Pokemon Virus Version Chapter 110: An Ice Cold Attitude! Chikorita vs Mamoswine!
Author's Note:
Hello, readers. I give you greetings from the other side of the world! No really, my VERY first duty station in the Navy is ALL the way in Bahrain, which is a country in South Asia. I will be living here for 2 years, then I REALLY want to try and get orders to live in Japan or Spain for a few years. The move was lengthy, which is the reason why I've delayed posting, but not anymore...at least until I start studying to make Petty Officer.
Anyway, here is Chapter 110. Major characters will be introduced as we hit our last chapters here in Mahogany Town.
Be sure to review. Constructive Criticism is welcome...and needed.
~WeS RoYaL~
Seth's POV
Dreaming…
'Am I pretty?'
Hm?
I was well aware of the fact that I was dreaming. I stood here, in the middle of an endless plane, by myself.
This wasn't the dream world I was used to. My dream world was nothing but a deathly hollow…And it didn't include transparent voices speaking to me.
'Am I pretty?'
I thought this transparent voice was speaking to me, but…
I could not speak, which meant that I could not give a vocal reaction to the elderly man who walked passed me, and in the direction the strange voice came from.
'Am I pretty?'
…That elderly man, I recognized as Mr. Pryce, who recently had his funeral in Mahogany Town.
Is Pryce trying to tell me something through this dream? Is the transparent voice trying to tell me something?
'Am I pretty?'
I tried to follow Pryce, but it was as if my feet were frozen to the ground.
Ugh, what king of dream is this?! I have questions that are unable to be answered!
'Am I pretty?' Who keeps asking that question? Who stands behind this sea of mist blocking my vision?
…With every step taken, Mr. Pryce began to fade away from this dream. Before long, the entire dream itself began to fade…
…
Location: Mahogany Town Pokemon Center
Chikorita and I made it to the Pokemon Center's lobby. It...was as empty as it was when I first came to Mahogany Town. The Pokemon Contest was finally over, and all of the Coordinators have come and gone.
…Only Chapel, Rose, and Piplup were presently in the lobby.
The trio approached me, and Chapel had one question, "So have you talked to Yumi?" Chapel was expectant.
"Yumi's been quiet. She hasn't said a word." She bothered not to greet Chikorita and I this morning. Chikorita tried to cheer her up, but it was no use.
"Yumi has every right to be depressed," Rose said, "Last night was not delightful, not in the slightest."
"Rose and I tried to talk to her, but her optimism seems to be running on empty…" Chapel said, "So, have you talked to her or not, Seth?"
"No," I said.
Answering Chapel's question, I started walking again, but Chapel grabbed my wrist, stopping me before I could exit the Pokemon Center.
"You ARE going to talk to Yumi, right?" Chapel asked.
I pulled my wrist. I could tell that another conflict between Chapel and I was on its way. I continued to walk as I answered to Chapel, "It's not my fault Yumi doesn't know how to take a loss."
"But Brother, do you not have your fair share of losses under your belt?" Rose asked as she, Chapel, and Piplup followed me, "Might you be able to relate to her?"
Rose was right. My win-loss record was nothing to brag about. "Answer me this: When was the last time you've seen me lose a battle?"
I stopped outside on the snowy ground, waiting for Chapel and Rose to reply to what I had to say next.
"Umlike Yumi, I don't dwell on losses. I simply get stronger, and look forward to tomorrow."
Chapel's voice began to rise, "Then what about your loss to 10? What about your loss to Zero?! The whole reason you're on this journey is because of what happened in the past!"
I sighed. I wasn't going to openly admit that Chapel was right, and that she had disproven me. All I said to Chapel was, "I'm not brushing Yumi off. She'll get better with time." I left the conflict at that.
Chapel had no comment. She and Rose never stopped following me into the foggy day.
"If it is okay to ask: where might you be traversing to, Brother?" Rose asked.
"I'm headed to the cemetery, to visit the grave of Pryce."
"Why?" Chapel asked out of sheer curiosity, "It's never like you to care enough to go and visit someone's grave. Why Mr. Pryce?"
