Pokemon Virus Version Chapter 96: Making a Move
There was a distinct relationship between Beatrice and I, one that reminded me so much of the relationship I had with my mother.
Beatrice could not find it in herself to harm me in any way, yet look what she and Gallade did to Chapel…
Location: Mahogany Town Pokemon Center
Rose's POV
It was late last night when Piplup and I finally returned to the Pokemon Center. Chapel was being carried by me, and with her being taller than me, her feet dragged across the tiled floor. Brother, Yumi, and Chikorita were nowhere to be seen, as were the many friends and rivals of Yumi who were competing in the upcoming Pokemon Contest. Given the fact that it was nearly midnight, an empty lobby came as no surprise to me. The only other person or 'pokemon' to be seen was the Audino who was the assistant of Nurse Joy.
Piplup following Chapel and I was very confusing, especially considering the fact that the little penguin has yet to be officially captured. Could she be worried about Chapel? I HAVE caught Piplup staring at her…
Anyway, we made it to our room, where I set Chapel on her bed to rest. She took a very dangerous hit from Gallade, 'the sword' of Beatrice.
"Lup?" After putting Chapel under her covers, I ascended from the floor began to float to my own bed. Sitting on my bed, I gave one more glance in the direction of a downed Chapel. I was met with another worried face from Piplup, who remained by the side of Chapel. "Piplup?" She asked me.
"Chapel? Her condition will improve. All you have to do is wait. She is much too bold and stubborn for it to end so soon, her and Beatrice." I assured the water type.
My gaze left Piplup. I laid down, the back of my head touching my pillow as I was now staring at the ceiling.
It was unhealthy for a lack of sleep to befall a child as young as I, but I just could not fall asleep. Beatrice was keeping me awake.
"I don't want to fight you…I'm so conflicted…the Beatrice from a year ago surely would've guarded you with her very life. But now, even as enemies, I still think of you like my own daughter."
Beatrice really hated the fact that she and I were standing on opposite sides, in the fight for what we each believe is the ideal world.
"I won't be able to aid you should you come across any of the other Commanders," Beatrice said.
But what if she and I were to cross paths again?
"I miss her…I miss Mother Flora…" I was beginning to feel homesick. No matter how much I despise Team Neo Snagem, they STILL house a few of those I hold very dear to me. The more homesick I felt, the more I began to dislike myself for having such feelings surface in the first place. Perhaps I could sleep away this warm, yet dreadful feeling. My eyes will grow heavy eventually….
Location:…
There is no POV at this time
Into the darkness of midnight, were Neo Snagem's Beatrice, and her two Innamorati: Volbeat and Illumise.
"She was very out of character, Lady Beatrice," said the red masked Volbeat who illuminated his master's path using the glow of his tail.
"Lady Beatrice, yes, very out of character she was," replied the blue masked Illumise.
It almost felt as though Lady Beatrice was the odd one out given the fact that she was the only one with a melancholy look on her face, as opposed to the smiles of the fireflies who couldn't be taken seriously.
"M' Lady." Volbeat spoke up as he made eye contact with his master.
"It seems…" Illumise started.
"Something is bothering you." Volbeat finished. "Could it be?"
"Lady 26, could it be?" Illumise asked.
"She goes by the name of Rose now…" being a human, Commander 06 had no idea what exactly her fireflies were trying to ask her. She just so happened to think to herself, out loud, the words that answered Volbeat and Illumise's questions. "Rose, if you and I can't stand together as allies, the next time we meet, I'll have no choice but to destroy you…with just the single swing of my sword…"
…
The next morning…
Location: Mahogany Town Pokemon Center
Yumi's POV
"CCCHHHIII…." Chikorita let out a very audible yawn as she, Seth, and I left our room. She was walking on the floor this morning.
"Seems the Pokemon Center is finally starting to fill up," I said out loud. The lobby was much livelier than it was yesterday. "They must be here for the Lake of Rage Contest tomorrow."
It was nice for this town to have something positive to look forward to with the passing of Mr. Pryce and all.
"Hey, Yumi!"
"Hm?" Seth, Chikorita and I all heard my name being called.
Standing in front of Nurse Joy's desk, was my 'perfectionist' hometown friend, Mary-Elizabeth.
"Um, hey!" I waved not only to Mary, but her travel partner who was standing next to her , Prince. Like Mary-Elizabeth and I, he was from Olivine City.
