Pokemon Virus Version Chapter 20: Sister
Hey guys, so Day 3 of my five day posting stretch is here as Chapter 20 comes your way. Now please review or at least PM to me if you need any help understanding this chapter because the plot does get a bit complicated and confusing in this chapter. So, enjoy...
Seth's POV
"Seth, this is Rose, and she is your younger sister," Chapel said.
"Sister?" I said confused. "But my mother was killed in Stark Mountain five years ago, and she was married to my stepfather, Atticus, at the time."
"What? Mother was in Goldenrod City. I was born exactly five years ago today, and Mother told me Atticus and my other brother, Zero, could not make it to see me enter the world," Rose said.
"Wait, has the same mother raised you since then?" I asked.
She nodded yes.
"It just doesn't add up. You were born the same day Stepfather and Zero abandoned me. So how was Mother at two places at the same time?" I asked. "There's no way she could've traveled between Johto and Sinnoh that quickly."
"Let's see, for the next five years AFTER her assumed death, she was raising Rose," Chapel said as she turned to Missingno. "You've made contact with both Seth and Rose's heart, you must know something."
Missingno hesitated to speak.
"Chapel, that day, I was with you when Wes and Rui murdered your mother back in Goldenrod City," Missingno said.
"And Zero stopped Wes and Rui from killing me." Chapel's eyes shot wide open.
"But Zero and Charizard were at Stark Mountain with me that day," I said.
"This is quite confusing, is it not?" Rose said.
"So Zero, Charizard, AND Zero's mother were in two places at once that day," Missingno said.
"Zero might know something we don't know..." Chapel said calmly.
"And you think he's going to just happily tell us what we don't know?" I asked.
"No,but I've narrowed it down to four question marks : Zero, your mother, Charizard, and Missingno." Chapel then turned to Rose. "Rose, you told me you met Missingno at my old abandoned house about a year ago, did you not?"
"I believe so," Rose said.
"Missingno, what was your reason for returning to the abandoned house?" Chapel asked.
"To find Rui. No one seems to have answer for where she is," Missingno replied.
"'I am the reason you created Neo Snagem'," I said, repeating the words from that dream.
"The dream?" Rose said confused.
"You had that dream too?" Chapel asked.
"The first thing that came to mind in that dream was Rui. I also heard Wes speaking...He had Umbreon and Espeon, but he was looking for a Metagross that had gone missing," I said.
"Hmm," Rose said.
"What is it?" Missingno asked.
"Well, when talking about theories, one specific theory comes in mind: Every virus can spread into identical copies of itself, and Missingno is a virus. So let us say that Missingno somehow found it's way inside Zero, Charizard, and Mother, creating clones at one point when they played host. That would explain how they were in two places at the same time." Rose explained.
"Genius..." I said.
"Well, I was trained to be physically AND mentally superior to that of the average human, Brother," Rose said to me. "That would also explain how we are brother and sister, since we're both related to Zero."
"I never knew I had a sister. But if it's true, that must mean Mother never died at Stark Mountain," I said.
To be honest, I wasn't sure how to cope with welcoming a new family member just like that. If I had a heart, I would probably stress myself over the subject.
"Rose's theory may be true, but that still doesn't explain how Missingno doesn't remember coming into contact with Zero, Charizard, or your mother," Chapel said.
"Your theory's so close, yet so far," A voice said from behind us.
We all turned around to see a Neo Snagem Commander with a black hood over his head. He wore a black jacket with black glove. He aslo wore grey pants and black boots.
"Long time no see, 26" The Commander said.
"23..." Rose said.
"Rose? 26? 23?" I said confused.
"What do you mean 'so close, yet so far'?" Missingno asked.
"Your theory on how Missingno spread it's virus is accurate, but not perfect. The 'thing' that cloned Zero, Charizard, and your mother; The answer lies in both Missingno AND the shadow pokemon used by Team Neo Snagem," 23 said. "However, those clones, I'm afraid, are no longer with us since clones have such a short life span."
I was still on the part where 23 called Rose 26...I stared at the little girl, about to ask her why she was called 26, that was until 23 intervened.
"Go, Mightyena!" 23 said as he sent out a black wolf like pokemon. "Seth, your meddling with the affairs of Team Neo Snagem has finally gotten our attention. So I, Commander 23, am charged with the task of your capture."
Mightyena chargerd at me, I had flinched because I din't have enough reaction time. But somehow, I was not harmed. I opened my eyes to see my 'sister', Rose, hold Mightyena's mouth shut using her hands. I've never seen a human manhandle a pokemon using just their hands.
"...What are you?" I asked.
"...Physically and mentally superior to that of the average human," Rose said calmly as she pushed Mightyena back, knocking it on the ground.
"How c-can y-you b-b-b...be son cruel to a pokemon?!" 23 asked, terrified by this strange girl.
