Pokemon Virus Version Chapter 37: Fighting Fire With Fire
I hope you like Seth's design on the new image for this fic. Just to let you guys know, the images will start to change often so I can showcase all of my OC's designs, which are all hand drawn and owned by me.
So last chapter wasn't really a chapter, it was just a recap in attempt to get the story to make more sense. So here is Chapter 37, where we resume Seth's journey.
Btw, if you haven't yet, check out the Keena's Snow fic by Otaku's Tail. It starts out somewhat slow, but it picks up fast and it is good Pokemon stroy I highly recommend to my fellow readers.
Location: National Park Pokemon Center
Seth's POV
The time was nearing... I was going to confront my older brother Zero soon, but how soon? I was unsure...
I was sitting at a table in the Pokemon Center lobby, where Chapel, Rose, and I stopped in order to participate in the upcoming Bug Catching Contest in three days. Of course, winning the contest was none of my concern, nor was whether the pokemon I'd capture be a bug type or not.
Chapel went to spend some time alone, making my little sister my only 'human' company right now. I was holding a very affectionate Chikorita in my arms, much to my expense. Mawile and Gible were outside of their pokeballs as I was discussing to my three pokemon our plan for the Ecruteak City Gym, which I was told specialized in ghost type pokemon.
"Mawile, Chikorita, it'll be your chance to show how much you've progress, so don't lose." I said dryly as the two smiled and nodded in agreement. I then faced Gible as my eyes narrowed. "You better keep up because my patience is quite thin with you right now."
"Well, what about dark types?" Rose was sitting right next to me. "They are quite a decent match up against ghosts."
Since Yumi left, Rose has been able to come and go from my heart without worrying about other people discovering our 'anomalies'.
"So?" I asked my sister.
"Murkrow is a dark type, am I correct?" Rose asked.
"Murkrow" I replied with another question mark.
I sat there in silence as I slipped into my thoughts. When did I catch a Murkrow? I all seems so foggy to me. I remember helping a little boy with his bad luck by having Eevee use Lucly Chant, but that night is all blurry to me (Chapter 5).
"I don't remember anything about a Murkrow..." I said calmly.
Rose closed her eyes. "I should have guessed. I mean, after your fight with Fear, all your connections were broken. But still, you forgetting Murkrow, and at least remembering the names of everybody else make little sense." Rose stood up. The five year old was still as short as ever. "We must go outside at once.
Once outside, Rose was just about to throw the pokeball the would release what she said to be Murkrow before-
"Seth?" A familiar voice called.
Without facing the voice, my tone was indifferent. "What do you want? What are you doing here, Dustin?"
"I'm here for the Bug Catching Contest in three days. But I didn't think I'd run into you here."
I turned around to face my 'former' friend. Without word, his eyes drifted to a Chikorita who was in my arms, then toward Gible, then Mawile, and eventually Rose. Dustin stared at Rose while her expression was just as indifferent as mine.
"I am called Rose." Rose said in reply to the question that was bound to come out of Dustin's mouth eventually. "I take it you know my older brother, am I correct?"
Without word, I suddenly turned back and started back inside the Pokemon Center. Dustin then ran in front of me, He didn't seem to notice I wanted him to get out of my face.
"Hey, don't you want to compare the new pokemon we've captured?" Dustin asked.
"I haven't caught any new pokemon." I said annoyed as I continued on my way. "Now stay out of my face.
"Seth, you have my respect, and I consider you a friend. So what's wrong with you? Why are you acting like such a-" I interrupted him.
"-Stop trying to be my friend!" I said calmly. Rose caught up to me and was standing right beside me. Chikorita and Mawile the turned to my 'goody two shoes' rival. "Why should I waste my time talking to a 'waste of time' loser like you?"
"Brother! That was uncalled for!" Rose yelled upset.
Mawile, Chikorita, and Gible all agreed with Rose.
"You have become quite cruel..."
