Pokemon Virus Version Chapter 25: A Fear of Fear Itself
I don't know, these author's notes are getting a little repetitive at this point. Anyways enjoy and please let me know how I did this chapter.
Yumi's POV
We had all brought an unconscious Seth back to the campsite and set him on his sleeping bag. Worry was written across everyone's faces. Chapel crawled back into her sleeping bag to return to her slumber. She had told us Seth Will wake up, we just wouldn't know when. Rose walked up to Seth's unconscious body.
"Do not worry, he will be fine," Rose said.
I then turned to the little girl. "What happened to him? Why would he suddenly black out?"
"The real Seth broke free of the aura's control," Rose said as she looked at me. "Remembering his connection with Chikorita unlocked his chain of memories with us."
"But...why is he unconscious?" I asked.
Rose then smiled. "He finally acknowledged us as very close friends. He wanted to protect those close to him, so he is fighting the evil inside him." Rose then looked back to Seth. "Let us just say he is dreaming right now."
"A fight with an evil spirit..." I said as I held my hand to my chest. "If he loses, then what?"
"Unfortunately, the Seth we know may truely be gone forever should he be defeated..." Rose said as her smile disappeared. "At least, that is what I think."
A moment of silence unofficially ended our conversation. Rose approached a nearby tree to rest on for the night, while I crawled back into my sleeping bag.
"Take care..." I remembered those words to be Seth's last before losing consciousness.
I then looked at my newly evolved Fennekin, who was lying right next to me. I could tell, from the look on her face that even she was worried about Seth, despite the fact that they have never really gotten along.
"Take Care..." I repeated. "Was he trying to say goodbye for now, or goodbye forever?" I stared at the night sky, hoping to force myself into a deep sleep to carry me through to morning, but no luck. I couldn't help but look at him, for my worry for him was keeping me awake.
Location: Seth's Heart
Seth's POV
"I am what you fear! I am Fear itself," The evil spirit who looked exactly like me introduced himself.
Inside my heart was a dispute over who shall have control of my body. The consequences far outweigh the benefits of winning, but fighting Fear was my best chance to regain control of my body.
"The connections you have made with the outside world will soon fade as I suppress you to the deepest shadows of your heart, where you will never again see the light of day," Fear said. "My bold predictions will come true, once you lose."
"How will we fight?" I asked.
Fear then put a sinister smirk on his face. "You are willing to gamble your life away for your friends? Life is like a picture: It hold precious memories connecting to one's heart, much like the dark abyss which surrounds us." Fear said as he started observing his surroundings, obtaining an idea. "Ah, yes, we will battle using you're memories. They will reform in front of us as we draw our swords, speaking metaphorically of course."
My eyes narrowed, needing a demonstration to fully understand Fear's terms.
"Allow me to explain: All you need is to think of your experiences. Here, these memories will materialize." Fear said as a Murkrow appeared in front of him, formed from both shadows and memories.
I gasped. "Murkrow?!"
"Shadow Ball, now," Fear said.
The Murkrow's sounds were muted. Although action was performed, no sound was produced. I had shielded myself with my arms as Shadow Ball was launched. I was hit, but the damage done was nothing extensive.
Wait a minute, wasn't Murkrow in my pokeba-" I reached for Murkrow's pokeball, but not only was Murkrow missing, but all my other pokemon as well.
Hm, should I try Energy Ball? No, they would cancel out like in Murkrow's battle with-
I couldn't believe it. Remembering my battle with Roselia in Cherrygrove City actually formed Althaea and Roselia from my memories.
"Well, I'll battle you," I remembered Althaea say. "Althaea's the name."
Althaea used Stun Spore to paralyze Murkrow, did she not?
"Roselia, use Stun Spore," I said.
Once again, action was performed, but no sound was produced. Why? Stun Spore struck Murkrow, stopping him in his tracks.
"Thank you, Althaea," I said as I recalled my memories, remembering how Murkrow beat Roselia that day.
"My my, you certainly catch on fast," Fear said with a smirk. "Use Sky Attack!"
"Seth, I've gotta give credit where credit is due: You seem to back up what few words you say. But Pidgeot will test how far you've really gotten. So come on out Pidgeot! I thought as Falkner and Pidgeot appeared in front of me.
"Now charge!" Fear yelled as Murkrow finished charging Sky Attack.
"Aerial Ace," I said through my memories.
Both moves collided, but Pidgeot clearly overpowered Murkrow, just like in my gym battle.
Murkrow had dissolved into the shadows, but something weird happened inside my mind, I felt. A piece of my heart had become foggy, before vanishing into the darkness. I fell to my knees, dazed...
"W-What just happened?" I asked myself as I put one hand on my head. "It feels like...I just forgot something..."
"The Murkrow you just defeated...When is disappeared, so did your connection with it." Fear said.
My eyes shot wide open. "A connection was broken...But which one?"
"Whenever a connection is damaged, it breaks." Fear said with another sinister smirk. "So when you beat me, ALL your connections will be broken.
"So, if I lose, I'll never see my friends again. But if I when, I'll become indifferent to them..."
"Win OR lose, you will lose everything!" Fear yelled as he laughed psychotically.