"Was it not YOU who sent a pokemon to attack an innocent human? Everyone thinks harming a pokemon is cruel...at least until the pokemon harms the humans, then no mercy is shown for the pokemon," Rose explained coldly. "I will not just stand by as you harm my beloved brother."
Mightyena got back up on it's feet and roared as it got angry.
"Mightyena, don't get careless this time." 23 said.
Rather than letting Rose defend me once more, I started running through the rose-filled meadow toward the distant forest. Chapel, Chime, Missingno, and my pokemon all followed.
"Hey, where are you going?!" Rose yelled.
I didn't know if Rose followed us because I didn't bother to look back. But after making into the dark forest filled with more planted roses, it seemed as though we had lost Mightyena.
"Uh, what was the point in running?" Missingno asked. "We could've taken on that Mightyena."
I just stood there for another silent moment.
"Rose was called 26...She's in Neo Snagem?" I asked.
"Well-" Chapel tried to answer before she was interrupted by a voice.
"Why did you leave me?" Rose asked as she floated over to me.
"Floating?" I said confused.
"Why did you leave me?" Rose asked again, refusing to stay away from the question.
"We are brother and sister, we are supposed to always be there for each other. Don't you love me?" Rose asked.
"What's with you being called 26? I could never love anyone who's with Neo Neo Snagem," I said coldly.
"But, I am not-," I interrupted Rose.
"Just stay away from me," I said as I turned away from Rose.
"Oh no..." Chapel said as if she was expecting something.
Rose began to form tears in her eyes. She started whimpering as she spoke.
"So, you don't love me either, brother..." Rose said as she simply floated away, deeper into the dark forest.
"No, Rose, don't go!" Chapel yelled as she ran after Rose.
The night grew even more silent...
"Their gone..." I said calmly.
"Seth, what was THAT about?" Missingno asked. "Do you know how Rose feels right now?"
"She was called 26. She's in Neo Snagem. Why should I care about how she feel?" I asked.
"Seth, her thirst for love drifted her away from Team Neo Snagem," Missingno said.
"What?" I said shocked.
"From Atticus, her father and your stepfather, she was born into the Neo Snagem organization. All she did was perform to Atticus' expectations and beyond because she loved him. However, that same love was never reciporicated within Neo Snagem, so she drifted away in search of the love she never had. Roses were her favorite flower, so she abandoned her Codename, 26, in favor of being names after a rose. Her ventures soon brought her in contact with the virus, which is myself, explaining how Rose gained the ability to float. Rose's friendship with me led to her encounter with Chapel. And Rose's encounter with Chapel led to her encounter with you, Seth." Missingno explained.
"So I misunderstood her. All she ever wanted was to be loved, and so she wished to meet me: her long lost beloved." I said acknowledging how poor my judgement was on Rose.
"You need to apologize," Missingno said.
"Agreed," I said as I nodded in agreement.
"I'm afraid not. Neo Snagem will capture you, and make sure that apology doesn't happen." 23 said as he and an enraged Mightyena approached us.
"No..." I said.
Although I was floating, I was running away. Running away was all I could do knowing no one loved me. I hated being alone, but alone was the only answer left for me. So I began to close my heart even further away from the world. Tears went down my face onto my black dress as I stopped near a tree to rest and drown my sorrows.
"No one loves me." I said as I put my hands over my crying face. "No one loves me, No one loves me, No one loves me..."
"Well, I love you," Chapel said as she approached me.
I wanted to be alone, but all I could do right now was smile to keep myself from getting more depressed.
"Chapel..." I said.
"Seth's problem is not with you, it's with Team Neo Snagem," Chapel said as she sat down right next to me.
I had made eye contact with Chapel.
"Seth is not only on a journey to destroy Neo Snagem, but also to recover something he lost, something important to him: his heart." Chapel explained.
"His heart?" I said.
"His heart is inside me. When my heart disappeared, Missingno and I made contact with Seth's heart to borrow his. So you can possibly say I'm the reason why Seth is the way he is: unable to love or tell how other people feel. But, as his journey continues, the void in his heart gathers new experiences that shape hiss personality as we speak. I worry though, because his experiences are currently shaping him up to be a cold, heartless person." Chapel explained.
I began to wipe my tears away...
"How long has it been since you borrowed his heart?" I asked.
"A couple of weeks." Chapel replied.
"It takes a long time to shape a personality. So all we have to do is get Seth to experience nice things on his journey, that way he can learn to love and I can BE loved," I said with a bit of optimism.
"Since his journey has just begun, we'll still have plenty of time," Chapel said.
"Yeah, but-" I suddenly became pessimistic again after thinking about right now. "But how do I confront him now?"
"Well I can see what Seth sees. And right now, he was just explained how misunderstood you are. Missingno explained the story to him," Chapel said.
"So, he knows?" I asked.
Chapel nodded yes.
Before I got a chance to speak again, we heard an explosion that probably came from back where I started to float away. Chapel and I then looked at each other and realized the others could be in danger.
