Pokemon Virus Version Chapter 72: The Promise
And So It Begins, Pokemon Virus Version: Part II
Long ago, when I was just a boy...I was left behind, and forgotten.
NOT too long ago, I began to actually feel alone, when the walls of what was left of my world began to cave in as hope quickly faded. I died...That last thing I saw, was the face of a person who used to be very close to me. He was like family. No, he WAS family. He saw me to my end as I fell to the ground. Was his face, and everything that happened...was it all just a dream?No...my dream was broken, and NEVER came true...My dream to satisfy my thirst for vengeance by destroying my greatest enemy: a world around me that has lost a long lasting battle, given in, and become one with Neo Snagem.
But, you can't just give up yet," said a transparent voice.
"Who are you?" Was I in the next life? Where am I?
"Do you not recognize your own dream?"
"My dream is gone now..."
"No, just open your eyes."
Open my eyes?
Opening my eyes, I saw that I was in Utopia, a dream of a place inhabited by a girl named Rui. This place was the dream I once shared with Wes, Rose, and Chapel.
"Hey." There was a tap on my shoulder, and the voice was no longer transparent.
"Rui..." The red haired girl, the first of Missingno's infected, was right behind. For a second, I held my gaze, before looking right in front of me. I saw a pink sky, and purple water washing up on a white, sandy shore. I sat down, criss cross on the sand, and stared into the distance. It was like the Sunnyshore horizon I used to watch every night.
"Beautiful, isn't it?" Rui asked softly as she sat right next to me.
"Where am I? Am I dead?" I asked, "Is this the afterlife?"
"This place, the place we call Utopia, this is a haven between life and death." Rui answered, "It is not Heaven or Hell, because we are neither dead or alive. We're just..." Rui paused, trying to find herself an answer.
"We're just what?" I asked as I looked at the blue eyed girl.
"We're just..." she paused once more, "We're asleep, and lost."
"So there's a possibility that we're still alive. And if we're asleep, we'll just wake up in our bodies eventually. Am I right?"
"Maybe for you, but not for me..." Rui answered. "I'm afraid that I am stuck here, in Utopia. I've been here for five years, because I no longer have a body to awaken in."
"How?"
"I was the first person to ever be able to sense Shadow Pokemon. The ability was a gift given to me by Missingno. But...that gift soon became a curse that removed me from existence. Memories of me are now almost gone, except for the ones that lie in a certain person. His name is Wes. I'm sure you've met him by now. Wes refused to let that night, the night his true feelings came out through my lips, he refuses to let that night be the last time we see each other. And that's where Neo Snagem comes into the picture. Wes was hoping that through Neo Snagem, he could find Celebi in order to undo the damage done to me by Missingno."
"Neo Snagem..." I said as I lied on my back with both my hands on the back of my head. "I still despise them. How could my end come at the hands of THAT organization?" Why'd it all have to end this way?
"How do you know that this is the end for you?" Rui asked, "Have you checked you heart?"
"My heart?" What was left of my heart? I wasn't sure.
"Try it! I'll be pulling for you to wake up!"
"Anything for a second chance..." I asnwered as I close my eyes. I immediately felt the Utopia around me going black as the darkness started to surround me again...
...A Dive Into the heart...
...
"Consider yourself lucky. The dark aura you controlled as Seifer covered your mind, and prevented your mind from being crushed. However, the force of 10's power WAS enough to put you into an unconscious state." It was the voice of my other personality, Fear.
"So I really am alive?" I asked.
"It appears so." Fear answered, "Such a shame though. Because if you WEREN'T alive, I would've gained complete control of your empty body. It comes as no surprise that my old master defeated you."
"Commander 10..." I said to myself, mentioning Fear's old master, "If I ever hope to put an end to Neo Snagem, I'll have to be stronger than I am now...Strong enough to defeat 10, or Zero, should I cross paths with either of those two again."
"Is that so?" Fear asked, "Well I hope with all the blackness in your heart that you die next time. Trapped inside this 'mess' you call a heart fills me with hatred. Even looking at your face disgusts me! And there's one more thing: Even after you somehow manage to destroy Neo Snagem, I'll STILL be in here, waiting for you to lose control of your body."
"I hate you..." I whispered with my eyes narrowing.
"But until that time comes, you trying to stop an entire organization is something I've got to see."
And with that, Fear started to float away from me. In between flying shards of my memories, he had returned to the deep depths of what was left of my heart.
I then closed my eyes and began to think to myself.
Rui...Fear...I've got a secondchance at life. Zero, 10, Atticus...you haven't seen the last of me. And I promise to destroy anybody who stands in my way. Mother Flora, Father Rosen, where are the both of you? It's been so long since I've seen my parents. Volkner, Flint...I have not kept in touch with the two of you since I left for Johto. Pretty soon, the two of you will get a call from me. My name is Seth.
"Seth..." I said to myself.
