Pokemon Virus Version Chapter 97: The Thowback
The Plot of Cassidy & Butch…
"Alright!" It was Cassidy, and she was addressing her fellow Team Rocket members on what was to come, "Drowzee! Sableye! Butch! The three of you, in addition to myself, are key to this plan to be executed. To resurrect Team Rocket, restore its former glory, and so much more…it all starts here!"
They stood near the Mahogany Town Pokemon Center, Butch and Sableye did. Despite being Cassidy's pokemon, Drowzee was not actually with Cassidy, unlike Sableye. Cassidy was using some device projecting Butch's face on a holographic screen, which was how the two groups were communicating. Meanwhile, Butch and Drowzee stood at the foot of what used to be Team Rocket's Hideout. For the first time in what has felt like ages, Team Rocket uniforms were being worn.
"Sableye!" Cassidy called out to the shadow of a pokemon though the holographic screen.
The Revival of Team Rocket: First Objective
"Sableye, you are to go into the Pokemon Center. There, you will sneak your way into the storage unit where the pokemon are all held…"
It's a simple game of 'Steal the Pokemon', but in today's world, you might as well rechristen that title with 'The Throwback', since stealing pokemon has pretty much become a thing of the past. Today, it's all about 'snagging'.
"Sableye…" Under the orders of Cassidy, it was Sableye's goal to somehow perform 'The Throwback' in broad daylight.
With plenty and people and pokemon occupying the Pokemon Center, the ghost type had to quickly move, hiding table after table before finally reaching THOSE glass doors.
"Sableye Sableye…" There was no doubt in the Sableye's mind, it was the storage room, where he could spot the first of many shelves with pokeballs lined up in uniform. He smirked after phasing through the glass doors.
The Revival of Team Rocket: Second Objective
"Butch and Drowzee, you are to return to the ruin of what used to be Team Rocket's secret base. From there, you will be performing your own little 'Throwback'. I have a feeling all of our new friends will be 'thoroughly convinced' to ally with us, thanks to Drowzee."
And so, Butch and Drowzee made their way inside the abandoned hideout that happened to be occupied last night.
Passing the generators, Butch failed to notice it, but there HAD in fact been a battle that took place not too long ago. Drowzee on the other hand, was able to realize this by simply spotting the line of blood on the floor.
"Drowzee…" The line of blood looked to be in the shape of 'a single swing of a sword'.
"It's about time we get this revival underway." Butch had a wry smile on his face.
"Droowwzzeeee…" Drowzee echoed in agreement.
Sableye? Set!
Butch and Drowzee? Set!
Coming up next? Yours truly, Cassidy!
….
Location: Mahogany Town-Outside
Snivy's POV
I just couldn't get my mind off Chikorita. Her eyes, her smile, her attitude, everything about her just fascinated me…
"Hey Chikorita? I called.
"Yeah?" Facing me, she featured a curious expression on her face.
"Seth is the name of your trainer." I concluded before asking, "What's it like traveling outside with him?"
The look on Chikorita's face let me know that she was not prepared to answer such a question on the spot. "Before I first met him, I was pathetic-helpless. I would panic every time an attack came in my direction, and even after Seth and I became partners, I was still as pathetic as ever. You should've seen me, on that day when he said he'd take care of me-I was ecstatic. I jumped into his arms, cuddling him because I thought it would be the beginning of my second chance. Even through all the losses early on, and even when people would make fun of us, or through adversity, Seth has never so much as even disrespected me. He's my best friend." Chikorita was very in to what she was saying to me. "I love having Seth as a trainer." I concluded.
I was ill-prepared for such words to come from someone as lighthearted as Chikorita, and all directed toward a human. But from what I heard from Chikorita, 'putting two and two together', "You must've had it pretty rough before meeting him." Maybe if I were to replicate her trainer, Chikorita would feel the same way about me; she'd 'love' having me around.
I wanted to get closer to Chikorita, and believed now was the perfect opportunity to establish the start of 'her and I'. I walked closer to Chikorita, and looking her in the eye, I told her, "You deserve so much better than what you got before. Not only do you have Seth, but now you've got me…"
Surely Chikorita understood the direction I was trying to take this conversation evidenced by a slight blush making its way on her face. Her eyes lit up, and she remained wordless. Now I was beginning to feel slightly uneasy! What was I to do now?!
"I-uh…What I mean is…" Now I was beginning to blush! I didn't think I'd get this far with Chikorita! Oh, how embarrassing! "I'll stay by your side Chikorita. I'd like for you to show as much admiration for me as you do for your trainer, someday…"
…
"Snivy?"