I answered, "Last night, I had a dream."
…..
Location: Mahogany Town Cemetery
It was foggy, almost foggy enough for us to require the move Defog. Despite the winter season, leaves covered the cemetery's decorative trees all over.
There was nobody to be seen, not in this fog.
I explained to Chapel and my sister, the details of the dream I had last night, "I was well aware of the fact that I was in a slumber. Even so, my vision felt so real…so, surreal. This voice, it was as clear as glass, as pure as Arceus, yet transparency surrounded with mystery and mystique…and evil; Not the pure evil I have with Fear and the Shadows, but a DIFFERENT kind of evil. Deceptive, even more than the Deceit pokemon. This clear voice continuously echoed 'Am I pretty'. Those three words were pulling Pryce in like a magnet. I don't know why, but this dream might be trying to tell me something. Like some sort or bad omen is on its way."
"You dream has this sort of 'creepypasta' feel to it," Chapel said.
"This voice you speak of kept trying to inquire on if it was pretty…Do you know if this voice was addressing you IN ADDITION to Mr. Pryce?" Rose asked.
That voice is the entire reason why I've come back to the Mahogany Town cemetery in the first place. I have already paid my respect to Pryce, so him being in my dream was completely irrelevant. That voice though…it had an unspoken, inexplicable vibe to it that was…attractive.
"We're going to visit Pryce's grave. We might find something there."
What might we find? I was prepared for the bad omen I just explained to Chapel.
I had to ask Chapel, "Chapel, you were here for Pryce's funeral. Do you know exactly what happened to him?"
"I'm not sure. I personally have never met Mr. Pryce myself, but I've tried asking people about what happened to him. The townspeople all had different responses, but they collectively agreed that he had gone to Ice Path, which lies east of Mahogany Town. That was the last time ANYONE saw Pryce. Some people say he got lost, and others say her straight up died. It remains a mystery where his body is. It wasn't here when the folks had his funeral."
"The reason why it is questionable whether Pryce is lost or dead…Sure, he got lost in the mountains, but back here in Mahogany Town, he carried many heavy burdens. His wife passed away due to an illness. Mr. Pryce was heartbroken, and devastated. He had a hard time coping with such a loss, and on top of that, he too had fallen ill because…well, his age is 'up there', and he often contemplated just letting that age carry him away, to the next world.
"Maybe Pryce's grave will give me a clue as to whom the transparent voice in my dream was, with the brainstorming of course," I said.
…..
It was a few minutes before we made it to the grave of Pryce.
Chikorita and Piplup were ahead of us, but they suddenly stopped when they heard a voice.
"The late Pryce…Such a shame for you to go out the way you did."
We closed in on the grave of Pryce, and when the fog cleared, we saw someone had already beat us here. Her long, silver hair blew in the breeze.
"Mamo." She was accompanied by a Mamoswine.
"Piplup!" Piplup greeted the Mamoswine from behind.
"What?" Mamoswine and the silver haired woman both perked up.
The silver haired woman turned around, and that was when I realized…
"You…"
This wasn't the first time I'd seen her…
Flashback….
A Few Days Ago-
Location: Mahogany Town Cemetery
Following the split between me, Yumi, and the others, I was desperately searching for Chikorita. There was no luck.
It felt empty not having Chikorita with me. It was the first time she and I were no together since the start of our journey. Our connection was why I was searching for her with such a sense of urgency. My search led me to the Mahogany Town cemetery, where Pryce was buried yesterday.
I was leaving the cemetery, unaware of the scene that was in store for me.
Walking in my direction was a woman with long, periwinkle-silver hair, and eyes that were a shade of blue reminiscent of Yumi's. One of those eyes was sporting a white eye gazer. She wore a blue jacket that, strange enough, went down past her waist and served as her same colored short shorts. She skin of her arms were not visible, being covered with long, light blue gloves. Her boot heels that went above her knees were the same color. This woman's most notable feature though, was the wand-like pointer stick she sported in her right hand.
The woman stepped right in front of me. "I'm here to pay my dues to the late Pryce, and standing in my way is some riff raff." She remarked out loud.
