffer? How dare." Ash sounded offended, but he really just gave Gary a punch on the shoulder.
"Well, considering your track record and how half the people back in Pallet either want to adopt you or get you to marry into their family, weeeellll~" Gary smirked.
Ash rolled his eyes, "Oh really, and remind me again who the other half is obsessed with~"
Both of them snorted and laughed. I mean, here they were talking about this after saving the world again. Who would've guessed they could talk about this like it was a normal situation to be in?
"What are you planning on doing now?" Ash finally asked after they calmed down. After all, the main reason he came to Hoenn was to find Courtney, and now they found her.
Gary sighed, "Well, after the new year, I think I'm going to head back to Orre. I still have research I need to work on there."
Yeah, Ash still wasn't used to hearing Gary say that so casually, especially since he knew what happened during the incident. And speaking of which, he did already take down two of Cipher's Admins. He wondered how that was affecting them.
It was something Ash would need to look into later just to make sure no more stupid things happened while he just wanted to sleep and move on with his friends.
But then Gary got Ash out of his thoughts, "You know, if there's something you need to do, you don't have to be polite and sit here with me."
Ash chuckled, "Am I really that predictable now?"
Gary snorted, "No, I'm just used to you at this point, so you don't have to pretend. I've also got stuff I want to do."
"Yeah yeah, like going to your girlfriend~" Ash teased.
"I have no idea what you're talking about." Gary crossed his arms defensively and said nothing.
"Sure bro, sure," Ash said as he stood up and patted the snow off himself, "Alright, I'm off then, since I don't have to pretend."
"Same here," Gary stood, "Wanna meet up again tomorrow to talk?"
"Sure." Ash held his hand out for a fist bump and Gary returned it before they went two separate ways.
Ash smiled, and as he walked he pulled out Abby's Poké Ball. About time he wrapped up this dragon girl situation.
—
{Meanwhile in the Association building}
Wallace walked down one of the hallways holding a clipboard in one hand. Next to him, Winona held one too.
The two of them had been sent to help with the internal investigation, though if either of them were honest, most of their job so far had just been walking around, signing forms, and asking people questions they clearly didn't want to answer.
It was all for the investigation, although only one of them was really writing things down.
Wallace looked over Winona's shoulder quietly. She was reading something with a focused expression.
Wallace glanced sideways at Winona.
Winona noticed immediately, "If you stare any harder, I'm charging you for it."
Wallace looked away dramatically, "I'm wounded. Here I thought after saving Hoenn together I earned at least one free stare."
Winona rolled her eyes, but there was a small smile there.
For a bit they kept walking in silence.
Honestly, after everything that happened, the silence wasn't uncomfortable anymore.
Eventually Wallace sighed, "Winona."
She looked over.
Wallace looked ahead instead of at her, "…I miss you."
Winona blinked.
Wallace smiled weakly and rubbed the back of his neck, "I know that probably sounds selfish after everything, and maybe this isn't the right time, but...I wanted to say it."
Winona stayed quiet.
Wallace took a breath, "I know I was overbearing."
That made her glance over.
Wallace looked down at his clipboard, "When we were together...I worried too much."
He laughed quietly, "You know everyone always says Champions are fearless, but...honestly I was scared all the time."
Winona frowned slightly.
Wallace continued before she could interrupt, "I kept thinking if I wasn't there, something would happen to you."
His smile became smaller, "And every time something happened in Hoenn, I kept imagining getting a call one day that you didn't come back."
"That's why I did what I did." He smiled softly, "…Sorry."
Winona stopped walking.
Wallace noticed and stopped too.
Then she looked down, "…That's not actually why."
Wallace blinked.
Winona looked away and scratched her cheek awkwardly, "When we broke up...I said you were smothering, but that wasn't really it."
Winona stared at the floor, "The truth is…" She laughed once under her breath, "…I felt useless."
"You were stronger than me, and you were willing to give up things just to stay close to me. It made me feel like I was a burden to you...so I pushed you away."
"That's why I pushed myself so much with the Gym Leader stuff, and why I never asked anyone for help."
