He was nowhere to be seen. It was as if the Zoroark was a phantom that had just vainished into thin air, silent as a shadow.
Back at the stone marker, Sun let out a sigh. "I guess..." he was then silent for another minute before speaking again. "It all began about ten years back, when I first met that Zoroark. You know, the one from Gym?" he paused again. "His name's Zephyr. We had the same trainer, but while he was confident and proud, I was timid and self-doubting. We were polar opposites, yet he chose me of all people to be his childhood friend after standing up to a couple of other Pokemon for my sake. For years, it was almost as if we were brothers. Then he met Penelope after she was caught by Lucius during our Sinnoh gym challenge. She was great to be around, all peppy and cheerful and such. And though I found out later, but Zephyr was actually in love with her, not that I blame him." a sad smile came across his face.
"After a while, Penelope realized how easy a target I was to the classmates around us, and decided to help me, coaching me into becoming a more confident Pokemon. And since I was hoping to one day be a champion Pokemon, the confidence boost helped my training. I was finally courageous enough to challenge Machamp every day once I came here...even though I lost every single time." he chuckled. "I was beyond grateful to Penelope, who helped me become as strong as I am now. But there was something else...I fell in love. I loved her so much. And I wanted to do something for her." he looked at the grave once more, the light in his eyes dimming a bit.
"We came here together, still the best of friends, but Zephyr had changed. He was now much more powerful, but also arrogant. While he probably meant no harm to others, he began to see others as beneath him. I guess growing up and finding a greater strength would do that to you. Either way, Penelope continued helping me across our freshman year while also becoming a reporter for the school paper. I still had no idea she and Zephyr were a couple back then...I still loved her, but I wanted to tell her at the right time." As he spoke, the images of these times came clear to his head; the times when he had the two best friends he could ask for, even if one had grown more egotistical. "I guess...love has a strange way of working, because Penelope wanted to go to the freshman dance with Zephyr, but he didn't seem to want to, preferring to hang out with some of his newer friends. When I found this out, I saw my chance to give back to Penelope after all she'd given me...I took her to the dance myself, and we had a blast." He smiled as he recalled the danced, laughing and dancing, enjoying the company of the girl who had stolen his heart. "Then...we kissed, and I became the happiest Pokemon on earth."
"The second year started off as good as it ever could be. I was finally with my sweetheart, and she meant the world to me...but Zephyr...for some reason, he seemed to be a completely different Pokemon. His arrogance was much more obvious now, and he often treated his friends like lackeys and the rest like trash. Penelope, while always seeming to be busy with homework or articles for the school paper, also seemed troubled." his smile slowly faded. "I only wanted to help her as she did me, and it was then I learned of her now strained relationship with Zephyr. Even if I loved her, I wanted to make her happy, and confronted Zephyr. All I wanted was to bring my best friend back. Instead, he simply waved me off, making it clear he no longer saw me as a real friend, but as a relic of the past. But the worst part was when I learned that he knew about the dance, about the kiss. He then threatened me to either 'stay away from his girl, or I would know true sorrow'." Pausing a moment, he looked up to the sky. "I was worried about what he'd do, especially since I knew just what he was capable of, so I followed his order for a couple of weeks. It broke my heart to do it, but I stopped seeing Penelope. I couldn't imagine how hard it must've been for her, but I only wanted her to be safe. Zephyr then played his hand at getting Penelope back at his side, but instead of treating her like a lover, he seemed to see her as more of a trophy he had won."
Sun's emotions and expressions seemed to change with the story's mood. All emotions he had felt during those times returned as he recollected them. "Regardless of her position, she still loved me and cared for me. And finally, the two of us had had enough. She ultimately dumped him, and I began to accept her company again. It seemed as if we would finally be happy together after all. But then...one night, while on her way back home from a girls' night out, she lost her balance and fell onto the street...and into the path of an oncoming car. At the same time, Zephyr disappeared completely. When I had gotten the news of the accident, I hurried over to the hospital..." His voice began to choke as he seemed once more to be fighting back tears. He didn't want to break down again, and after taking a deep breath, finished his story. "I stayed at her side as she passed away, and all the happiness I had felt before drained away, leaving the bitterness within me when I met all of you."
Sun looked over to the stone once again, silent, solemn, and almost emotionless. "It has been a year today since that incident occured, and all that time I had desperately tried to move on, as others had suggested to me, but I could never forget her smile, her loving personality...I could never move on from that day." he turned toward the school. "Do you have any idea what it feels like? To be trapped in that moment of bitterness and sorrow, always struggling to break free, but never doing so?" he paused. "Do you know what it feels like...to feel yourself die inside? You feel cold, then numb to everything around you. You feel as if nothing else matters. You feel...that you stand alone in a world ruled by the cruelty of fate."