"You're aware that you're a waste of my time, right?" All she had to do was walk around me, and I wouldn't have had to say a thing. Too late, for I walked around her as I let her know that her presence wasn't worth my time. My eyes were closed, hands in the pockets of my black jacket.
Leaving the woman who gave me the impression that she had a foul mouth, I continued my search for Chikorita.
End Flashback
The woman gave me a nasty look, "You're the smart ass I met in the cemetery the other day."
"My, you possess foul language." Rose remarked.
Piplup chirped in agreement.
The woman did not acknowledge Rose. "Why are you here?" She asked me.
"I could ask you the same thing." I replied, "If you've already paid your dues to Pryce, there's no reason for you to revisit his grave so soon."
"I see we have ourselves a know-it-all." The woman returned fire, "Since you're so curious, I'll tell you why I'm here." She looked away from me and at Pryce's tombstone, "I find it hard to believe this man was strong enough to be a Gym Leader, considering the way he went out…Hmph, from what I heard, Gramps here got lost in the mountains and never came back. Talk about pathetic. Like a whimpering chihuahua losing his way after running away from the doghouse…"
This woman…her mouth wasn't the only thing that was foul about her.
I can only imagine Pryce looking down from Heaven, watching as the periwinkle haired woman desecrated his grave, stepping on the many flowers left on his grave by the people of Mahogany Town.
I've seen my fair share of despicable people. Hmph, from Chapel's point of view, I'm comparable to those despicable people…I'm nothing compared to this woman though…
The woman's boot heels scraped the flowers on the hard, grey surface of the tombstone. This prompted an angry response from Chapel. "Hey!" Chapel yelled as she took a step forward, not at all intimidated by Mamoswine, "Get away from his grave!"
I don't understand, Chapel. Why do you intend to pick a fight with this woman? You're always so altruistic. Why waste your time defending someone who is already dead?
"Are those fighting words?" The woman asked.
"Mamo!" Mamoswine stepped up, ready to defend its trainer.
"So sue me if I say yes!" Chapel was ready.
"Hmm…" The woman stared at Chapel, her hair caught in the wind while standing in the mist. Her gaze drifted, stopping at me again, "I'll fight YOU instead. While you maroon banged friend over here has a legitimate reason to fight me, you seem more mysterious. Ever since I first laid eyes on you, I've wanted to smack that stupid indifferent expression off your face," She pointed her wand-like stick at me, "Let us have a Pokemon battle!"
"Here? In a cemetery of all places?" Rose asked.
"I have somewhere else in mind, and I'm sure you won't regret hearing it." The woman answered as she walked past us and in the direction of the cemetery's exit, "Meet me at my new Pokemon Gym."
I perked up.
Is SHE the person replacing Pryce as the Gym Leader of Mahogany Town? Maybe she hasn't been in Mahogany long enough to truly get herself situated, which could explain why the Gym has been closed since I've been here.
The woman's Mamoswine followed her close behind.
I looked at Chikorita, who returned my gazed. A gym battle was now on the way.
"Beat her," Chapel said as she walked past me, "I can't stand people like her, treating Mr. Pryce's grave like that…Who gives her the right?"
I WON'T lose. I'm not going to end up in the mess Yumi is in right now…
….
There was not much to note as we followed this woman. Chapel looked as if she had a score to settle with the woman, which worried Rose and Piplup.
Out of the cemetery and through the town, we made it to the building Chikorita and I have been checking on for days: The Mahogany Town Pokemon Gym.
"Chico."
"Piplup."
We all took a look at the gym's interior.
"What the?" Chapel questioned.
"What kind of battlefield is this?" Rose asked.
"These are among the first of many renovations to be made to this gym. It'll be just the way I like it," the woman said.
The battlefield we all observed…it was frozen. It had absolutely no dirt or depth to it, which will render ground type attacks completely useless.
…The entire battlefield was suspended 6 feet in the air, and it stood above…a pool of dry ice.
"Dry ice…" Rose said to herself, "Do you not think using dry ice might be too dangerous?"