"It seems we forgot 23 is still chasing us," I said.
"Let's go," Chapel said as we started retracing our steps.
Seth's POV
"Did you honestly think you could win with Gible, Elekid, AND Murkrow outside their pokeballs?" I asked.
23 had found us, but I didn't hesitate to retaliate against him or Mightyena since all three of my pokemon were still outside of their pokeballs. All three pokemon cried in victory as they easily dispatch of 23 and Mightyena.
"So technically, even though it was three on one, you've won your second battle in a row," Missingno said.
"Well, I've met many Neo Snagem Commanders. So if I rememer correctly, 25, 23, 21, and 19 have been eliminated. I met a video game-obsessed 24, who caught a Skarmory in Dark Cave, but got away. And Yumi told me she met a Commander 03 and a Salamance when she lived in Olivine City.
"Wow, you're usually the quiet one, but you sure can get out of character when it comes to Neo Snagem," Missingno said.
"I only talk when needed. And please don't break the fourth wall again. This chapter is supposed to be serious," I said.
"So, shall we start looking for Rose?" Missingno asked.
"You won't need to," A voice said as Chapel and Rose approached us.
"23 is defeated?" Rose asked as I recalled his fainted Mightyena.
"I've called the police on my Pokegear. They'll be here any minute now," I said.
An awkward silence arose as the distant Kricketot and Kricketune could be heard.
"They're singing is lovely," Rose said.
"...I misunderstood you, Rose," I said. "I should've let you explain your story instead of jumping to conclusions. My stepfather, Atticus, is a heartless man who hungers power for reasons unknown. He abandoned me and-" I was interrupted by Rose.
"I know, Chapel told me your story. I misunderstood you too, and I never should've got upset at you, considering you are on a journey to look for yourself," Rose said.
Rose then floated closer to me, looking me right in the eye as she got ready to speak again.
"But answer me this, Brother: Do you love me?" Rose asked.
"What...is it like to love?" I asked.
Rose simply smiled.
"Well, we have your whole journey to answer that question," Rose said.
"We?" I said confused.
"I will accompany you on your journey by night," Rose said.
"Why not during the day?" I asked.
Rose's face then frowned as Chapel answered for her.
"She's still not ready to show herself to a world that has pushed her away. She conceals herself during the day and awaits the emptiness of night to show herself." Chapel explained.
"But where will you go during the day?" I asked.
"I will be in your heart, Brother," Rose said.
"Me too," Missingno said.
"But right now, it is night, and I honestly wish to get to know you, Brother," Rose said.
"Sure thing," I said calmly. "We'll talk on our way to the Pokemon Center."
Rose nodded in agreement. I had recalled Elekid, Gible, and Murkrow as we all started walking back to the Pokemon Center. Even Rose started walking.
"Uh, why aren't you floating right now?" I asked.
"In the dead of night, at least a few people will cross our paths in town. So it is best that I conceal my powers from other people," Rose said.
"Okay then, Sister," I said finally acknowledging Rose as family.
Location: Outside Violet City Pokemon Center
On the way to the Pokemon Center, it was clear Rose took after Mother and I, talking as little as needed. Chapel and Missingno mostly carried the conversation. At first, Chime was scared of Rose for some reason. Chapel said it was because of a dream. But Chime soon opened up to Rose and became fast friends with her. After just arriving at the Pokemon Center, we stopped as Missingno spoke.
"Well, Chapel, it's time for me to go back to sleep in your heart, for now. I can't infect anyone else or it'll mean trouble," Missingno said.
"Alright," Chapel said.
Missingno looks as though it was dissolving in a pixilated state as he soon left us to rest in Chapel's heart for the night.
"Goodbye," Rose said to Missingno.
We then walked in the Pokemon Center. The lobby was empty in the dead of night as the lights automatically came on. I looked as Rose, who I saw in light for the first time. Her blonde hair was very vivd and colorful, as were her blue eyes and black dress.
"So, I'll see you in the morning, Chapel," I said as I started walking to my separate room.
"I'll go with you, Brother," Rose said as she started following me.
"Now I'll never hear the end of it form Yumi for leaving her out this adventure," Chapel said as she and Chime started toward their room.
It was a long day. We stopped Neo Snagem and three of their commanders in 23,21, and 19. I finally won my first battle, and I finally met Chapel, who is now traveling with us. And now Rose is traveling with us by night. After thinking about today, I started thinking about tomorrow, when I would have my first gym battle. After a crowded day, it was just me and Rose when we entered my quiet, empty room. Out of nowhere, Rose flew into me and hugged me as I made no comment.
"I am finally loved," Rose said with a smile.
Rose let go of me and floated to the top bunk of the bunk bed as I landed in the bottom bunk.
"So now what?" Rose asked.
"Tomorrow, I challenge Falkner, the Violet City Gym Leader," I said.
To Be Continued...