Winona rubbed her arm, "I said it badly." Her voice got quieter, "I'm sorry."
Wallace looked at her for a long moment. Then suddenly he stepped forward and hugged her. Winona froze like a board while he hugged her.
Wallace laughed quietly, "That's so stupid."
He smiled, "You thought I'd think less of you?"
Winona looked away.
Wallace shook his head, "Winona. I never dated you because you needed me." His smile softened, "I dated you because I liked who you were."
Winona froze.
Wallace looked embarrassed now, "I...still do."
Winona stared at him for a moment, then she snorted, holding back a laugh with her hand.
Wallace blinked, "Why are you laughing?"
Winona lowered her hand and smiled, "You're so embarrassing."
But when she stopped, she didn't pull away from him.
His face slowly turned red, "…Does that mean…"
Winona smiled. She leaned in slightly, then immediately put a finger on his lips.
Wallace froze.
Winona smirked, "Not yet."
Winona pulled her hand back, then looked away with a tiny smile, "…But maybe I'm willing to try again."
Wallace stared, trying to process what just happened.
Winona turned and started walking again, "Come on, Champion. Let's finish here, then we can talk more after," she said with a quick wink, and Wallace smiled and followed behind her.
—
Later, Ash contacted Mr. Stone, Steven, and Drake to come with him since this was going to be pretty important given the circumstances.
Mr. Stone understood what this was for, and he knew he had to confront his past now instead of continuing to run from it. Steven had recovered enough that he could move by himself now, and he went along even without needing persuasion from his dad. He still wanted to thank Ash for everything he did.
They met on Drake's boat and took off. Drake also explained that Mr. Briney and Ultima had to return to their homes, so that was why they weren't joining them, but that was no problem to Ash. This was something he needed Mr. Stone to do.
As for where they were going, Ash gave Drake a location. When he read it, his eyes widened, but when he looked at Ash, he nodded, and Drake sighed, agreeing too.
So he gathered his crew and they were off. It took a few hours to get there. The place they were heading to was Meteor Falls, but everyone here knew that wasn't the real destination.
When Drake docked his boat, they all got on Pokémon. Mr. Stone and Steven rode Steven's Metagross, while Drake got on his Salamence, and Ash got on Dragonite. Drake gave his crew the order to circle around, and they took off.
As for the real place they were going, it was a secret place hidden there called Meteor Village. Led by Ash, who could follow the Auras, he found it, a place filled with Aura signatures, including the familiar Aura of the girl he came to see.
They flew through the secret passageway, and then the hidden village came into sight, with houses and a few people. Maybe around ten of them were young children playing with each other while the rest were adults and elders. It was the hidden Draconid village.
But as they landed, people immediately started hurrying to hide, and three people came out. Their names were Jinga, Renza, and Tomatoma, and they were considered the warriors of the clan...mainly because they didn't have anyone else left.
Immediately they stopped them, "Stop right there. You aren't welcome here, especially not you…" Jinga said, glaring at them and especially at Mr. Stone.
"We will fight if you do not leave," Renza continued.
"We will not allow any more harm to come to our people!" Tomatoma finished.
While Drake and Steven got ready for a fight since it seemed like that was the only way they were getting in, an old voice spoke.
"There is no need for that…"
Everyone looked back as an old woman walking with a cane stepped up beside the trio and looked at Ash's group.
"I can tell you all are here to see Zinnia, am I right?"
Ash nodded, "Yes."
"Wait, what?" Steven asked.
But Drake ignored his comment and asked, "How are you aware that is what we are here for?"
"Because I could sense it. I am the elder of our people for a reason," the elder said with a chuckle.
"B-but Elder, look at who they brought," Tomatoma quickly pointed over at Joseph, making him look down in shame.
But the elder continued, "If they were here to harm us, they would have done so already, and it doesn't matter what you did in your past. What matters is how you decide to fix it," she said, looking at Joseph before tapping her cane.
The trio sighed and obeyed, deciding to lead them to a tent.
The group followed. As they did, Steven looked around, seeing all the people watching them nervously. He got a basic rundown on the Draconid people and Zinnia from his father, but he didn't understand everything. It was still an experience to see all of this.