"Why would I even want him as a friend?" I asked. "We were friends once before, but he turned his back on me while I was down, just like Zero did." I stopped just outside the Pokemon Center doors. "Things change, Rose... The world is my enemy, and now that I've been getting stronger, people suddenly want to hop on my bandwagon and be my 'friend'. I don't need anymore friends to crap on me next time I hit rock bottom. That's that."
"Do I seriously have to knock some respect into you?!" Dustin yelled annoyed. "Why don't we have a battle, then I'll show you who the real loser is!"
"Brother?" Rose questioned.
I stopped walking completely and turned around to face the short black haired boy wearing a grey knit cap. "Is that a challenge, or a threat?"
Dustin just gave me a nasty look, awaiting my reply.
"One on one." I replied calmly. "All or nothing."
"Challenge accepted. In that case-" Rose started off the battlefield to allow our battle to take place. My sister was also still holding what she said to be Murkrow's pokeball. "-If you two will excuse me."
Dustin and I respectively stood on opposing sides of the battlefield. Chikorita was on my shoulder, while Mawile and Gible were still outside of their pokeballs, standing right next to me.
"Are you two ready?" My sister asked from the sideline.
We both nodded.
"Who will you fight with, Brother?" Rose asked me.
"Gible!" I called to a Gible who was startled by the tone of my voice. "Don't screw up this time."
Gible slowly walked on the grass field under a lot of pressure, given the fact that I'm close to releasing the Land Shark for coming up short time and time again.
"Gible..." Rose has expressed her concern for Gible quite much lately.
"Okay Seth," Dustin called out my name as he took out his pokeball with much uncalled for enthusiasm. "Why don't you check this out!"
Dustin threw the pokeball which released what seemed to be a bigger version of the Timburr I battled back in Violet City (Chapter 20). The piece of lumber was now a metal pillar the evolved Timburr was carrying on it's shoulders.
I took out my navy blue pokedex to scan the unfamiliar pokemon.
The pokedex read:
Gurdurr, the Muscular Pokemon; This Pokemon is so muscular and strongly built that even a group of wrestlers could not budge it an inch.
Despite Gible having an advantage over many fighting types due to Rough Skin, that metal pillar could just about even the playing field should Gurdurr use it to avoid contact with Gible.
"After you," I said flatly, giving Dustin the first move.
"Alright Gurdurr, let's start off with Bulk Up!" Dustin yelled as he shot a fist in the air.
"Urr!" Gurdurr began glowing a red aura that gave a boost to both it's power and defense.
I remained silent, waiting for the Muscular pokemon to actually attack me. Gible looked unsure, but my commands woulds come soon enough.
"Now use Dig!" Dustin yelled.
"What?" I certainly didn't see THAT move coming as Gurdurr all of a sudden had my full attention.
Gurdurr burrowed it's way under the battlefield as Gible was looking around in confusion.
Now what to do...
"Durr!" Gible was stricken by the metal pillar that was driven through the surface. Gible was sent flying across the battlefield and landed right in front of Dustin.
"Alright Gurdurr, keep it up, let's go," Dustin quickly yelled.
"Come on, Gible!" I yelled annoyed.
Gible tried to catch Gurdurr before it dug another hole into the ground, but was too slow.
"You know we're gonna keep usinbg this strategy until you can stop it, right?" Dustin said with a smirk as he crossed his arms.
He's right, although I never openly acknowledged his comment.
Moments passed as I was calmly waiting for Gurdurr to surface. What could be taking so long? While Gurdurr was underground, I was trying to come up with a counter for Dig.
I can't just let Gible take the attack. After all, that pillar is what keeps Rough Skin from activating. If only I could somehow separate Gurdurr from that pillar, my job would be much easier. But even if I'm successful, that won't keep him from using Dig over and over.
"Brother!" Rose's called snapped me back to reality as my focus returned to Gible.
"Durr!" Gurdurr's pillar struck Gible once again, Gurdurr then dug a fifth hole immediately after surfacing.
That's it, the holes!
"Gible, dive in after Gurdurr!" I commanded to a still airborne Gible.
