Vergil was awoken from his blissful sleep by Dante not so amicably yelling at the top of his lungs

"WAKE UP, SLEEPYHEAD!"

Vergil shot out of bed and responded in kind by slamming his brother into the wall. He then noticed Dawn standing at their open door, eyes wide at the sudden violence

"It's alright. This is how we bond."

Dante said, standing up.

"I'll make sure to hit you harder next time, for old time's sake."

Vergil responded with a grin.

Dawn sighed

'Give him a chance'

She said to herself. The brothers didn't seem to be hostile, so maybe they were those siblings that play by hitting each other? They seemed to be laughing, so she just shrugged it off as they headed out of the Poke centre.

"I was wondering. Perhaps we could acquire some of those... Strange creatures you call Pokemon?"

Vergil asked, clearly interested by them. Too interested...

"Have you ever seen a Pokémon before?"

Dawn asked, already knowing the answer. Both brothers shook their heads.

"Guess it's time for a lesson, then!"

She said, much too excited for Vergil's liking. She led them back into the forest where they met and released the strange fire monkey from it's spherical containment

Dawn began

"Pokémon... Like all things, are vastly different creatures of varying types, species, and appearances. For example, this one right here is a Chimchar, he's my starter Pokémon and we've been gotten along well."

Vergil and Dante listened with great interest at her explanation, staring at the small Pokémon. Vergil then asked a rather obvious question

"Can we obtain Pokémon of our own?"

Dawn threw him a ball

"You can try. But I warn you, catching a Pokémon isn't easy, they might run away or break out all together! Besides, a Pokémon isn't just gonna fall from the sky, you gotta look for one-"

She was interrupted when a rustling from the trees got their attention, and a small bird fell out. Vergil bent down and looked at the tiny fledgling, it growled at him, but it didn't deter him as he gently picked it up. He examined it carefully

"His wing is broken. He couldn't fly."

Dawn was rather surprised at this turn of events. It was their first lesson and he manged to find a Taillou, granted they weren't that uncommon. But it was still fascinating how the switch just seemed to flip for Vergil as he treated the Pokémon with utmost care

"Can it be captured in this state?"

He asked, looking at three red stripes across its chest. Dawn noticed it too, it was unlike any other Taillou she'd seen, unique to be sure. Vergil stared closer... It's dark feathers... The red marks... They reminded him of someone... He was snapped out of it when Dawn spoke again

"You can, actually. It's easier to catch Pokémon when they're weakened. Although, this one needs some healing..."

Vergil placed the bird on the ground and opened the Pokeball, it suddenly sucked in the Taillou, clicking shut to signal its capture.

"So what are you gonna name him?"

Dawn asked.

Vergil stared at the ball for a few moments, an unreadable expression on his face

"... Griffon."

Him and Dante exchanged a knowing look. Dawn looked between both of them, deciding not to pry.

"Well, guess it's my turn to get a pet"

Dante said, suddenly regaining his careless grin. He scanned around the area, before heading deeper into the forest. Dawn was about to follow him when she was stopped by Vergil.

"My brother is capable of taking care of himself, thank you very much."

She just shrugged and stepped back, Vergil was confused. Judging by her behavior yesterday she should have challenged him, which could only mean...

"What did my idiotic brother say to you?"

Dawn tensed up

"What? Phsst. Nothing. Don't worry about it!"

She tried defending herself, only for Vergil to stare her down.

"I will not ask again. What did he say?"

She sighed. It's best if she kept it brief

"Well kinda... Everything."

Vergil's face contorted into a snarl

"That insolent fool! I ought to-"

He found himself held back from charging towards his brother's direction when Dawn held him back

"Calm down, will you?! I didn't mean EVERYTHING! Just enough to get a general idea of why you two are on the run... I'm sorry if I offended you."

Vergil looked at her. And knew exactly why Dante had said it

"So... My little brother is covering for me? Of course. He has a hard time understanding that I do not need help."