In my excitement, I grabbed Seth by the arm and was about to drag him toward Mary and Prince because they haven't been formally introduced to each other yet. "Come on, Seth-" Before I could take even a single step though-
"-And what a surprise we have here! We've already gotten a chance to interview Top Coordinator Marina earlier, but now Yumi's here! Folks, I'm talking about the same Yumi who actually beat Marina in the Bonitaville Pokemon Contest!"
Standing in between me and me getting to Mary…was a camera crew! I-I'm being interviewed! ME! Wow my first interview…I kind of hated the fact that I wasn't wearing my best makeup right now. But what could I do? How was I supposed to know THEY'D come to ME?! Chikorita and Seth were alienated.
"Yumi, you took off in a hurry after the Bonitaville Contest. There wasn't any time to ask you what you were thinking-"
Oh, I was going to let Miss Rhonda know what I was thinking alright. In my excitement, and with a smile on my face, I took the microphone out of Rhonda's hand and looked into the camera.
"OMG! Hello everyone! My name is Yumi! I'm a Pisces-Aquarius Cusp, and I'm going to be your next Top-Coordinator! Oh, and HI MOM AND DAD! I MISS YOU GUYS!" I said as I waved to the camera, "MY JOURNEY'S GOING GREAT! I WON A CONTEST, AND LOOK!"
Now was the perfect opportunity for me to introduce my parents to my new friends, albeit through a television screen, if they were watching.
I know Seth was gonna probably hate me for the rest of the day for what I was going to do next, but what the heck? I grabbed his hand and pulled him within view of the camera as I said, "His name is Seth, and he's my best friend! I can't wait for you to meet him! Say hi, to the camera, Seth!"
It was a chance to introduce my parents to someone very special. I wasn't expecting Seth to get high sprung and crazy, but I at least wanted for him to make a good impression. I mean, even if my parents weren't watching this right now, I'm sure they'd find a video of Seth and I on the worldwide web or something.
"Chico…"
"…" But Seth didn't say anything. All he did was stare wordlessly at the camera while retaining that always-indifferent look on his face. Just what was he thinking? This question was written all over the faces of Miss Rhonda and her camera crew. Seth was so serious, so mysterious. It was kind of funny.
I giggled as I said to Seth, "Come on, don't be shy." I was joking because he didn't look shy in any way.
He still didn't say anything, causing for an awkward silence to set in for a few seconds.
"Chico…"
"Now then!" Just before I could try and convince Seth some more though, it was Miss Rhonda who, with a little bit of force, reclaimed the microphone from me. She took my attention away from Seth as she said, "Getting back to the question, what was going through your mind as you won the Bonitaville Pokemon Contest?"
"Oh!" Well, now that I was thinking about it, I actually had to humble myself, "To tell the truth, I was telling myself that I just HAD to be dreaming…either that or the judges made a mistake…My confidence wasn't exactly high that night. People were making fun of me, and the judges were already counting me out…" All those negative thoughts thrown at me, for a moment, I actually believed those thoughts to be true, "But I proved everybody wrong. Now everyone's cheering for me, and it's all thanks to HIM!" 'Him' was the pokemon in the pokeball I just took out. I opened the Pokeball, and released in front of the camera…
"Snivy." Snivy's eyes were closed. His arms were crossed, and is chin was held up high.
"My!" Rhonda seemed to have some excitement stirring up inside her. She pointed out the fact that Snivy was the pokemon used to defeat Top Coordinator Marina. I was flattered, but I wish I could say the same thing about Snivy, who merely scoffed. He didn't even glance at me.
…To be completely honest, Snivy and I have never really gotten along. I described Snivy's snobbish personality during the interview, but left it at that. I didn't want to let the world know of the relationship between Snivy and I. We just weren't very compatible…
….
My interview was short and brief. I wanted to try again to get Seth and Snivy to open up to the camera, but you know pop culture: you've gotta save screen time for other news.
Oh well, at least now I could talk to Mary and Prince.
"Sni?!" I picked Snivy up off the ground and held him in my arms. Snivy was surprised, while I was smiling. Haha, it's like dealing with an uncooperative Seth!
"So how are you on this fine day?" Prince asked as we approached him and Mary.
Prince was certainly a looker. He had blonde hair that went down to his neck, and blue eyes. He wore a black, collard t-shirt, light blue pants, and black shoes.
What can I say? I used to be in love with him.
