Pokemon Virus Version Chapter 64: The Promise(Interlude)
So here we have a short, subdued chapter. Now this is a very special chapter as well. I learned from my early chapters that I should provide too many spoilers in the Author's Note. Even so, I choose to do so right now;
So what's next for everyone now that Seth is defeated? Well, here you go.
Location: Neo Snagem's Dominion of Shadows Headquarters
Zero's POV
Morty and I were both making our way to the royal banquet hall to put a stop to 10's psychotic attitude, but just before we entered the banquet hall, I saw a girl with long black hair and aqua blue bangs running in my direction. I paid her no mind as she and her Umbreon entered the banquet hall ahead of me.
But just as Morty and I went in, I stopped.
"Having a pokemon on hand..." I said to myself. That girl and her Umbreon just gave me an idea. "You know, that's not a bad idea..." I said as I pulled from my black pants the pokeball that contained Charizard, and released the orange dragon.
"Aar!" The fire type roared.
"Listen," I said, calming thee orange dragon down, "I need for you to follow whatever action Umbreon takes, and put a stop to Commander 10."
At first, Charizard gave me a very confused face, a face I haven't seen since the early days of our Sinnoh journey, when baby Charmander and I were still uncertain and getting used to each other. After a few seconds, Charizard erased his confused face and gave me a nod before proceeding to heroically rush into the banquet hall.
Entering for myself, there he was...How long has it been since I last saw him? At least five years.
After seeing Charizard and the girl's Umbreon stop Gengar, my brother turned around, looking at the black haired girl.
"Yumi?" He said confused as he then looked at me.
His eyes immediately widened as he whispered, "YOU?!"
It was a few seconds that felt like an eternity as we stared at each other. Looking at me, he saw an enemy he passionately despised. Looking at him, I saw my younger brother. Seth's grown...The thirteen year old still had black hair with two blonde bangs on the right side of his face. His left eyes was still the same deep blue color that I see in the eyes of Mother Flora, and my long lost sister, Rose. But his right eye...I was a dark purple color... Has my brother fallen into the darkness?
Before I had a chance to say anything back to my brother-
"-Mind Crush!" It was 10, and he was aiming for Seth.
"Ah-" 10's Mind Crush was so sudden, none of us could even react before Seth was stricken by 10's dark aura. The blacked haired girl winced, then her eyes widened as we both saw Seth slowly fall to the ground, his eyes now empty.
"No!" I yelled.
"Seth!" The black haired girl immediately ran up to my downed brother, as did her Umbreon, and a Chikorita? "No..." She fell to her knees and proceeded to hold him in her arms. "Seth? Seth, wake up!"
"Chico?" Seeing the girl panic had caused the Chikorita to tear up in it's eyes. "Chico..."
"Hey..." 10 said as he looked at the girl," You're that girl. Oh yes, Yumi was the name. Ironic that the same boy that saved you from my mind crush some nights ago managed to get his own mind crushed. What an ending for the martyr. Shame that he didn't have time to bid farewell to his 'girlfriend' before he left. Hahaha."
"You...you shut up!" The girl yelled as she held my brother closer, "I'll, I'll...Umbreon!"
"Um!" She called for Umbreon to step up. The Umbreon passed a Gengar who was just defeated, and a Charizard who couldn't help but look at Seth with much concern. Charizard obviously remembers who Seth is.
"At this point, fighting will solve absolutely nothing. Besides, my last pokemon in Gengar has just been beaten. But-" 10 stepped closer to the Umbreon, "By coming at me in a battle stance, i assume that you wish to fight me anyway. Fine then, allow me to do the honors and crush YOUR mind as well! It's something I should've done a long time ago in the first place."
"Zero?" said a voice from behind me.
It was Morty, and he was still with me. It was time to do what I came here for. To start, just before 10 could take any further action, I called his name to grab his attention, "Commander 10! Shadow!"
Shadow sighed, obviously recognizing my voice as he decided to stand down. "Zero..."
"Wait, Zero?" The girl called 'Yumi' said confused. The Chikorita looked at me wide eyed as I walked past it, and Yumi was still holding Seth in her arms like a beloved would, "Are you?"
"Do you know who I am?"
"No. Who's side are you on?" Yumi asked.
"We'll ask and answer questions later. Right now, I must deal with the situation at hand," I said to the girl. She nodded, and then I proceeded to address 10, with Morty right behind me, "10, just what do you think you're doing?"
"Now Team Neo Snagem has nothing to worry about. The 'killer' who started Ecruteak's riots has just now been vanquished." 10 answered.
"You fool..." Morty whispered.
"The goal of Neo Snagem is to unite with those who stand against us, not to kill them," I said to the cloaked Commadner. "...Not just Seth, but Eusine too..."
"You killed him..." Morty said, "You killed a very close friend of mine..."
"Yes I did. Whaat of it?" Commander Shadow asked, "Zero, were you not aware of this?"
There was not a reply from me OR Morty.
"Eusine chose to die. He told me that he'd rather die as a free man than live as a prisoner. Did he not say those same words to you, Morty?" 10 asked, "In fact, maybe I should kill you too. Perhaps then you'll reunite with him in the next life...You raise my suspicion, Morty..."
"10," I said as I stepped up, "As Neo Snagem's Commadner Zero, you have been discharged. First Eusine, and now Seth...Yes, you and I apparently aren't on the same page right now. And you pose as a danger to those in Neo Snagem." I wasted no time 'firing' Shadow before he could end up killing the wrong person one day. I just couldn't allow him to keep killing off Neo Snagem's empire from the inside.
