Vergil's mind was cloudy. He felt cold. He trudged through the knee deep snow, continuing up the mountain. He had no idea how he'd gotten here in the first place. But he knew he needed to climb, no matter how cold it got. As he reached the top, the blizzard cleared, and he saw a figure in front of him. He wore a long purple and a red amulet around his neck... But it couldn't be?
"Father?..."
Vergil asked, hesitantly walking closer until he was only a few feet in front of him. The imposing figure looked down on him, anger clear in his expression
"You have failed me..."
He bellowed, his voice seeming to echo across the snowy landscape
"Just as you failed your mother. And now... You have failed your brother."
Vergil stepped back, his father's face was shrouded with shadow
"I tried to protect Dante! I-"
He was interrupted when the old man suddenly closed the gap and struck him onto the ground
"You did not. You were *supposed* to protect him. You are his elder brother. And yet he lies in a hospital bed... You are pathetic. Unworthy as my heir..."
His father's face distorted further, shifting into Urizen's. He held Vergil up by his throat and tightened his grip. The snow melted into fire as it engulfed them, burning him.
"You have failed him..."
He bellowed one final time before they were consumed by flames...
Vergil awoke in a cold sweat. He frantically looked around, only to find himself still the hospital's waiting lobby. He breathed a sigh of relief, and looked beside him. Dawn was still there, although she was asleep, her head leaning on the wall behind them
'She is true to her word, at least...'
He thought, standing up and checking the clock. It was three in the morning, but he wasn't keen on going back to sleep anytime soon. As he was walking around, he felt a presence behind him, but kept walking. He intentionally took a wrong turn to see if they would follow him, and when they did he immediately turned and grabbed them in a headlock. But instead of seeing the dumb bowl cut Team Galactic had or even Demon horns, he saw a messy mop of blonde hair as the person struggled in his grip
"Alright, alright, I give up!"
The person yelled, he released him, but kept his focus on him. He started out with the basics
"Who are you?"
Vergil said, glaring at the blonde boy that was around his age
"Name's Barry. Sorry for following you around, I wanted to ask where Dawn was since she was with you earlier?"
Barry said. A weight that Vergil didn't even know was on his shoulders was lifted. This person wasn't an enemy
"She's in the hospital... Team Galactic attacked my brother..."
Vergil said, looking down in shame. His mind flashed back to his dream
'You failed him'
"Those jerks?"
Barry asked, a frown on his face. So he encountered them too, it seems...
"If I see any of them, I'll beat them up for you, alright?"
Vergil then posed a question he should have from the beginning
"What do you want with Dawn anyway."
The blonde boy's face then adopted a smile as big as the Cheshire Cat
"Because... Me and Dawn are rivals! And I will prove I'm stronger."
Vergil only raised his eyebrow at that statement
"Quiet late for a battle, isn't it? What are you doing out here, anyway?"
Vergil asked, noticing the bags under Barry's eyes.
"I was training my Pokémon for the battle. Sleep is for losers anyway..."
Vergil just sighed, he remembered when he stay awake for weeks on end to train with The Yamato. It paid off when he beat Dante... He stabbed his own brother... What he wouldn't give to go back and change everything now.
"Say, what's your name? You seem like a cool person."
Barry asked
"My name is Vergil. My brother is Dante."
Barry thought for a second
"Vergil, eh? Fancy... I like it. Say, Vergil. When your brother's better, you two should totally fight me and Dawn in a duo battle. It'll be so amazing!"
Barry asked, Vergil could swear the blonde boy had stars in his eyes.
"Maybe I'll take you up on that offer. For now get some sleep. You can't beat your rival if you're tired, correct?"
Barry shrugged
"Yeah. You're probably right."
He then headed off towards the Pokécentre. Leaving Vergil with severe whiplash from the one-eighty Barry's mood had taken. Speaking of sleep, he needed some as well. He'd have to hope the nightmares didn't return...
Vergil was awoken by someone lightly shaking his shoulder, a stark contrast from the way he was usually woken up. When he opened his eyes, he found Dawn standing over with a smile on her face
"Dante's awake"
And those two words were all he needed to remove all hints of tiredness from his body as he hurried to his brother's room. He opened the door slowly to see his brother wide awake with that ever present infuriating smile.
"What'd I tell ya, Dawn? My brother cares more than he lets on"
Dawn groaned as she handed him several coins. And suddenly, Vergil regretted coming so fast
"I see your cognitive functions are still inactive, little brother."
Vergil said, walking to his bedside and jokingly slapping him on his head. Causing Dawn and Dante to chuckle.
"Doctor said I can't leave just yet. But I'll be fine in two days... I'm surprised you're still here, Verge. I expected you to take off to train or something."
Vergil felt sad. His brother thinks that of him? Of course he would. Anytime Dante needed him, he was gone. But not anymore... He would never leave him again
"Dante... I'm not going anywhere without you. Besides, where would we go without our teammate?"
He and Dawn shared a smile at his little joke. Dante just looked at him strangely
"Did something happen between you two? Cus I don't remember you making jokes."
Vergil's face hardened into a scowl as stared into his brother's soul
"If you even imply such a thing again. A hospital won't be able to save you anymore..."
Dante just laughed. Vergil's intimidation didn't work quite as well when he was a teenager... But for some reason, Dante laughing filled with a strange sense of fondness as he was reminded of their childhood. How they'd always come home late, or go on adventures everyday together. The happiness those memories gave him instilled in him his new purpose. A purpose he would go any length and pay any price to fulfill... Protect his brother... And he would not fail...