He never said it would be a fair fight, but those words provoked me.
"Pidgeot! Kill him now!" I yelled.
"Aw, did I hurt your feelings, Beth? Fear teased me as he dodged Pidgeot with ease.
"Well, it's not like you had any feelings to begin with. Ha ha!"
"Shut up!" I yelled.
I couldn't help but realize Fear was right.
"Shut up!" Fear yelled, mocking me. "Oh, look, you just told yourself to 'shut up' twice, Beth. Hmhmhm. You will cause your own downfall - Love, hate, FEAR?! Yes, you will cringe to those words."
Fear then started walking toward me, retaining his sinister smile once again. "Zero, Atticus, Missingno... Chikorita, and yourself - Those memories mean nothing now." Fear stood half a dozen feet away from me. "Because how they all relate to you is overshadowed by what you fear: Me? Let's find out deeper within your heart."
Fear snapped his fingers. "Oh, I know. How about that 'orange dragon' you hate so much? Do you hate it? Fear it? Or both? Let's find out."
"N-no, please don't..." I said.
Looking at this predicament right now, my aggression had been replaced by this 'fear' we keep talking about. The shadows then formed to create my worst fear. I slowly backed away from my fear, unable to order my fading memory of Pidgeot.
The tail of fire brought a faint light to the emptiness of my heart, as the dark aura solidified into the orange dragon: Charizard.
"Hmhmhm," Fear laughed, "What's wrong, Beth? It seems you are regressing to the helpless weakling you were five years ago."
Both Fear and fear itself smothered my mind. I was starting to believe all hope was lost.
"Speaking of that day, I feel a little role play would certainly fit this living nightmare you call a heart. Get on you knees, cry and beg helplessly for mercy, and return to the helpless loser you once were," Fear said. "Maybe a WILL spare you the agony."
He...he was right... Fear was mentally destroying me with my own flaws. I slowly got on me knees as Fear laughed at my lose dignity. Well, it was a lose-lose situation anyway, since I would lose my friends no matter the outcome.
"My, my. This role play rehearsal certainly went perfect on first cue. I thought stage fright would surely keep you from doing said blocking." Fears eyes narrowed. "But they don't call me fear for nothing. Charizard, eliminate him!"
Without sound, Charizard readied his Flamethrower. I was paralyzed in fear as I watch helplessly. Flamethrower launched, and losing everything suddenly became immenent.
"Take care..." I whispered as I closed my eyes.
A familiar voice then found it's way into my head.
"You can't lose... Don't just give up on everything..." The familiar voice said. "You've got to gain control of yourself..."
"Right!" I said as I opened my eyes and narrowly dodged Flamethrower.
The familiar voice...It was my friends.
Their right, this is my body, and I should never just give it up. But to gain control of my body, I have to face Fear. I thought to myself. Wait a minute, facing MY fears is all I have to do.
Now I know: I am the source of my pain. My oath to defeat Neo Snagem will remain, as my connection with my friends wither away. But just because they'll be lost, doesn't mean we can't rebuild. I must with this fight right now.
I got up and stared at Charizard with a determined look as I calmly walked toward both him and Fear.
"You will not defeat me," I said as I stopped right in front of the orange dragon. "The only one I've feared, was myself."
"Charizard, do us a favor and end this anomaly," Fear said with an evil smirk.
"Hmph, Fear, this memory is just that - a memory," I said calmly as Charizard started fading.
"What?! What's happening?!" Fear asked as he started fading as well.
"I no longer fear myself. I conquered my fear,a s you have been conquered by me, or YOURself, should I say." I said calmly. "In other words: I win."
My eyes narrowed as I calmly watched a panicking Fear fade away.
"Er! This isn't over, you, you!" Fear couldn't insult me. "I WILL surface again! And then you will be lost forever! You hear me?!"
The dark cloud began to shrink as my heart returned to the state it was when I started my journey.
"We'll fight again..." I said as I whited out.
I am in an endless black abyss, but how did I get here? What happened to me? It feels as though my heart has flushed away what makes my personality. But Why? Was it for my own good? I felt a heavy, evil aura be suppressed, but I also felt this wasn't the aura's last stand. My journey for what I've lost...it has just restarted, because I feel that 'thing' has once again distanced itself from me.
I whited out once again, but this time, I had awoken from a dream to gaze upon a night sky.
Location: Campsite
When I opened my eyes, I spotted a Chikorita lying right next to me, and Yumi sitting next to me, unaware of my awakening.
(BTW, Seth did not forget his friends all together. The only one erased from his memory was Murkrow since it was the only one defeated.)
Yumi then sat up and looked at me.
"You awake yet?" Yumi asked in a dry tone as she was half asleep.
She gasped when she realized my eyes were open and looking at her.
"You're awake!" She said as she hugged me. "You're finally awake... Uhh, you ARE Seth, right?"
"Yes," I said flatly.
"Uh," Yumi said confused as she gently pulled away and gave me a curious look. "This whole mess was my fault."
"Now I gave her a confused look. "Wha?"
What was she talking about? Did I forget something?
"I was hurt because of you, and you were hurt because of me. But we finally established a connection, right?" Yumi asked.
