Trick and Treat
Disclaimer: I do not own Pokémon Best Wishes or Pokémon Black and White. I only own Est and anyone associated with Trip. I also own the characters at the end.
Summary: The battle is over and the twins and everyone they killed can rest in peace. Virtue however has given the ultimate sacrifice in order to insure that they both made it to Heaven…
Pairing: Ash/Trip, Cilan/Iris, and Dawn/Paul/OC (Est)
Rated: M (for mature)
Genre: Horror, Drama, Romance and (dark) humor
Warning: Extreme creepiness, child suicide, violence and yaoi
I'm basing Ash's age for the five regions he's went to: Kanto, Orange Island, Johto, Hoenn and Sinnoh so the ages in this story are…
Ash: 15
Iris: 13-16
Cilan: 17-18
Dawn: 11
Trip: 10
Paul: 16
Est: 20
Ilyana: 23
Virtue: 24
Alma: 12 (at time of death)
Alastor: 12 (at time of death)
Dusk: 16 (17 at time of death)
Darlene 16 (17 at time of death)
This story is based on the Vocaloid song Trick and Treat.
Epilogue: Rest in Peace
The group finally escaped from mansion after their rescue mission. The minute the group rushed out, the mansion began to crumble. After more than 100 years of standing and the twins no longer roaming the area, there was nothing to support an old building that was never touched upon. The Pokémon battle didn't help either…
The group watched as the mansion fell to the ground causing dust to pick up and mix with the fog.
"Looks like the mansion couldn't hold itself up anymore after the twins spirited away. Get it?" Est tried to joke to lighten the situation.
The group either sighed or face palm, but Trip just told her what she didn't want to hear.
"That wasn't a funny joke Est. Please respect the dead."
"Oh come on! After nearly getting killed multiple times in the spam of a few days and seeing too many dead bodies, I think a joke is what is needed!"
"Est, a moment of silence at least." Ilyana added.
"Okay…"
Est's Zorua just chuckled underneath her hat causing her to pout. The little fox did nothing during the final battle but had the audacity to laugh at her.
"So…is it finally over?" Dawn had to ask glancing at the crumbled mansion once more. "We won't have to worry about the twins coming back to kill us again, right?"
Virtue shook his head sadly. "No, they're gone…" He looked sadly at his Ninetales and Noctowl who stared at their trainer with deep sorrow. "And that means…my job is done…"
Ash and co didn't understand what Virtue said until he started to decay in front of them. Dawn and Ilyana ended up shrieking at Virtue's handsome appearance starting to rot. Everyone else was speechless at the turn of events.
"Virtue, what is happening?" Ash questioned horrified. "What is going on with your body?"
"…It means my time in this world is up now that my friends can rest in peace…"
"W-Wait, you can't die now! Not after that promise you made to them!" Est exclaimed. "You're not going to break it off now are you?!"
Virtue just laughed as half of his face fell to the ground along with the middle of his chest (but this portion was covered by his red vest). "They already knew that I was at the end. I was already twenty-four when they cursed me to roam the earth until the day they could ever find peace. 100 years later and they finally find their peace…but me…I spent the next 100 years trying to find ways for them to open up and see the truth…and every time I tried with trainers that were waiting for the Unova League…it ended in tragedy…" He laughed bitterly at himself when he thought of all the instances where he promised these talented young trainers secrets for beating the Unova League and other lies only for their deaths to be in vein.
"Wait…so those bodies in that trap…" Cilan started.
"Those are only a few of the trainers that foolishly went in without the warning. Other trainers made it to the twins and were either tortured to death or their bodies taken, but like all bodies, they don't last forever and the twins needed to keep the masquerade of twins so more often than not, they needed trainers that either looked similar or were related to help them out…and I was foolish to help them in their plan because I thought the people they needed for their bodies could allow them to see the truth…but I realized that wasn't what would bring them to light."
"What do you mean?" Ash asked.
"…What Alma and Alastor needed to see a group of friends that cared for each other and would risk their lives for one another, even putting their life on the line. And…they needed to hear it from me that I would never abandon them…and that the whole incident was a misunderstanding on Darlene's part. I honestly wanted what was the best for them and all my friends, but Alma didn't see it that way…100 years made me realize how much of a fool I am…and that's why…" He looked at his hands as they slowly corroded. "I'll take their place in repaying their sins that they committed."
The group gasped when he said that.
"You can't go to hell for them!" Est declared. "They won't learn their lesson if you take their place."
"…I know them best." Virtue insisted. "And I know that by facing my sins, they'll be able to rest in peace."
"But…"
He weakly bowed to Ilyana who started to cry for his sake. "I'm sorry you have to go through this Ilyana. I'm going to have to cancel that date."
"…"
"Ash…Paul…"
His expression darkened as he spoke but it slowly became a sad smile that was aimed at them. "Make sure the vows you made in the mansion will never be broken. The twins may rest now, but who knows what would happen if they found out that you broke the promises made."