"Seth, please wake up..." Then my name came from a voice that wasn't mine. The voice was distant, but as it kept calling my name, I could feel it getting closer and closer. The voice was telling me to open my eyes...
"Open my eyes?" I didn't know why, but when I tried, they wouldn't open. Was I just really tired? I had to try harder. It took a lot of work just to open my eyes a tiny bit. But when I did, I saw a faint, distant light. It was as if was reaching the end of a very dark tunnel. I was almost there. So close, yet so far. I just had to open my eyes... "Ngh..." My eyes were heavy, but that didn't stop me from reaching out to my second chance at life. The light blinded me, causing me to squint. I saw a blur, and when then my eyes adjusted, I saw a friend: Yumi...
Seth's POV
Location:?
Opening my eyes, the first thing I saw was that face. Her sky blue eyes staring right at me. Yumi looked very surprised.
"Y-Yumi?" I said confused, only half awake.
"You're awake?" For a moment, she was actually calm, before suddenly hugging me very passionately. "You're awake, you're alive..."
I looked down Yumi's back, and saw a Chikorita who seemed to be sleeping. With Yumi's arms still around my neck, I looked past her, and saw that we were on a grassy ground, and leaning against a tree. In the distance, past a rocky valley, I saw a city shrouded in dark mist. It was where I tragically failed to stop Neo Snagem. There, in the city that used to be Ecruteak, everything was a complete disaster... I had to go back there to stop Neo Snagem. But first...
"Yumi." I called the girl who was still hugging me.
"Seth?" Yumi said as she let go and looked closely into my eye. She was leaning right next to me.
"What exactly happened? Why am I here with you? And where exactly is here?" I asked.
Yumi's POV
I sighed, "I came to you to reunite. I wanted to reunite with Rose and Chapel too. They, and two other friends of mine are on their way to Mahogany Town right now." My two other friends were a boy named Vincent, and a girl named Marina. Out of everybody, I was the only one to come back for Seth...
Flashback-
Location: Dominion of Shadows' Eastern City Limit
"It's good to see you again, Yumi," said a Chapel who's hand was being held by Rose.
Vincent and Marina were here too. Back in Bonitaville, they were completely against me traveling to Ecruteak City, but they weren't going to stop me from reuniting with my friends. So they came along with me, wanting to make sure nothing bad happens to me.
Kashius was also here. Apparently he was able to find Chapel and Rose, and tell them we were waiting for them here at the checkpoint.
Mawile was here, but there was no sign of her trainer...
"Is Seth not with you?" I asked with much concern.
"Oh..." Chapel sighed, "Last I saw him, Mawile and I took off without even saying goodbye." Chapel then took out a Pokeball and stared at it, "Inside this Pokeball, there is a Skarmory. This Skarmory just so happened to be an old friend of Mawile's. And of course, who wouldn't risk everything to save a friend?...We eliminated a Neo Snagem Commander in the process. I do hope Seth is okay, wherever he is."
"He proceeded to the headquarters of Team Neo Snagem, Brother did," Rose said.
"Huh?" Vincent, Marina, and Kashius all looked at Rose, who winced as she immediately hid behind Chapel. Rose is very timid with strangers...
"Would Neo Snagem's headquarters happen to be that giant building?" I asked as I recalled passing by the building in Ecruteak's Main Square.
Chapel nodded.
"Alright then, let's go!" I said as I started walking back into town. But before I took too many steps, I looked back, and saw that I was the only one walking, "Hey, come on!"
"Uhh..." They all looke dat me with concern, except for Rose, who was looking at the ground behind Chapel with a saddened expression.
"Uh, guys? What's wrong?" I asked.
"Yumi," Chapel started, "It's way too dangerous to go back into that city. Have you seen what's happening to everyone opposing Neo Snagem? Neo Snagem's struggle is over. They've won this battle...Neo Snagem is already out to try and capture me, and if I just so happened to walk into their headquarters of all places..."
But Chapel, Seth is a friend...
"Marina? Vincent?" I questioned at the two trainers and the Meganium who all accompanied me to Ecruteak.
"Chapel's right." Marina answered.
"Besides, we've never even met the guy," Vincent added.
"Kashius?" I looked at Kashius, who avoided eye contact with me all together. He did not reply, so lastly, I turned to a Rose who was still looking at the ground. "Rose, do you care enough for you brother to go back for him?"
Rose sighed, "Being in the presence of my brother is something I do not wish for right now..."
Even his sister...My fist clenched, I was becoming upset with everyone as I asked Rose, "And why is that?"
"...He...He disrespected me. He treated me as nothing more than an obstacle that was in the way of him and his goal. Do you see this, Yumi?" Rose looked up, revealing to me a face that was red on the left side, "Brother...he struck me!"