Rose was right. Dry ice was cold enough to burn humans AND pokemon. A burn from dry ice wasn't the same as a burn from fire.
"If something catastrophic happens to a pokemon, a trainer has nobody but his of herself to blame, baby doll." Morana explained to Rose. She then started walking, "Before this match starts, I'll give you suckers a formal introduction. My name is Morana. I hail from the region of Sinnoh, and have scoured the world, dominating my way to victory after victory…Taking over this gym is merely the consolation prize I've waited for. That Cilan…he foiled my attempt to take over the Striaton Gym. It was a battle certainly not worthy of being called 'Sinnoh's strongest trainer versus Unova's strongest trainer', because I didn't win. No matter then, I promised his defeat the next time we met. Until then, I'll have to settle for defeating you, smart-ass." Morana was on her side of the field, and she was calling me out, "Hurry of to your side of MY field!"
"As much as I despise her, there's one thing we have in common," Chapel started, "I'll defeat the darkness in you, and save the world from falling victim to your thirst for vengeance, Seth. This will be my first time watching you battle, WITH intent on observing how to beat you."
I'll admit it, it has been 'odd' travelling with Chapel while having her as a rival at the same time. However, her and her sentiments won't stop me and my thirst for vengeance. I've defeated Chapel once before, which will only mean she'll come at me stronger from here on out.
I started walking.
"I would not count of Brother losing today, Chapel," Rose said, "While his overall victory percentage is not the greatest in the world, Brother has yet to lose a Gym Battle on his journey."
I arrived on my of the battlefield, Chikorita following me.
"Chicori?" Chikorita looked around, onoticing the lack of a referee, which decided not to openly acknowledge. We all knew Morana was well aware of this.
"Now with the inttroductions out of the way, why not get straight to the battle, smart-ass." Morana obviously did not care to know my name, "This will be a three versus three Pokemon battle, got it?"
"Make your move!"
"Guess your smart-ass is in a hurry to lose," Morana said as she grabbed a Pokeball, "Mamoswine, be a darling and destroy this riff raff for me."
"Oohmm!" It was that pokemon from before. That Mamowine landed on the icy battlefield with authority.
If this thin ice field could support a pokemon the size of Mamoswine, then said ice must be strong. I don't need to worry about the ice shattering and my pokemon falling into the burning dry ice.
Now, for which pokemon to use…Mawile and Chandelure should have the advantage, but saving them for Morana's other pokemon would be wise. Klefki, while also having an advantage, is one of my Shadow Pokemon. He, along with my Shadow Seviper, are off limits now, because there's no need to allow Fear to take over right now. Murkrow is a definite 'no', being a Flying type.
That leaves just one pokemon left for me to open with.
"Chikorita." I looked at a Chikorita standing right next to me.
"Chicori?!" Chikorita was surprised. It looked like she wasn't expecting to battle today. The thought can't be helped though, since we just discovered Mahogany's Gym Leader today.
"Chikorita, let us battle," I said to Chikorita.
Though surprised, Chikorita was able to quickly react and accommodate. "Chi!" She hopped on to the battlefield, "Ch-ch-chi?! Chicori?!" but not without struggling to find her balance of the ice first.
"Chikorita?!" Rose and Chapel were taken aback.
"Why?" Chapel asked, "Why use Chikorita?"
"Are you serious?!" Morana looked more intrigued than Chapel and Rose, "You've got to be kidding. Playing a runt like Chikorita against MY Mamoswine?!"
"Chi?!" Chikorita glared at Morana.
"What? Did I offend you? Let's see you try and beat some respect out of me!"
"Mamo!"
"I don't understand. No offense to Chikorita, but out of all Seth's pokemon, Chikorita has to be the weakest," Chapel said.
"Who knows? Brother might be onto something. Mamoswine IS very much susceptible to Energy Ball and Solarbeam." Rose countered.
"It won't take long for me to kill that puny plant!" Morana yelled, "Mamoseinr, use Ice Fang!"
Mamoswine, following Morana's order, eyed Chikorita as his tusks turned a light blue color and nearly doubled in length. "Mamoswine!" Mamoswine started running at Chikorita, using those tusks to aim.