The two male trainers were silent at his words. Paul didn't know if he could keep that promise at all, but he knew that because of Virtue's old friend Dusk, breaking a promise to a girl especially one like Alma would end horribly. Ash wouldn't have to worry about a vengeful ghost coming back to kill him because everyone knew that it would take a while for Ash to understand the vow that he made.
"…I think…my time is up…farewell…" He looked toward his Pokémon who wanted to go with him but he shook his head. "Ninetales…Noctowl, thank you for everything…when all my Pokémon died from age, you still stayed by my side even though you knew this day would come…thank you…and good-bye…"
Virtue's body decomposed at a faster rate before he just fell apart in front of the group. Ilyana called his name but he was no longer of this world. The only thing he left her was a bracelet that he gave Alastor years ago as a sign of his love. Now, he has passed it on to her despite only knowing each other for a few days.
"Oh Virtue…" She whispered as she fell to her knees sobbing into the bracelet he gave her.
"Ilyana…" Est mumbled as she closed her eyes knowing no matter what she said wouldn't change anything.
Ash and the group were speechless on what transpired in front of them. Not knowing what to do, Meloetta appeared before the group again with a worried expression. The only thing that Meloetta could think of doing was singing a melancholic tune. The music flowed through the sky where the sun was rising. No one said a word as they let Meloetta sing her song. Virtue's Pokémon howled or hooted with Meloetta as if they were singing along. Trip looked up to the sky and thought these words.
Virtue…thank you…
Virtue opened his eyes thinking he was going to be in the depths of hell at this point. Instead he found himself in a checkered room that alternated between gold and white. Slowly getting up, he realized that his body was restored to normal and he looked the same as he's always been for 100 years.
"What is…?"
"Hello~" Came a voice. Looking in the direction of the voice, he saw a young boy with blonde hair and green eyes. He was dressed in a sophisticated fashion, but despite his rich appearance, he looked friendly enough…if it weren't for that mischievous smile plastered on his face. "Welcome to the Golden Land where your dreams come true~"
Virtue was confused. Wasn't he supposed to go to hell after confessing his sins that he hid from the world? The boy smiled as he continued speaking.
"You must be thinking why you're here instead of the Underworld. Well, the problem is that the Underworld is currently in a middle of a civil war because of the angels so I made it my goal to take souls here first before deciding if they get to go to heaven or hell."
"Wha…"
"Why can't you just say its Purgatory, Prism?"
Next to the blonde kid was a young girl around his age with long black hair and purple eyes. Her entire outfit consisted of a raven motif and unlike Prism she wasn't all smiles.
"Oh Raven, the Golden Land sounds better than that name."
"It's copyright."
"Who are you to break the fourth wall now?!"
"Uh…"
The two kids turned their attention to the newcomer. Raven just sighed as she took the seat next to Prism.
"Well, you know our names. I'm Prism, the Sorcerer of Misfortune and this is Raven the Witch of Despair. We're just going to tell you this now; you won't have to worry about going to hell now."
"Why? I-"
"Apparently getting a bunch of kids killed and participating in sexual acts with a child doesn't mean a thing to Prism." Raven responded sarcastically. "Then again, he's mad."
"No, I just wanted to give you guys a happy ending while you still have the chance."
"…What do you mean?" Virtue continued to ask confused by everything.
Prism shook his head as he snapped his fingers. "No one goes to the angels, no one goes to the demons. They come to the witches and sorcerers. Your friends are right behind this door."
Virtue didn't see the door until Prism clapped his hands. When he did, a golden and blue door was coming out of the ground and when it opened, Virtue could see his friends on the other side speaking to one another on friendly terms as if the tragedy never happened. Was this real or was it a trick?
"When you go through here, you will be able to meet with your friends and rest in peace." Prism told him. "You can apologize all you want and recreate the friendship that was lost between you."
"…Why are you doing this?" Virtue suddenly asked. "Why are you giving a sinner like me another chance?! I don't deserve a happy ending!"
"Of course you don't." Raven said cruelly. "But it's Prism's decision…he may be the Sorcerer of Misfortune but he's going to give you a good fortune."
Prism just sighed as he handwaved Raven's statement. "You're putting too much into this."
"I have every right too! I killed many trainers trying to save my friends! I took advantage of a little boy for my own sexual lust and I broke the heart of an innocent in my last moments! Why do I get to go to them? That's all I'm asking."
"Because everyone gets a second chance." Prism said with an innocent smile. "You may think that going to hell will solve everything, but your friends would still be sad, and then they wouldn't be happy in heaven. They need you Virtue. You were their support back then, and you will be in the afterlife. Don't ask why you're given a second chance of life, just take it."