"What connection?" I asked, retaining my curious look.
Yumi sighed, "Seth, what happened to you?"
Yumi frowned in reaction to my question. I frowned as well. Just what was I forgetting about this girl?!
"His connections with us are now broken, as well as any changes he has experienced as a person on this journey," A voice said as Rose walked up to us.
"But why?" Yumi asked as she faced Rose.
"Brother had no other option. He needed to break his connection with the dark aura that controlled you both, and in the process, our connection were broken as well. We must reestablish those connections and shape his personality once more," Rose explained.
Yumi made no reply as she turned back to me and hugged me again with more affection.
"Then we'll just have to cuddle with him" Yumi said.
I then pushed Yumi away. "Sorry, I don't do cuddly," I said in a cold tone.
"Oh, so you wanna have the 'cuddly' conversation again? You may not like it, but we need our connections back," Yumi hugged me again and started rambling about how I should 'express' myself. "-And remember what I said: When a girl hugs, you hug her back. It's how she f-."
To save a headache and an argument, I returned her hug, which surprised everyone as Yumi stopped talking. I swear this girl is annoying.
"It's how she feels," I said flatly. "I know."
Yumi let go of me quietly. She looked me in the eyes and blushed.
"What?" I asked annoyed.
"Honestly, you are quite dense when it comes to girls, Brother," Rose said while giggling.
"What are YOU laughing at?" Yumi asked as she gave Rose a comedic glare.
"You ARE his girlfriend, are you not?" Rose asked while still giggling.
Yumi calmed down as she spoke. "Well, after tonight, it's best to just stay away from the subject for now. We'll see one day, when we find that 'something' Seth is missing."
"I see, you are saying you will save it for another episode on another day," Rose said as she looked at Yumi. "Oh well, maybe Chapel will beat you to him."
Yumi glared at Rose, who had a haughty look on her face.
"Alright, that's it, little girl!" Yumi yelled as she started chasing a running Rose.
I swear, those two are like annoying little sisters when they're together.
I then looked at a sleeping Chapel and Chikorita , who must be heavy sleepers if they can sleep through Yumi's big mouth. I then was approached by a fire type pokemon I was not familiar with.
"What do you want?" I asked calmly.
"Zen," The fire type extended it's paw.
"Why?" I asked the fire type. "Did something happen?"
I stared at the paw, unable to interpret what the fire type was saying.
"...Facing my fears have helped me overcome them..." I thought to myself.
"Brother, you must apologize as well," Rose said as she approached us, finishing her scuffle with Yumi.
"What did I do?" I asked in a flat tone.
The moment grew silent...
"You may not remember, but you hurt her," Rose said. "It was not her fault Charizard mentally scarred you. But you resent her for it, and tried to kill her."
Was I supposed to feel sad? No emotions came into thought, but if I was going to establish a new connection, I might as well start here.
"So it all starts here..." I said as I grabbed the pokemon's paw, mending whatever strain was put between us.
And thus our night ended. After the others fell asleep, Rose dissolved into my heart. She told me I would eventually adopt a few of her personality traits so that I would be completely heartless, and that my heart would fill faster with her resting in there. She also reminded me that she would only travel with us my night, so I digressed. I guess my new life starts here...
Location: Ecruteak City
Wes' POV
I had entered an Ecruteak City filled with chaos. As I walked through the streets, I witnessed further growth in 'our' dynasty. And with 'our' dynasty, comes 'their' end. 'Our' numbers grow, as 'their' numbers shrink. Locals and travelers alike have been captured and forcefully recruited, or should I say: Are in the process.
"Commander Wes" A voice said as I was approached by 10 from behind. "I was unable to retrieve our Snag Machine.
At this point, THAT was of little or no importance.
"The boy. A dark spirit now lives inside him, but I still retain the power bestowed upon me by the virus." 10 said.
"I see," I replied as I changed the subject. "What does THIS mission accomplish?"
"Sir?" 10 said confused.
"My reason for reviving Team Snagem heavily conflicts with Atticus' reasons." I observed all the pointless conflict within the streets. "Is it really them against us, or is it just us against them?"
"What is Neo Snagem's primary purpose?" I said as I started walking ahead, 10 following. "Atticus and I... We are like two sides of the same coin. But we both have not come any closer to our goals then yesterday, or five years ago, because we have not found a common purpose."
"Our searching for that purpose has lead us here," I said as I looked up at the night sky. "And so it begins: Operation Takeover,"
To Be Continued...
So, there you have it. What lies in store for our 'hero' in Wes? Stay tuned for next chapter. Be sure to write a review and let me know how I'm doing.
Oh, and by the way, Murkrow, was the only pokemon Seth had forgotten all together since Murkrow was the only one destroyed in Seth's heart. What next for Seth and Murkrow will be addressed in a future chapter since there haven't been any chapters to focus on the bird. But the next few chapters will feature some tensions within Neo Snagem as to what their main purpose is.
Also, I haven't forgotten about Althaea and a few other characters whose had little appearance in this story. She will be back eventually, along with Volkner, Flint, and maybe Iris.
Anyways, Can you tell me who you're favorite character is?