"Chikorita, I…"
I could feel my heartbeat beginning to grow faster, and heavier. Taking Chikorita and I was going faster than I thought. Of course, that was only what I 'thought' until…
"My, my, what an adorable pair of pokemon you have there!" Chikorita trainer, the guy leading the group, was approached and greeted by whom I judged to be a young woman. This woman seemed happy-go-lucky, with a smile of hers in the face of Seth.
"Will you move out of my way now" Chikorita's trainer had an indifferent look on his face. Now that I think about it, I don't believe there has been a time where his face WASN'T indifferent. "I've got somewhere to be."
"Ugh, Seth?!" It was that guy's cold demeanor that sparked such a groan from my trainer. Yumi, and her friends known as Mary-Elizabeth and Prince, all displayed vexed expressions on their faces.
"You're certainly of a different color." Mary concluded about Seth.
"Now that's no way to talk to someone going out of their way to greet and compliment you and your pokemon." And here I thought the woman would react by becoming loud and somewhat obnoxious, like my lowly pissant of a trainer, "But you Pokemon!" Apparently the woman wasn't finished glossing as she shifted her attention back to us. "I'm especially in love with you Snivy!"
"Not my pokemon." Seth shot. I only HE were my trainer…
"Oh, I think you mean me!" It was my overly excited trainer who meant to get in the middle of Seth and the young woman, "I'm Snivy's trainer!" And she's saying that with a smile one her face?
"Ooh! Snivy, you look so adorable! I could just pick you up and-" It was then, when the woman was gushing…
"H-hey!" I scowled as the woman picked me up off the ground. Chikorita giggled.
"I could just pick you up and keep you all to myself." The woman finished.
"Aww! Come one Snivy, you know you wanna smile!" And now my trainer was gushing, though this wouldn't be the first time. She's so bubbly it irritates me.
"Let go of me!" This woman was wearing long white gloves, something I was not overly fond of as I struggled for my freedom.
"I don't think Snivy likes her," The boy named Prince said.
"Nonsense!" My stubborn trainer put her hands on her hips.
"Just moments ago, Snivy was blushing when taking to Chikorita, but that isn't the case now." The girl named Mary-Elizabeth agreed with Prince. "Prince, you might be right."
Suddenly, Seth sighed as he began walking ahead, continuing on, "If you guys plan on being here all day, I might as well go on ahead."
"Cutie cutie cutie!" Talk about stupid! "Cutie cutie cutie!" All the woman's compliments dragged on, and her many words used to shower me eventually reduced to the repetitive use of one word: Cutie. I hated it. "Cutie cutie cutie!"
"Well, I gotta go now!" My eyes shot wide open at just the sound of those words coming from Chikorita. "We've got a Gym to get to! See ya Snivy!" No! Not now! I wasn't going to let this opportunity pass me by!
"Get. The Hell. Off me!" In my frustration, I extended one of my vines and actually proceeded to slap the woman.
"Snivy!" Gasps came from Yumi, Mary, and Prince sd the woman let go of me. While she held a hand to her red face, I fell to the snowy ground. There, I set my sights on Chikorita and her trainer.
"Chikorita!"
Both Chikorita and her trainer looked at me as I was on my way to having the duo as company.
"Ugh! How spoiled can you get?!" My trainer exclaimed. "All the lady was doing was stroking you ego and that's how you thank her! You spoiled selfish little…" It was not the first time she's referred to me as spoiled.
"You little…" Obviously, the woman was reeling in pain from my strike. My vine whipped across her face so hard, a large red line in the shape of my vine was very visible, and she was rubbing at it, "Now you're definitely coming with me. Yes…"
Apparently, I had slapped some of her brains out. Not my intention, but I guess it couldn't be helped now. This woman might have even lost her mind all together even, talking like I didn't already belong to that wretched Coordinator.
"Do yourself a favor and just fall asleep. You might regain you memory, but more importantly, you'll be out of the way." I guess I was able to get away with saying that since thee humans hadn't a clue what I was talking about.
But that didn't stop a Chikorita that was aware from looking at me, "That's a little harsh, don't you think?"
"Hmph, as if I care about how that human fe-"
Walking, my arms were cross, my eyes were closed, and my chin was held up high as I was interrupted by the same human I was talking about.
"YOU'RE MINE!"
The sheer volume of the woman's screech was the alarm for me to open my eyes. I looked back to see the woman breaking through a Yumi, Mary, and Prince who were all astonished. My eyes widened as I realized: This woman was coming for me! She was angry, and she seemed determined to have me for herself, regardless of whether or not I had a trainer; this woman wasn't so mindless after all, she just didn't care!