Gible dove into the hole head first, and I was hoping Gurdurr's ambushes would come to an end with Gible now following it.
"But how?!" Dustin yelled.
"I believe you have formulated a strategy. Am I correct, Brother?" Rose asked. "Perhaps your strategy is the one I am thinking of right now: fighting fire with fire, with a substitute of much surprise."
My mentally superior sister was correct. I was going to fight Gurdurr's surprises with a surprise of my own.
"Gurdurr, come on! Get out of there!" Dustin was in a mode of panic as I remained quiet and reserved, as usual.
"Flamethrower..." I said calmly.
All five holes erupted in flames. With Gurdurr unable to escape a fairly long lasting Flamethrower underground, a one hit knock out was what I predicted. As the flames soon became smoke, Gible emerged from one of the holes, alone.
"Well done, Gible." Those words were fairly uncommon when being said to Gible. "But of course, it was MY strategy that made all the difference."
Huge weight on the word 'MY' there.
I calmly walked onto the battlefield, followed by Mawile and Chikorita.
"W-wait," Dustin said worried. "The battle isn't over, is it?"
Gurdurr never surfaced, so Dustin refused to admit defeat until-
"Maw wile! Mawile!" Mawile approached the hole Gible surfaced through, and repeatedly called out to Gurdurr.
"Gible..." Rose slowly walked toward Gible. "You did it..."
"Like I said: It was MY strategy that made the difference." I said calmly as I started back toward the Pokemon Center, "I still think the battle was a waste of time though."
Mawile was right behind me, while Chikorita and Gible were following the team leader in Mawile.
"If the battle was what you call 'a waste of time', then do you not consider Gible's victory relevant?" Rose asked as she caught up to me.
"Well..." I stopped, but did not reply beyond that word.
"Gurdurr!" We all turned around to see Dustin run up to the hole that lied inside an uncoscious Gurdurr. "Gurdurr, you were great," Dustin said as he took out a pokeball and recalled Gible.
I took a few steps back toward Dustin. I was bewildered at what he just said to the Muscular pokemon.
"Gurdurr lost," I said calmly as I crossed my arms. "What was so 'great' about losing?"
"Brother, you do not get it," Rose said.
"My journey has really made me think about my pokemon's feelings." Dustin said calmly. "I may have lost, but at the end of the day, we're still friends. All of us."
Dustin held out a hand wanting a 'high five' from me. "We're friends, right?"
Rose, Chikorita, Mawile, and Gible all waited for a verbal reply from me. Friends... the ones that are close to you...they all turn their backs on you eventually. Like Dustin, and like my brother Zero. And so I've come to an overall conclusion: friendship, most of the time, offers nothing but betrayal.
"Rose," I said as I turned around and started walking. "The world is our enemy. A world that has shunned us for being 'different'. I don't need anymore friendship. I can take care of myself."
'Anymore' was the key word there. There were few whom I actually considered friends. Rose, Yumi, Chapel, and my pokemon have all stuck by me even though I've been labelled names such as cold and selfish. Sure my 'friends have called me cold and selfish, but they've never called me a 'failure' or a 'loser'. I remember when my frineds actually made me smile for the first time in years. (It's also worth pointing out that Seth has only smiled twice in this entire story. Point is: He hasn't found a 'happiness' emotion yet).
"Friends..." I said coldly to myself. "Who needs them?"
Chapel's POV
Accompanied by only Chime and Ursaring. I had spent the morning in isolation, away from the rest of the trainers nad Pokemon in National Park. Because it's been quite some time since Seth last caught a pokemon (Mawile), I recommended the Bug Catching Contest he could take part in three days from now.
Like I said, I needed some time alone with my pokemon. But to be honest, I've felt nothing but lonely ever since Yumi left. It's been quiet... perhaps too quiet having travel partners in Seth and Rose. I mean, between the four of us, Yumi was really the only extrovert. (And there is a difference between being shy and being and introvert).