"Well, the Pokemon Contest isn't until tomorrow night, so we were going to head over to the gym for Seth's gym battle today." I answered Prince's question.
"Seth?" Prince looked to my travel partner.
Seth had never met Prince before. Sure, he met Mary-Elizabeth back in Bloomingvale, but they were never formally introduced. I think Seth and Mary could get along like brother and sister. Mary reminds me so much of Rose, with her lady-like mannerisms. Okay, so Seth and Rose aren't getting along right now…I'm sure they'll patch things up eventually.
"Prince and Mary," I said as I then turned toward Seth with Snivy still in my arms, "This is Seth. We both started our journey at the same time, and well, looked how it's turned out: We've been traveling together, and have become close friends!"
"It is a pleasure to meet you, Seth. I go by the name Mary-Elizabeth," Mary-Elizabeth said as she bowed her head to Seth. She glance over to Prince after picking her head back up, "This is Prince. He travels with me on my journey to become Top Coordinator."
"I hope you've been taking care of Yumi." Prince winked at Seth, though Seth kept a straight face. I chuckled. Prince certainly 'had the charisma'.
Having Snivy in my arms was the only thing keeping me from playing along and grabbing Seth by the arm just to say 'Of course he has!'
So after introducing Seth to Mary and Prince and vice versa, we all walked out of the Pokemon Center.
Snivy tried to struggle out of my arms, but I wasn't going to let up.
Snow still covered the ground in layers, but look! Up in the sky, it was actually sunny today even though it was still cold outside.
"Sn…Sni!" Snivy was persistent.
"He just won't give up, will he?" Prince asked.
"In my honest opinion, Snivy would be better suited for a trainer like me." Mary-Elizabeth added. I looked at her, and found nothing but a pure smile on her face as her eyes were on Snivy. I thought she'd be kind of salty, since I captured Snivy after her failed attempt.
"Our relationship's a work in progress…" I said. Snivy scoffed, and I had to force myself to keep smiling. Smiling was what I always did with Snivy, either that or I would downplay our issues with comic relief. In my mind, I worry though. We've known each other for a while now, yet our bond hasn't progressed one bit. "We'll get each other eventually."
"Chico." Chikorita cried in agreement.
"Vy?" Just now, Snivy perked up, and then he shot his head in the direction of Chikorita. "Sni Snivy."
"Chico chicory!" And Chikorita, who smiled, greeted Chikorita.
Seth looked from Chikorita to Snivy, but remained silent.
"Sni Snivy!" Just the sight of Chikorita was enough to calm Snivy and even make him smile as he gave Chikorita a greeting of his own.
"Those two seem to be good friends, at least," Prince said.
"Yeah…come to think about it Snivy and Chikorita were like this in Eggseter." Yes, it was the night of Eggseter's Scavenger Hunt. I was pretty determined to take the egg away from them, but Snivy and Chikorita held their ground, standing close to each other.
"He was like that in Bloomingvale too," said a Seth who started walking again. He had taken the lead, with the rest of us following.
Hm…Does Snivy like Chikorita? Now that I think about it, Snivy has always become a little more open whenever he was around Chikorita.
What would I do if I liked someone? It'd be a minute before I make my first move, but I know I'd drop hints every now and then. Just look at me and Seth.
I certainly wouldn't want to be restricted from talking to someone I like, so after thinking I decided not to restrict Snivy. I gently placed him on the ground and let go of him. He looked at me for a long moment.
"Go on! Make your move!" I cheered.
"Sni…Sni-vyyyy!" That spoiled, snobby grass type actually stuck its tongue out at me, though I didn't mind it this time. Maybe if Snivy's happier, he'd finally cooperate with me, and not just for his own motives. Besides, I'm a sucker for romance!
Snivy's POV
There she was, standing right in front of me, and all I had to do was move a few steps closer.
Oh, the magic of Chikorita's presence allows me to just let go of everything that irritates me, especially my lowlife of a trainer. *Sigh* Why can't I have the same trainer as Chikorita? He seems so much more tolerable than Yumi.
"Good morning, Snivy!" Chikorita greeted me again.
Once again, I thought to myself: Why Yumi?! Of all the people involved in her life, she HAS to be the LEAST compatible with me!
"Are you ready for your contest?" Chikorita asked.
"They're so cute…" The human named Mary-Elizabeth said as we continued walking.