"And you're going to give up on him just like that?!" I yelled, "I may be an only child, but even I know that you shouldn't give up on your brother just because you got into an argument! And you two!" I yelled as I looked at Vincent an Marina, "What happened to the heroes you told me you once were?! The ones who saved a Raikou?! Are those heroes dead now, or were they just a lie?! I should've known those two heroes never happened! And why don't you do something, Kashius?!" I yelled to a Kashius who was still doing nothing. I then turned to Chapel, "Chapel, how can you just leave him behind?!"
Chapel's face saddened.
"I...I poured my heart out to Seth..." My anger was starting to turn into sadness. My eyes turned red, and were beginning to hold back surfacing tears, "I poured my heart out to him...I told him how I felt...and apparently, I'm the only one willing to give him a second chance..." I faced the headquarters again as I blinked away some tears, "I'm going back for Seth..."
"Yumi..."
"No!" I yelled as I started to walk very slowly. It took all my will power to try and calm down. On my way away from them, "Today, I've seen people, both with AND against Neo Snagem, talking about what Seth did. They say that he was the person who started the riots, when he killed a member of Team Neo Snagem using some sort of dark aura. Everyone, and I mean EVERYONE, expresses a passionate hatred for Seth now. People of Team Neo Snagem, of course, see him as an oppressor, while people of Johto see him as the sole reason why every person is suffering now. Team Neo Snagem is basically everybody's punishment for Seth getting things out of hand. But I refuse to believe them. From what else I heard, I believe Seth only acted in self defense. Apparently, the man was provoking Seth to attack..." I then said one last thing before I was out of their sight, "I'll never give up on a friend again...Chapel, I promise you you'll see him again! Let's meet back up in Mahogany Town!"
End Flashback
"And when I finally found you..." I was pretty sure Seth remember what happened.
"...How was he, Zero?" I asked in a whisper, "The last thing I remember is you standing righ tni front of him."
"I wasn't sure. He said that he was your enemy, and yet, he let you go free. He's a lot nicer than all of our previous enemies."
"You don't know him like I do..." Seth whispered, "This whole journey, all the training...it was all for a chance to meet and defeat my brother, however, that never happened...It was as if I was only passing by..."
"Huh?" I looked closely at Seth's face. He was never one to show any emotions. I almost though he didn't have any, until I saw that depressed facial expression.
"If Neo Snagem's already won, then what's next for me? Seth shifted his gaze from on my eyes to the sky. Clouds were starting to cover every inch of blue as far as the eyes could see.
It pained me to see Seth even more pessimistic than usual, but that wasn't going to stop me from trying to cheer him back up. I made a promise to Zero that I'd take care of Seth...
"We come back stronger!" I replied as I looked back at Seth.
I remember being depressed myself. I had almost given up on everything as I was on my way back to Olivine. But...I came back, and now I'm better than ever.
"Seth, now you at least have a chance to become even stronger, strong enough to defeat Neo Snagem. You live to fight another day! Come on!" I said as I grabbed Seth's hands, pulling him up. "I have friends waiting in Mahogany Town, so I'll take the lead now."
"You?" Seth looked at me confused, and I couldn't help but smile and try to brighten the mood of this chapter.
"Yes, me!" I answered as I put my hands on my hips and stuck my chin up, "I'll have you cheered up in no time!"
"Chi!"
"Huh?" It was the cry of Chikorita. Oops, apparently my yelling woke her up. She had a cranky face, until she looked at Seth, and realized he was awake.
"Chi! Chico!" She jumped in her trainer's arms and cheered as she nuzzled him very affectionately. Seth was annoyed and tried to get Chikorita off, but she held on and continued to show him love.
"She's just glad to have you back," I said to Seth as Chikorita nodded in agreement.
I waited for Chikorita to finish before I grabbed his arm and started to drag him, "It'll be just you and me until we get to Mahogany Town. I'll be able to share some stories on what happened while I was away!"
Just me and Seth... This remind me of when Seth and I first set out from New Bark Town. That day was so long ago, and yet it only felt like it happened yesterday. But...things have changed since then. This isn't just some dream about being the best like no one ever was anymore. This is also about saving the entire world, and saving Seth from himself.
I promise you, Zero, I'll take care of Seth like no other.
To be Continued...
FINALLY, Yumi is back with us. She's not that helpless airhead from the beginning of the story, she's actually had more development than any other character so far. She's one of my favorite character to write about, with the other three being 10, Yuna (Commander 04), and Rose.
Speaking of Rose, did you know that she wasn't even thought of until about fifteen chapters into the fic. She's my direct tribute to Shinku AND Suigintou, as well as Rosen, who named directly after Father Rozen in the Rozen Maiden series. But never fear, not only does Rose have a major arc already written out, she also has a spinoff that I've been working on. Well, actually, I to myself that I would finish Virus Version before I proceeded to posts anymore fics. And even after Virus Version's done, I've also gotta finish Maya, Rio & Terra, which I haven't forgot about one bit. Then, after Maya Rio & Terra's done, I've a story starring a shiny Roserade, and even a journey fic featuring an entirely original region. They could be long, but I doubt they'd be as long as Virus Version.