That huge Mamoswine was smooth on the ice, running on the battlefield without leaving aa single crack.
Chikorita was ready for a command.
"Chikorita, defend with Reflect." I called.
"Chico!" Chikorita agreed as she summoned around herself, a barrier that will increase her toughness.
"Mamo!" Instead of hitting Chikorita, Mamoswine managed to strike the barrier with Ice Fang.
Chikorita smiled.
"So much for defeating Chikorita in one hit!" Chapel cheered.
"Wow, it has not taken long for us to know the intentions of Brother picking Chikorita. With Reflect in play, this battle will be determined by stats rather than type advantage." Rose explained.
She was correct, though Chikorita's moves will still be super effective.
Mamoswine was now in close range with Chikorita, "Chikorita, use Energy Ball."
Chikorita immediately launched a ball of green energy at Mamoswine.
"Ooohmm!" Energy Ball was super effective, and sent the large mammoth sliding back across the icy battlefield. After the knockback, Mamoswine shook off some of the pain and focused on Chikorita again.
"Energy Ball again."
"Ch…co!"
"Counter with Ice Beam!" Morana called.
Mamoswine launched a beam of ice that collided with the incoming Energy Ball, creating a cloud of smoke.
"Don't let down you guard," I said to Morana.
Morana and Mamoswine were waiting for the smoke to clear, but in doing that, they've left themselves wide open for an attack.
Me telling Morana to not let her guard down was Chikorita's cue to launch another Energy Ball.
"Ah!" Both Morana and Mamoswine were caught off guard once Energy Ball came flying through the smoke.
Mamoswine was struck, and sent sliding back even further. The Ice type was right in front of Morana.
"This match is ours." And I was right, in this opening battle, momentum was completely in our favor, "Chikorita, use Solarbeam."
"Solarbeam already?" Rose questioned.
"Seth and Chikorita are confident now," Chapel said.
"Chico. Chi…" Chikorita nodded. She lowered her head, her leaf beginning to gather whatever light was in here. This was Solarbeam in the making.
"You fool…" Morana smirked.
"Hm?"
Mamoswine smirked as well.
"You've left the little runt wide open for an attack, smart-ass." Morana answered, "Don't you realize using two-turn attacks will leave make you an easy target?"
I'm well aware of that fact. However, I still called for Solarbeam, "Yes, but so far you've been the entire time boasting what was supposed to be a sure victory on your part." With Reflect in play, charging up for Solarbeam will be a simple task.
"You dare critique me, smart-ass?" Morana furrowed her eyebrows, "Fine then, I'll show you that your words are nothing more than ignorance. Mamoswine, use Ice Beam! Don't let up this time!"
Chikorita was already gathering light, so there was no commanding her to do much of anything else.
"Coo!" Chikorita, struck by a super effective Ice Beam, was still gathering energy, until…
"Huh?!"
"No!" Rose yelped.
Without warning, the ice from Ice Beam was beginning to form around Chikorita.
While gathering energy, Chikorita was frozen!
"What a bad break…" Chapel thought out loud.
"The chances of an Ice Beam actually freezing a pokemon is such a rarity, unless we are talking about an Ice Beam coming from Piplup," Rose said.
"Plup…" Piplup was intrigued.
"Oh, boo hoo! I guess Chikorita could be considered 'unable to battle' now, don't you think, smart-ass?" Morana asked while toying with her wand-like stick.
I gritted my teeth. I won't withdraw Chikorita…
"How about a deal?" Morana asked, "Recall Chikorita for the remained of the battle and call it a day. Save that puny plant the pain we're about to deal, should you decline."
"Should he recall Chikorita?" Rose asked.
"I would." Chapel answered, "That Seth never concerns himself over the pain others will suffer on route to him reaching his goal…It's a trait I just can't stand!"
"No…if there is anyone Brother would NOT do that to, it is Chikorita." Rose countered.
Chapel didn't reply.
"So what'll it be?" Morana asked, "Will you concede this round?"
I stared at Chikorita, and then back at Morana.