"Hmph. I care not one bit about what that annoying trainer of mine wants." I replied as I closed my eyes and crossed my arms. "I'm not ready for any stupid contest, and I never will be!"
"So you don't like Pokemon Contests?" Chikorita asked. Hearing my words actually caused for Chikorita to frown. Why?! "But you were great in the Bonitaville Contest…"
I liked Chikorita, I wasn't going to deny that. Was I going to let her words dictate what I was going to do? Did I like Chikorita more than I hated Yumi? It was a question I couldn't answer just yet…
Location: Mahogany Town-Outside Pokemon Center
While Seth, Snivy and the gang were watching Snivy and Chikorita, they had no idea that they themselves were being watched…
There is no POV at this time…
Last night, someone had entered the long forgotten Team Rocket Base, and with Mahogany being a 'smaller' town, word spread fast. Lady Beatrice's name was never used though.
…How long has it been since the fall of Team Rocket again? Too long. People began to reminisce about a time when Team Rocket had the city on lockdown. Why? Because even THOSE day were brighter than today, where the threat of Team Neo Snagem taking over the world always looms.
Hard to imaging people actually MISSING Team Rocket…Though SOME people miss Team Rocket more than others, which brings us here.
Keeping an eye on Seth and the group, and keeping an even closer eye on Snivy and Chikorita, were two of Team Rocket's most dedicated.
"Ugh. Why waste your time looking at THOSE pokemon?"
"The Chikorita IS a waste of time. That Snivy on the other hand…Thinking about how sporty Snivy would look with me has me wanting to capture it."
"But the Pokemon Center's RIGHT THERE, with bunches of Pokemon stored."
"Fine then, we'll nab Snivy on the way inside."
See, most of the Team Rocket grunts from years ago were either jailed, or lost within the world's obscurity once their uniforms came off. But not Cassidy and Butch. They didn't lead normal lives like most former members, and they didn't join Team Neo Snagem like a Beatrice who has surpassed them in terms of title AND power. No…They remained here in Mahogany Town, because really, the town is sort of the last place you could find ANY traces of Team Rocket ever existing. And now that the organization is on everyone's minds again, Cassidy and Butch are feeling very 'inspired'.
"Going through the trouble just to capture a puny pokemon like that sounds familiar," Butch said.
"Hmph." Cassidy scoffed. "Years have gone by and those fools are still trying to catch little mice. We won't end up like them though." Cassidy's eyes narrowed, and she smirked fiendishly as she said, "I'll make sure the fate of something else is in store for us!"
To Be Continued…
Author's Note:
First of all, I've got to give a shoutout to Squirtoise. I really needed the motivation, and I thinking about returning to weekly updates, which will more than likely happen since I've outlined almost the entire remainder of Virus Version.
Second, there was this little easter egg, where Yumi mentioned her zodiac sign. I never knew about zodiac signs until somebody told me about them recently. I don't believe TOO much in astrology, but here's a treat.
Aries: Atticus, Shadow(10)
Aries/Taurus: Chapel(post-Missingno merge)
Taurus: Rosen,
Gemini: Volbeat & Illumise, Dustin, Vincent, Sakura(07)
Cancer: Rose, Maisy, Prince
Cancer/Leo: Beatrice(06), Justice
Leo: Zero, Wes, Marina, Alice
Virgo: Flora, Mary-Elizabeth, Kurayami(03)
Libra: Althaea, Chapel(pre-Missingno merge),
Scorpio: Noah, M.C(12), Alice Angel
Sagittarius: Commander 24, Commander 17
Capricorn/Sagittarius: Yuna(04)
Capricorn: Seth, Genesis(05)(To Be Introduced)
Aquarius: Pheobe, Rui,
Pisces/Aquarius: Yumi, Ariel Angel
Pisces: Naoko, Mist(16)(To Be Introduced), Vivian(15)(To Be Introduced)
Genesis, Mist, and Vivian are all major characters who will be given their first shot at screentime. Even though we have to get through Mahogany Town and some other misadventures first. I CAN'T WAIT TO INTRODUCE GENESIS! You guys will be astounded by how absurd his concept and backstory is, especially if you're a fan of the character he's inspired from: Makoto Shishio from Rurouni Kenshin!
And lastly, I hope you guys can bear with me on these next few chapters, because I try to address a few too many conflicts at once(Especially the relationship between Snivy and Yumi, AND giving Mary-Elizabeth and Prince some screentime). Though I DO want to give Team Rocket a chance to shine.