Soon they walked to the tent. The trio decided to stay outside and wait, letting the others go in.
Ash went in first, and there on a bed he saw Zinnia wearing fresh bandages around her waist. Over on a nearby table, Ash saw the jacket he had given her before having Salamence fly her here.
When she noticed him, at first she looked surprised, then she smiled softly.
"You came…" she said.
But then she saw the others walk in behind him, especially Joseph, and her expression immediately fell.
"You…" she clenched her fists, but she was too weak to stand up. Well, actually she couldn't get up at all. Her spine had been severed, and Ash had only barely managed to reconnect it when he saved her. If she wanted to walk again, she would need physical therapy.
Joseph looked down, trying to gather the courage to say what he needed to say, so Ash stepped in, "I brought them."
She still seemed tired, angry, and sad, but she decided to deal with one thing at a time and pretended the others weren't there, "You did it...you saved the planet…" she smiled softly at him.
Ash shook his head, "I didn't do it alone, but I promised you I'd do it. I've never broken a promise in my life."
She smiled faintly. She wanted to say more, but again, it hurt to do most things. Sure, she was healing, but she didn't have some power that would make her recover faster.
And she really couldn't keep ignoring the other three behind Ash.
Steven stood there awkwardly while Drake looked uncomfortable, and Joseph couldn't even look at her.
Zinnia finally sighed. Why were they here? It would've been better if it was just Ash, "…So why are they here?"
Ash didn't answer. Instead, he looked at Mr. Stone, and Joseph understood. He put a hand on Steven's shoulder and nodded, silently telling him not to interfere.
Then he stepped forward to the bed where Zinnia was lying.
He looked down at her, "Zinnia...I'm glad you're alive...I wanted to see you again."
Zinnia looked away, staring at her own helpless body stuck in the bed, then at the area where she got stabbed.
"…I bet you think I deserve this...just laugh at me, criticize me, do whatever you want, then leave me alone."
Joseph shook his head and finally looked up at her, "No...that's not it. I want to apologize to you...no, to all of the Draconid people."
That took her by surprise and made her finally look at him.
"Apologize? You want to apologize?!"
"In the original Rayquaza mission, we never knew about your people. We didn't know...about her…" he explained, and at the mention of "her," Zinnia clenched her fists.
"We never meant to kill her...it was an accident, and what happened to your clan...even though we weren't directly responsible, I should have seen the signs. I should have realized things had gone too far and stopped the Pokémon Association from doing what they did."
He took another breath, "It's my fault. I allowed you to suffer a great injustice, and for that I am sorry."
Mr. Stone got onto his hands and knees and bowed beside the bed, "I'm so sorry. Please forgive me, and even though I can never make things right, let me try…"
Zinnia looked at him for a moment, then quickly looked away.
Then quietly she spoke, "…Do you hear that, Aster…? He wants us to forgive him…"
Her fingers tightened into the blanket, "He isn't apologizing at all…"
Joseph slowly looked up.
Zinnia still refused to look at any of them, "He just wants to lessen the weight of his crimes."
Steven opened his mouth but stopped himself. He didn't know enough about what happened to get involved. He was mainly here because his dad wanted him to see that he wasn't going to run from what he did anymore.
Zinnia swallowed, "You probably think your technology can replace what the Draconids did too…" she said quietly, "And that we were useless too…"
She laughed again, but there wasn't anything happy in it, "Just like with your stupid dimensional shifter."
"You didn't care about anything except yourself." Her shoulders trembled slightly, and her voice cracked, "Did you ever once think that maybe you could send a planet like ours, with people...with life…"
She swallowed, "People with their own Pokémon, their own happy lives, and families...did you ever think they would get destroyed?"
Zinnia kept speaking, "It's just like the Embedded Tower...nothing changed. If there was something that could get hurt, if there was something that could break, you only cared about yourself and what mattered to you."
Her breathing shook, "…Isn't that right?"
Drake frowned.
Steven stepped forward slightly, "Zinnia-"
Then he stopped, because now everyone could see why she wasn't looking at them.