"Snivy, look out!"
"Huh No!"
It was there, at the last second, Chikorita calling out to me. I knew this woman was coming for me. I just knew it! Yet, I lacked the time to react as she was closing in on me. I lacked reaction time, unlike Chikorita, but that was beside the point. I didn't want to look bad in front of her, let alone have her help ME when I'm in need.
"Ha!" At the very last second, Chikorita Tackled me out of the woman's path.
I landed with my face on the ground and looking back, I gazed upon the woman now not having time to adjust.
"Chikorita!" I couldn't believe it. My one and only romantic interest had been captured, and was now trapped in the grasp of the young woman.
"Chikorita!" This was the first time I've ever heard Chikorita's trainer express any sort of concern at all. Chikorita alone was enough for him to stop in his tracks as he looked at the woman.
"Ngh…H-help…m-me…"
"Oh no, she's strangling Chikorita!" Yumi exclaimed.
"You…Let go of her, you old hag!" It was times like these, where I'm threatening a human, that I wished I could speak their language.
"Ugh! Why you! You got in the way, you pathetic riff raff!" It was horrible seeing the woman violently shaking Chikorita back and forth as she squeezed around her neck even tighter.
"H-help…" Chikorita…she was fading and was on the verge of fainting…
I just knew I had to do something-anything to free Chikorita, if not…
"You will let her go…" Footsteps…Predictably, and all of a sudden, Chikorita's trainer came walking back, and stopped right in front of me.
The tone of his voice…his demeanor was always very cold but now…I sought for something that was different, but found nearly nothing. His eyes were focused on the woman, and admittedly, even I was intimidated. He was being passive-aggressive, and his words gave the impression that the woman was going to do as he said and nothing else.
"Let Chikorita go, or I will kill you." For a split second, I was alienated upon seeing his left eye turn a dark purple color before reverting back. During that split second, a shadowy aura surrounding him was just barely visible.
"Seth?" My trainer stared blankly at Seth, and for once, she had the hardest time trying to find something to say.
Mary and Prince were also speechless.
The woman's mouth hung open for a moment before she regained her composure. She smirked, "You seem to not understand the predicament you're in. Realize that Chikorita's life is literally in my hands now." That's when the woman looked at me as she detailed to everybody, "Snivy will be going with me. Otherwise, I'll choke Chikorita here until she dies!"
I gasped.
"Until she DIES?!" Yumi yelped.
The woman was attempting to make us choose between lives?!
Would it be me? Or Chikorita? Yumi? Or Seth?
This woman was not normal. To attempt such a shameless tactic…this woman HAD to have some evil glued to her personality.
"Maybe this wasn't a chance encounter after all," Prince said.
"Perhaps she planned on obtaining Snivy this whole time." Mary added.
My trainer was visibly trembling. She had this combination of a hopeless and an astonished facial expression as she stared at the ground…Why was she hesitant though? She and I…We've never really gotten along, and we've never liked each other.
Meanwhile, Chikorita's trainer looked rather conflicted. His eyes narrowed, and he had no choice but to stand down.
The humans were all decisive, but not me. Right now, Chikorita was on the verge of losing her life, while my hand was being forced. I had no choice. It was a no brainer. I had to give myself up for Chikorita, but at least we'll both be alive at the end of the day.
"Fine!" I eyed the woman as I crossed my arms. I was very confident in my answer.
"Is Snivy saying what I think he's saying?"
Yumi knew very well what I was saying, at least. "Snivy, no!" She pleaded. I expected her to become loud and hysterical, but no. She understood Chikorita's predicament as well as anyone else.
Toward Yumi, Mary, and Prince, I never looked back. And to me, Seth was also not my sight's mainstay. I kept my attention squarely on Chikorita and the blonde haired woman as I walked on the slightly snowy ground.
"Now let her go." The humans couldn't understand me or the fact that the tone in my voice made my words sound like a threat.
"I guess the deed is done then!" In a matter of only a fraction of a second, the woman went from hostile to just as jovial as she was before.
"What a face turn…" You should've seen the bored expression I had on my face when the woman picked me up.
"Ngh…Snivy…" The woman's affection wasn't as obstreperous as it was before, which allowed me to hear a cold, howling wind as Chikorita regained he breath, breathing heavily as she eyed me with a blank stare. What might she think of me now? "Snivy, I-"
"It's time then!" Chikorita was cut off by the woman, who had taken out a device that was similar to my lowly trainer's Pokegear, and shouted the word, "Snivy's captured, Butch! Deploy Drowzee now! And Sableye, the time has come to release our 'prisoners to be'!"