Dawn huffed at him, she found really hard to keep her promise of giving Vergil a chance all of a sudden

"For your information. Your attitude towards everyone tells me otherwise. You could take some lessons from Dante."

Vergil laughed. A sound she strangely found unnerving

"You're funny. Lessons from my brother? What a joke."

He looked down at his feet

"Although. For the sake of my honor... I will admit I have not... Been on my best behavior."

Now they were getting somewhere. An apology! Finally!

"It's fine. I don't blame you after what you've been through..."

There was an awkward silence in the air. Vergil stared at the tiny ball in his hand. After what felt like an eternity, Vergil asked a question, one she wasn't expecting

"Why are you out here, anyway? These woods are hardly a place for a girl your age."

Dawn smiled, and began recounting her proud tale

"Well, ever since I was a child. I wanted to be a Pokémon trainer. I watched every news report about Pokémon, I read every book about every species. And I watched the wild Pydgies everyday. And just a week ago, I was offered the chance to travel the region and discover every type of Pokémon! "

Vergil listened with interest. Her's was an intriguing tale, and he found the perfect opportunity to insult his brother after she finished

"When Dante was a child, he would ruin our Mother's garden and blame ants for it."

Dawn and Vergil shared a laugh together before they heard a loud yell coming from Dante's direction. Vergil was a blur as he sped past her to the clearing. And he found himself embarrassed when Dante wasn't hurt, but in fact celebrating. Dawn gave him a smug look

"Don't even."

He retorted.

"Hey Verge..."

Dante started, jogging towards them

"What was the name of an ugly moron that was obsessed with trying to beat us up?"

Vergil thought, one person-No. Demon came to mind

"Beowulf?"

Dante brandished his pokeball before opening it. Releasing an angry cross between a pig and a primate

"Bingo! Say hello to Beowulf the Mankey!"

Vergil stared at the angry creature, it huffed its nose at him. An idea suddenly came to Dante

"Hey, when's the last time we spared, brother?"

Vergil grinned

"A week ago, by my estimate..."

He brought his Pokeball

"Care for a rematch?"

And so, the battle between the brothers began...

"And then, I was like. "That's not me Vergil! That's a mirror!""

Dante finished recounting his story. It was night time and they had set up camp deep in the forest. The battle between the twins proving to be a draw since they didn't know how to battle. Dawn yawned and decided to retire to her tent, leaving the brothers alone. Silence engulfed them as Vergil stared at the campfire, now or never he supposed. So he took a deep breath, and spoke

"Dante... Am I a... Bad person?"

Dante didn't seem to get the hint and thought he was joking

"Oh yeah, definitely. You almost caused the end of the world twice and tried to kill your son? Pretty bad."

Vergil's withering glare and followed silence told him he said something he shouldn't have.

"Hey. I was just..."

Dante was at a loss for words, so Vergil continued

"After everything I've done... The atrocities I've committed... Do I really deserve... This? To start over? Be happy?"

He felt disgusted by himself, he received no consequences for his actions and his brother didn't care.

"Maybe I shouldn't have come back after Nelo Angelo-"

"NO!"

Dante's shout startled him. The fire flickered as the younger twin stood up, an angry expression on his face

"Don't you ever say that! Never! I finally have you back. And you think that about yourself. You deserve this more than anyone else, Vergil! Your whole life was nothing but agony, and so was mine!"

Dante rushed over to his brother and embraced, Vergil could tell he was on the verge of tears

"Please... Vergil... Don't leave me again... We can both move on..."

Vergil returned the hug. Fine. If he couldn't keep going for himself. He'd keep going for Dante.

"Dante. I will always be by your side."

Dante tensed up and began sobbing

"You promise?"

Vergil nodded

"I do. You sentimental infant."

Dante let out a light chuckle before embracing his brother harder

"Can we stay like this for a while?"

Dante asked

"Of course."

And so, the brothers embraced near the campfire. Their bond strengthed. They were ready for what comes next...