It was because she was crying, and she didn't want them to see.
And that was when it hit them.
It sounded like she didn't even believe her own words. It was more like she was trying to convince herself that her revenge and grand plan hadn't been meaningless.
That she had to do it, she was trying to justify it because she hurt people, she killed people. Team Magma and Aqua learning about everything? That was her fault too.
She destroyed so many things, but most of all, she destroyed herself. She watched Jaern die, she laughed, she celebrated, but then why didn't the pain go away? Why did it still hurt? Aster was still dead, her people were still dead, her revenge didn't bring them back, and she couldn't even save the planet herself. So what was the point?
"Why...why couldn't you…" Her voice finally broke, and her shoulders shook harder, "…have had more imagination...then maybe Aster and everyone wouldn't have died…"
Tears fell from her face, and she couldn't stop them anymore. Joseph stayed kneeling. He didn't defend himself. Because what was there to explain? At the end of the day, people still died, saying sorry doesn't bring them back
Ash saw that Zinnia was crying, and Joseph still hadn't lifted his head. Steven and Drake weren't going to join in either, so it looked like he had to handle this.
"Zinnia," he said, walking closer.
She didn't answer.
Ash sat down beside the bed carefully so he wouldn't shake it. Pikachu climbed down and laid on her lap, trying to comfort her, and she unconsciously rubbed Pikachu's ears.
Ash looked down at his hands for a second before speaking, "You're right."
That made everyone look at him.
Ash continued calmly, "None of this can be made right."
Joseph's expression tightened.
Ash looked at Zinnia, "Your people died, Aster died, and the Draconids lost almost everything."
His voice stayed gentle, "And no apology in the world changes that."
Zinnia's fingers tightened around the blanket again.
Ash shook his head slowly, "People say stuff like 'make things right' all the time, but sometimes...you can't."
Ash leaned back slightly, "And it can be hard to forgive because we look at the result of what happened, and sometimes those effects are permanent."
He glanced toward Joseph, "And sometimes even if they regret it for the rest of their life...it still happened."
Joseph lowered his head further.
Ash looked back at Zinnia again, "You could hate him forever, and honestly?" Ash shrugged slightly, "…you'd have the right to."
"You can't always make things right. Sometimes you can't even come close." He glanced toward Mr. Stone, "But what you do to try to make it right is everything."
Ash continued quietly, "Bad people usually don't care who they hurt. They justify it, blame others, run away from it…"
He looked down at Joseph kneeling there, "But he came here knowing you might hate him forever, and yet he still did it"
Joseph's shoulders shook slightly.
Ash looked back at Zinnia, "You don't have to forgive him today."
Then he smiled faintly, "You don't even have to forgive him at all."
That made everyone blink.
Ash shrugged, "Forgiveness isn't something people are owed."
Zinnia froze slightly hearing that.
Ash continued, "But whether you forgive him or not...he still has to live with what happened and try to do better anyway."
Zinnia looked down at the blanket clenched in her fists.
Her breathing slowly steadied, "…Then what am I supposed to do?" she asked quietly.
Ash looked at her.
Zinnia's voice trembled again, but softer this time, "I ruined everything too."
She laughed bitterly through tears, "I helped start this whole disaster. I manipulated people. I got Team Magma and Aqua involved. I hurt people…"
Her hands trembled, "I wanted revenge so badly that I stopped caring who got caught in it."
Zinnia swallowed hard, "So what now?"
Ash looked at her for a long moment. Then he smiled softly.
"Now, you choose to try and make things right too, and decide what kind of person you'll be tomorrow."
Zinnia sniffed, rubbing her eyes. Finally, Joseph looked at her carefully, "…Zinnia."
She didn't look at him.
Joseph slowly stood back up, "I know I have no right to ask anything from you."
His voice was quieter now, "But...if you allow it...I want to help your people. Not because I have to, but because it's the right thing to do...and I want to help you too," he said, looking at her condition.
She sniffled and looked down at the blanket, then up at Ash and finally at Joseph, "…I hate you."
Joseph closed his eyes, "I know."
Zinnia's voice shook, "And part of me probably always will."