Chikorita may still be frozen, but she can still hear me. Morana was talking tough before an end result could be reached. This was something I plan to exploit.
All I had to do was give one command, "Aromatherapy."
Yes, the move Chikorita learned not too long ago.
"Aromatherapy?!" Morana yelped. She was NOT expecting such a situational move to be a Chikorita's disposal.
Chikorita began to glow a pink aura, and just like that, the ice she was encased in began to melt as if it was one fire.
"We'll be ready to counterattack! Mamoswine, prepare Ice Fang!"
Mamoswine was eager as he charged at Chikroita as soon as she thawed out.
Mamoswine was a bit slow, but even so, there was a narrow window for me to give Chikorita a command.
"Chikorita, jump on Mamoswine's back!"
Chikorita was ready. "Chi!" Once Mamoswine closed the distance, Chikorita hopped onto one of Mamoswine's icy fangs. "Chico…" Damage was dealt, however it was minimized due to Reflect, "Chico!" Chikorita was still focused. She performed one more leap, this time on Mamoswine's back.
"What?!" Morana yelped, "Mamoswine, get that thing off you!"
"Mamo! Mamoswine!" Try as it could, Mamoswine couldn't get Chikorita off.
"If Mamoswine elects to run around like a Bouffalant, he risks slipping and possibly sliding off the ice field and into the dry ice below." Rose explained. "If not for the dry ice, Mamoswine would probably ram into a wall if it meant knocking Chikorita off its head. Instead, Mamoswine is weary and conservative."
"It appears I've turned you homefield advantage against you, Morana," I said, "Chikorita, launch Energy Ball straight up."
Knowing Mamoswine couldn't hit her now, Chikorita was excited to grab a win. "Chi!" She launched ball of energy straight up, and we all knew what was going to happen next…Well, everyone except Morana.
"What the hell are you trying to do?" Morana asked.
The Energy Ball fell right into Chikorita's mouth.
"Chi!"
Chikorita began to glow a white aura, and her leaf was emitting an electrical blue-green energy. This was Chikorita's newfound power-Unlocked Potential.
"Huh?" This was the first time Chapel was present when Chikorita used her Unlocked Potential.
"You need not be surprised, Chapel," Rose said, "This is the newfound power of Chikorita I told you about."
Morana gritted her teeth. She and Mamoswine were helpless.
"Round 1 goes to me," I said, "Chikorita, use Solarbeam."
"Chi…" There was no stopping Chikorita as she absorbed light for a second time.
"Damn you, smart-ass…" This was all Morana could say as Chikorita gathered all the energy needed.
"Chico!" This was a fully powered ray of light intended to end Mamoswine abruptly. With Chikorita using her Unlocked Potential, Solarbeam was guaranteed not to fail.
An explosion of light energy occurred as Mamoswine was blasted down into the icy battlefield. A cloud of smoke was created, and the wind brushed my black hair and blonde bangs.
The smoke cleared, and what we saw was Mamoswine motionless, his trainer seemingly humbled by my Chikorita's performance.
"Mamoswine is defeated…" Rose said out loud.
"And Chikorita is victorious." Chapel finished.
"Chico." Chikorita smiled as she stood tall on the ice.
"Preposterous." Morana was thinking to herself out loud, "How could my prediction have gone wrong? To think MY Mamoswine was defeated by that puny plant…and that wretched trainer of hers."
Morana snatched a Mamoswine's Pokeball from her belt and recalled the defeated Ice Type. Her eyebrows were furrowed, and we could all hear her as she whispered to the Pokeball, "You should be ashamed of yourself…"
Chapel had a problem with this, but I could hardly blame Morana, considering who Mamoswine was defeated by.
Morana eyed me, "Your fluke of a victory just now…I'd prefer to label it 'beginner's luck'. And do you know why?" She asked rhetorically. "Because this victory will be your last. Against me, I'm afraid your luck has just run out!"
We watched as Morana threw her second Pokeball, and waited for our second opponent in this battle to be revealed. Who was it going to be? Will this Pokemon be strong enough for Morana's prediction to come true this time?
To Be Continued…