Virtue still had his doubts about the sorcerer, but he sounded so sincere compared to his moody friend. Taking a deep breath, he slowly walked toward the door. The closer he got to the door, the voices of his friends got louder. The voices of his friends telling him that everything will be okay and that they'll start over again. Getting his foot at the door, he felt the breeze coming from the other side.
"Alastor…Alma…Dusk…Darlene…I'll be with you all soon…" He looked toward Prism who was still smiling. "…Thank you…"
Virtue walked through the door where his friends were waiting for him. The door closed instantly as Raven shook her head instantly.
"You are the most cruel yet merciful of all the witches and sorcerers in the universe." Raven mumbled as the smile on Prism's face fell. "You could have let him and his friends go to hell for all their sins given that none of them would have made it to Angel Land."
"Hey, what did I say about mentioning Angel Land. This is a Pokémon story, not a Kid Icarus one."
"Now who's breaking the 4th wall?" Prism sighed when Raven wasn't going to talk unless he gave her an answer to why he what he just did. The raven haired teen already knew why though, and that meant the only people who didn't know were the ones ringing the story. Prism ended looking up toward the text and continued to smile sheepishly.
"I bet you all want to know what I just did. Well, to answer your question simply, I'm erasing Virtue and his group out of existence in this particular universe. That way, Ash and the group won't have to worry about a promise being broken and that the tragedy won't happen again at least not in Unova. Virtue and his friends won't know that because they will spend eternity repairing the friendship over the years, and this time, no one will bug them…and it will be like that until the end of time. This is my cruel mercy to Virtue and his friends. Then again, the Virtue in this universe is completely different from the Virtue I know, and getting rid of this one will help rebuild the other."
"No one goes to hell," Raven continued, "but they'll forever live in ignorance to mend their friendship. I personally would have gave them the depressing ending of them all being separated after death, but Prism decided to go with this ending, so I don't have a saying in it."
Prism chuckled as he snapped his fingers causing the door to go back into the floor.
"…This is why…you don't listen to the Sorcerer of Misfortune, but whether or not Virtue's end was good or bad is up to you readers. So, it's time to end the journey here." The blonde sorcerer finished as he crossed his legs while sitting on his throne like chair. "You'll be seeing me more often when a story is about life and death. After all, the Golden Land is the center of the universe."
Me: Done with 3238 words.
Li: How did this happen Pepper? It's like Prism and Raven hijacked the story from us!
Me: Well, Nothing is safe when it concerns Prism. He always has to interfere with the death of others and it gets depressing especially since Prism technically isn't giving this Virtue a happy ending. Believe me, Raven called him mad not because of insanity but he was genuinely angry and the best thing to wash your hands clean is to say you'll do something but just erase them.
Li: Those two even broke the 4th wall…
Me: Everyone in the Kid Icarus universe can do that and so do people in the Umineko universe. Notes!
1. Est's joke is a pun from the name of the mansion. I don't think I need to explain the joke because it's not funny.
2. Ash's group doesn't seem to have a resolution in this story, but that's mainly because the reader is supposed to imagine what they did after they finished mourning for Virtue who saved their lives. Given how Pokémon movie ends though, you can assume that Ash, Iris and Cilan split from the rest of the group given this is the point where Dawn would stop following the group. Trip, Est and Ilyana need to go back to Lacunosa town to take Ilyana back home and Dawn and Paul are traveling together until the Unova League starts. Ash, Iris and Cilan are walking into the plot of the Team Rocket plot at this point.
3. The door that shows Virtue's friends is gold and blue. The door is gold because I would like to think purgatory is whitish/gold color while blue represents the virtue that Virtue represents (as joked in a previous chapter). Again, Virtue might represent the sin of lust, but his virtue is patience.
4. Prism and Raven are characters I use only for my Kid Icarus/Disgaea universe. They are only two of the most powerful beings in the universe. In fact, I established that witches and sorcerers are stronger than the Gods and Goddesses as they have powers to things that Gods and Goddesses can never grasp. The example is that Prism is the Sorcerer of Misfortune who works in reverse to Bernkastel as he is meant to bring misfortune but given he's a good person despite his extreme attitude he brings good fortune and offers a positive alternative after death. Raven is the Witch of Despair and spreads sorrow across the galaxy as well as gives the cruel facts of life. Her powers are also associated with time.
5. I pretty much implied that this is not the Virtue established in the Disgaea/Kid Icarus universe. My theory that I had was that Prism decided to screw with Virtue's life but accidentally pulled his soul out, so before he could restore Virtue back to his original state, he had to make the other Virtue he created atone for crimes. Prism as a result portrays Virtue as a pedophile and while Virtue is a sex maniac, he is far from being a pedophile. Prism is just projecting his hate on him.
But overall, whether or not Prism's decision was good or not depends on the reader. When you review, you can say if you think that was a good idea. Thanks for finishing this story. This as well serve as 2014's Halloween story (unless you count Naraku no Hana). Well, that's it. Ja ne~