Joseph nodded slowly, "I understand."
She looked away again, "But...I can't let my anger make my people suffer...that's not what Aster would have wanted…"
She wiped her eyes, "Okay...for my people, I will accept. But I don't forgive you."
But Joseph smiled softly, "That's okay with me."
And just like that, the agreement started.
Of course, Zinnia didn't get off without consequences. She still did all the things she did, although technically most of it couldn't be proven, and thanks to Mr. Stone's team of lawyers, Zinnia was ruled mentally unstable.
So along with getting physical therapy, she would receive mental health treatment and psychiatrists to help her through her trauma. Plus, she would be allowed visitors.
Now, this wasn't necessarily the end. After the treatment was over, it would be determined if she needed any further care, but with the lack of evidence, this might be it.
Seems like a happy ending, right?
Well…
—
{December 24}
Ash stood near the back, leaning against a tree as he watched. As for where he was, this was a funeral. And for who? Well...it was for Archie and Maxie.
So let's go back for a second.
On December 10, the doctors treating them announced that they would not survive the night for unknown reasons.
The truth was that the Orbs they touched had absorbed most of their life force, leaving them with almost nothing left, but nobody knew that.
To everyone else, it looked like they were dying of old age in their forties.
And because of that, there was nothing the doctors could do.
Courtney, after some persuasion from Ash when he got called in, was allowed to come and speak to Maxie before he died since she was his adopted daughter, and surprisingly, she requested it herself.
So when she was let in, they left the two of them alone so she could talk to him privately.
"Courtney…" Maxie said weakly as he saw her walk in.
"Father...I have heard…" she said robotically again with her usual blank expression despite the situation.
But Maxie smiled anyway at hearing her voice, "I'm sorry I wasn't a good father...not the kind you deserved. You deserved so much better than me…"
"Do...not say that…" she said quietly.
Maxie shook his head, "You don't have to lie. Courtney, you're a good girl. Don't go down my path. Live a long, happy life, and surround yourself with people who make you smile."
Courtney didn't say anything. She still had the same blank look on her face, and yet the corner of her mouth twitched.
Maxie noticed it, and it made him smile slightly. The final words Maxie said that day were, "Courtney...I've always...loved you."
That night, Maxie died.
And Archie followed not long after.
The funeral service was small and had been prepared in only two weeks. Only people from Team Magma and Team Aqua who remembered who Archie and Maxie used to be before everything attended.
Most of them had been brought there under League supervision.
And as for Courtney, Daisy wanted to bring her, but she didn't have a Pokémon to get there, so Ash took them, and now he waited near the back.
With that being said, Blaise, Tabitha, Amber, Shelly, and even Matt were there as well under heavy League supervision, alongside a few former grunts from both Team Magma and Team Aqua.
People chose to remember Maxie and Archie for who they used to be and for who they were in their final days when they chose to help save Hoenn.
In the end, they were both men who genuinely wanted to help the world before they lost themselves somewhere along the way.
Courtney stood near the front beside Daisy.
She had the same blank expression she almost always wore, her hands folded neatly in front of her while she stared at the two coffins slowly being lowered into the ground.
For a while she didn't react at all. It almost looked like she didn't care. But then, as they started burying the coffins, her eyes slowly began watering. And then, without understanding why, she began crying.
The tears fell one after another, and she looked confused by them, like this was something entirely new to her. Something she had never experienced before.
Daisy immediately looked over in concern, "Courtney…"
Courtney didn't answer.
Her voice finally came out small and distant, "…Father is gone."
She grabbed the edge of her sweater tightly, "…I do not know what to do now."
Daisy immediately hugged her.
Courtney froze from the sudden contact.
Daisy held her tighter anyway, "You don't have to know right now," Daisy whispered.
Courtney stood stiffly for a few seconds.
Then slowly...very slowly...she leaned against Daisy slightly and began crying harder, letting out more emotion than the blank expression she always wore ever could.
And yet tomorrow everyone would still wake up.
People would celebrate.
The world would keep moving forward.
And they would still be gone.
So in the end, all people can really do is remember those they lost so they are never forgotten.