After walking for about thirty minutes, the three of us stopped at a lake where no other trainer was in sight. Pokemon such as Poliwag, Froakie, and Burmy were enjoying the lake water. While other pokemon such as Oddish, Cottonee, Petilil, and a Bayleef were sunbathing on nearby grass where rays of sunlight beamed down through the trees that surrounded us all.
I slowly walked up to the lake to the lake to see my reflection through very clear water.
"Celebi..." I just couldn't get the Time Travel pokemon off my mind . I began to wonder what became of Althaea and if she ever encountered Celebi (Chapter 29). I was concealed within my thoughts before noticing Ursaring's reflection in the water. I turned around at the bear, and couldn't help but smile at what used to be my biggest fear. "Who would've thought one of my biggest fears would become one on my best friends?"
"Yes, I too find that quite ironic." I heard a male voice say from behind me. I began hearing his footsteps as they slowly came closer, and closer. "I can remember like it was yesterday, the day I recused you from a group of Ursaring (Chapter 4). His footsteps stopped right next to me, and I could see his reflection through the lake. It was the refelction of the 'hero' of a far away land.
"What brings YOU here, Wes?" I asked calmly.
I honestly was very surprised by Wes' (02's) sudden apppearance. Why was he HERE? And why confront me? Was it to check in on how my search for Celebi was holding up?
"A couple of 'partners' and I were on our way to Goldenrod." Wes replied calmly. "I suspect they're attracting quite the amount of attention right now in National Park.
I turned to the dirty blonde haired guy (Wes) holding a Togepi who was still looking at his own reflection. "What makes you say that?" I asked. "And who are these 'partners' you speak of? A they apart of Neo Snagem?"
"All of your questions shall be answered soon enough." Wes replied as he suddeny turned back and started walking. "Come, I'll show you exactly what you wish to be answered. And on the way, we may talk about the 'Utopia Dream' we've all been having lately.
Chime, Ursaring, and I all followed Wes and the Togepi. We entered a checkpoint that indicated we were proceeding onto the main part of National Park.
"Toge Togepi!" Togepi jumped out of Wes' arms and ran up to greet Chime, Ursaring, and I with much excitement.
"Togepi!" Wes called. "Leave them be." Wes turned to Togepi and picked it up in his arms. I swear the way he holds Togepi and acts indifferent to it's cuteness reminds me alot of Seth and Chikorita.
"You know, with Togepi in your arms, you remind me a lot like this boy I know." I said. "His name's Seth."
"And you remind me a lot of Rui." Wes replied.
I blushed, but I did not know whether that was a compliment. Not wanting to digress, I kept the subject on him and Togepi.
"Togepi also makes you look sweet." I teased with a smile.
Wes did not say anything or even look back at me as he kept a straight face. Honestly, Seth would act that way too.
"So how'd you catch it?" I asked.
"I didn't catch Togepi, she just wouldn't stop following me (Chapter 26)." Wes said as he then looked at Togepi saying. "I swear she's just as bad as Rui."
"Bad?" I said to myself. "Togepi are known for following people with pure hearts. What's so bad about that?"
"Does it look like I have a pure heart?" Wes asked as he looked at me."I am...unsure."
"Wes, unsure? THAT was a first considering how intelligent Wes is. I never though I'd see Wes question who he was as a person. He is the creator of an evil organizatio- no...Wes has never said anything about Neo Snagem being evil, now that I think about it. "But then what does that make Neo Snagem? What does that me US? Wes has never stated that he was a bad guy, while Seth has never accepted that he was a good guy. Do we just not know enough about Team Neo Snagem to come to a conclusion? I gave a curious look to Wes, and then Togepi. Wes once said that he was praised as 'a hero in a far away land' five years ago. But is the 'hero' part of him still alive deep down? I once again looked at Togepi, who gave me a big smile.
If anyone can revive the hero part of him that died, maybe Togepi can...
To Be Continued...
Yes, an 'unusual' ending for this chapter. I have much planned before AND during the Bug Catching Contest. If you don't remember, Wes' partners are both Naoko and Lance from Ecruteak City. So that's all I have and I hope to see you again next chapter.