"Hmph. YOU, discharging ME?" 10 said to himself, "You can't discharge me. I honestly don't give a crap how many higher you are than me, I don't take orders from lowly teenagers like you OR Wes, Zero. The whole ranking system means crap to me...There's only one man that governs me. And Zero, that man just so happens to be your father, Atticus."
"Of course..." I said. It was no surprise either, given the fact that Atticus is Neo Snagem's most powerful Commander.
"Now what are you gonna do, Zero? Will you forcefully rid Neo Snagem of me?" 10 asked. "I hope not, because the moment you do, you'll create a pit of hypocrisy for yourself when you decide to 'kill off a part of Neo Snagem from the inside'."
It was the first time I had ever been opposed as one of Neo Snagem's top three Commanders. 10's words were getting to me. On the inside, I felt angry and somewhat provoked. While on the outside, my fists were clenched and shaking. That man, that man who killed Eusine AND my brother...he wasn't going to stop his mind crushing way. We all stared at the dark cloaked man who just recalled his downed Gengar, then made his way past Charizard, Umbreon, Yumi, and Chikorita, proceeding to make his exit. But before he left the banquet hall, he stopped right next to me.
"Just so you know, the only reason why I don't crush YOUR mind right now is you're the son of Leader Atticus. However, should you try and force my hand, I'll have no choice but to kill you, whether Atticus likes it or not..." He then continued. Passing me, and then Morty, 10 was out of our presence.
What was left? A room full of white clothed tables, broken AND unbroken. Umbreon was walking back to it's trainer, who had a single tear fall on the face of my brother. That Chikorita was also crying, and Charizard sighed as he looked at his downed friend. Morty proceeded to walk ahead of me, and toward the girl holding my brother.
"I can't believe it..." Morty said as he stared at Seth, "HIM of all people falling to 10's Mind Crush?"
"Foolish..." I said to my downed brother as I walked over to him. "There wasn't a hint of innocence left in your eyes when I saw you. Did you honestly think you could stop this entire organization?" I sighed, getting all of my 'harsher' words out of the way first. "But with all that said, your death makes me sad...You're STILL my brother..."
"Huh, his brother?" Yumi said confused as she looked at me with a curious face. "Are you telling me that Seth was related to a Neo Snagem Commadner?"
"Are YOU really Seth's girlfriend?" I countered.
"What? No...I mean...Maybe?" I was expecting the girl to blush. It didn't happen, but it was no surprise, given the situation that we were currently in.
I sighed. "Maybe?" Maybe she is, maybe she isn't, "You were supposed to say yes. Yes, Seth is related to a Neo Snagem Commander."
...
"Commander 10...How did he do it, that 'Mind Crush' thing? How are all of his victims dead, but still breathing?" Yumi asked.
"What?" My eyes widened.
"Where'd that last question come from?" Morty asked.
"Seth is dead, but he's still breathing." Yumi answered as she was still holding me brother. "Doesn't that happen to all of 10's victims?"
"No...Let me see." I got on one knee, and put just two of my fingers on Seth's neck. "...He still has a pulse?"
"This can't be...He survived the mind crush?" Morty asked.
"Not sure." I answered as I stood back up.
"Well,: Yumi started as she put a hand on Seth's chest ,"His breathing is slow, heavy, and deep..."
"Not when when or IF he'll wake up." I added. Brief moments of silence followed, and I eventually shifted my gaze to the girl. "So, how to you know whim?"
"Huh?" Yumi said confused as she looked at me, "Well, this is actually the first time I've seen Seth in a long time. Him and I, and some other close friends of ours, were traveling the Johto Region as Pokemon Trainers. After reuniting with my other friends, I wanted everyone to come with me so we could reunite with Seth here. They though he was already captured, and hesitated to go back into 'enemy territory'. They said that Neo Snagem already knew who THEY were as well. Being the friend that I was, I didn't want to put them too close to any danger. So I told them to go ahead, and that I would me them in Mahogany Town with Seth in my hands. There was no way I was going to leave Seth behind. But now..." Yumi paused, and looked at my brother once more.
I sighed. This girl seemed to care very deeply about not just Seth, but her other friends as well... so- "Now you hav eto keep that promise," I said to the girl. "I may be his enemy, but as Seth's older brother, I still have to keep him safe...I promised t hat the next time I saw him, I would tell him everything...About why I did what I did five years ago, and about the growing rift between Atticus and the rest of Team Neo Snagem...Please, Yumi, take my brother, and promise me you'll never leave his side."
"I promise..." Yumi nodded.
"Chico!"
"Um..." Chikorita and Umbreon also nodded. I guess they too promised.
"My brother," I said as I knelt down one last time, "I hope to see you again..." I immediately stood up and directed Yumi, "Now you must go."
"Okay." Yumi answered as she stood up, Seth now on her back. She began her way from the banquet hall, as did Chikorita and Umbreon. And just before Yumi left the room, she turned to me one more time. "Um, you said that you were apart of Neo Snagem .Even though you're looknig out for us, will we be enemies when we see each other again?"
"I wouldn't expect anything different..." And those were the last words I said to the girl as she made her exit.
And So It Continues, With A Promise...
I wonder if he'll be able to do it. I wonder if he'll be able to save the world, now with a second chance. Maybe he can save us of Neo Snagem from ourselves...
It Begins, The Second Half...