"What?" Yumi, Mary, and Prince were all startled by yet another mood swing by the woman. THIS time, the woman was not affectionate, she was rather excited, and that innocent smile she once had was replaced with a sinister smirk. To think that such an inconsistent and terrible demeanor could come from this rather good looking woman…
Unlike my trainer, the trainer of Chikorita looked as if he had an idea of what was to come. "Something bad…" And boy was he right.
"…Say. Sabeye!" It was the cry of a Sableye and it was nearby. "Sableye!"
"A Sableye!" All I had to do was follow the eyes of Chikorita's trainer.
Past Chikorita and behind the humans, there it was…The shadow of a pokemon appeared to have come from the direction of the Pokemn Center, like us.
"THIS little guy?" My trainer was underestimating the ghost type, as she smiled slightly.
Sure, alone, Sableye didn't appear to be any great threat. Sableye WASN'T alone though…
"Hehe hehehehehehehe!" The Sableye smirked, for it was carrying a trio of very large sacks.
"Those look like…" Yumi started.
"Could they be?" Prince asked.
"Pokeballs?"
Their questions were educated guesses that wee logical. The shape of the three sacks were very reminiscent to if you were to pile a bunch of Pokeballs together.
"Sableye?" Sableye was eyeing the woman, waiting for some sort of confirmation.
"I command you, Sableye: release all of the pokemon now!" And as it turned out, I was correct. This woman was Sableye's trainer by my guess, given how the ghost type complied with no argument.
"SAAYY!" Being removed from the rucksacks…
"Scarr!" Escavalier…
"Cooommm!" Combusken…
"Ooonnn!" Vaporeon…
"Nape!" Infernape…
These four were just a few of the highlights on what the many pokeballs contained.
Nidoking, Swinub, Metang, Delphox…The onslaught of pokemon appearing showed no signs of stopping.
Just what was this woman planning?
…..
There is no POV at this time…
It was something nobody had an answer to-nobody except those executing this 'something'.
Just last night, battle was waged here in the abandoned base. But now…
"…Drowzee." Ugh, the long nosed psychic type was creepy. Its long, echoing cry alone was enough to stop foes in their tracks, bewildering them.
Following Cassidy's cue, it was now time for Drowzee to take action.
"Drowzee's hypnotic waves should be amplified using this generator, the one that connects to the main generator we already passed by," Butch said to himself, "Thanks to this, we'll control every pokemon in Mahogany Town!"
This wasn't the first time this plan was set into action. Drowzee once used his hypnotic power to mind control every pokemon on Mandarin Island, though Team Rocket was soon defeated.
"Droowwzee…Droowwzee."
Butch smirked, "Hehe, perfect!"
….
Yumi's POV
I had no clue what was going on with the pokemon. Nor did Seth, and the others. Simultaneously, the few hundred pokemon looked as if a lightbulb appeared over their heads. And then…
"Fernape!"
"Nido!"
Infernape and Nidoking…EVERY pokemon, big and small, began to gather, standing behind the woman holding Snivy, like some sort of army.
I felt intimidated. All of the pokemon were glaring at us with horrible furrows on their eyebrows, while the young woman continued to smirk.
"Tell us what's going on here now!" Seth was unusually vocal in demanding an explanation.
The woman answered, "The beginning of a new era is upon us, and it all starts here!"
To Be Continued…
Author's Note
Well, I did it. This chapter puts Pokemon Virus Version into the 300k words club. In the Pokemon fandom, there isn't even 100 stories that have hit this mark yet, so I'm feeling good about myself.
At first, Chikorita and Snivy shipping was only supposed to be comic relief, or should I say, playing second fiddle with the human ships. But then I wrote the lighthearted chapter. You know, where Snivy and Chikorita teamed up against Braixen in an effort to deliver the Espurr egg to Seth back in Eggseter. That was when I thought 'why not?', and as a result, this arc is dedicated to them AND a few other issues, as I've said before.
I've increased my writing effort, so it's pretty much confirmed that Pokemon Virus Version is returning to weekly updates. Though I'll give you guys a heads up that Chapter 99 is completely, but might take a little longer to finish typing. Why? I think it has close to 9,000 words. It's very conlusive, and I squeezed in as much as I could so that I could have my 100th and 101st Chapters freed up for something special. The suggestion was so last minute I had to think of a plot and outline it right off the bat. Took me a couple of days, but I finally found what will separate chapters 100 and 101 from other chapters!
Yumi's Pokemon
Umbreon(Male)-Synchronize
Braixen(Female)-Blaze
Gligar(Male)(purified)-Hyper Cutter
Snivy(Male)-Overgrow