Pokemon Virus Version Chapter 115: Am I Pretty?
Seth's POV
Hearing the story of the late Pryce, the ending in particular, had me thinking back to my dream.
I was once again in the nameless community small enough to be called a village. People went about their lives as if I didn't exist, while I usually don't acknowledge the existence of those I don't deem important anyway. It was a nighttime under the cloudy sky, and snow covered the cabins.
Pryce's life story came to an end with the question that has alluded me: Am I pretty? The same with my dream.
Once the villagers were all in their cabins for the night, I found myself alone in the center of town. Not even Pryce was here this time. Last I saw him, he followed the transparent voice into the dark night.
…
"Am I…pretty?" That voice, asking that question again…
I was confused this time.
"Me?" I asked.
Pryce was no longer here, so the voice could no longer magnetize him like a vice.
"Am I pretty?" Once again, the voice failed to acknowledge me…Or perhaps I jumped to a conclusion too soon. "Yes, I ask for you to answer the question: Am I pretty? Come to me…"
This vision was mimicking the dream I had last night…Like back then, I felt something in the voice that was…gravitating.
'What am I doing? Why am I walking?' In my mind, I felt no obligation to follow the voice. I tried to stop myself from moving, but it was no use. It was as if my body was moving on its own, away from the small village…
…..
If I had a heart, I would probably feel uncertain about unwillingly moving forward, far away into the cloudy twilight.
"Am I…pretty?"
The footprints of the late Pryce were still fresh in the snow. How did I know they belonged to Pryce? Easy, I watched him walk this same path last night. I had lost control of where my body wanted to go then, but it wasn't as bad as now.
"Am I…pretty? Please tell me I'm pretty?"
Into the snowy night, over many wooden bridges, and passing by the frozen corpses of men who were no longer with us, I was making faster progress than last night.
"I am pretty, am I not?"
A forever in seconds had ticked away by the time I reached Pryce's last footprints. They stopped so abruptly.
'This was where I woke up from the dream…' I thought to myself.
This was where the voice finally revealed itself, at long last. This was also the last time I saw Pryce…
"Show yourself." I called out to the voice calmly.
I wonder if I'll break from this vision soon…
The wind circulating this forest began to pick up, increasing the chill brought by the already freezing air. If this was real, I would be shivering right now. My black hair and blonde bangs blew in my face, but I was still able to witness the appearance…of an unfamiliar.
The wind picked flakes of snow from the ground and they started gathering right in front of me. The little snowflakes gave off the appearance little stars dancing in the night. There, where they gathered, a figure appeared right in front of me. It was the woman from last night. Her skin was inhumanly pale, blending perfectly with her all white kimono, and making her long black hair seem even more vibrant in comparison. Her obi was red, and her eyes were icy blue. Those eyes stared mine.
For a long moment, there was silence; nothing but the cold chilling wind to keep us company. Did I have anything to say? Yes, but I was waiting for her to speak. Did SHE have anything to say? Let us find out.
"I have met you, at long last?" The woman held her right kimono sleeve over her mouth.
"Where's Pryce?" I wasn't some unsuspecting stranger quick to welcome a random passerby into my party. No, I'm not that naïve. I intended to get straight to business with this woman…if she can even be called a woman at all. Her inhumanly pale skin has me questioning if it was even possible for humans to look like that.
Keeping her kimono sleeve over her mouth, the woman giggled, fluttering her long eyelashes. "So what do you think? Am I pretty?"
She avoided my question completely, which prompted a hint of annoyance out of me. I was going to scold the woman…but then she gave me a closer look with those icy eyes…They were hypnotizing, and they completely broke my will to express my frustration. But how? Could this be how I was magnetized here?
"Now as you were saying: Do you think I'm pretty?"
I remained silent. Calling a girl pretty? I don't think I have the heart to do that.
The woman giggled again. "I think I may have myself a challenge, my first."
She took a step closer to me, that smile on her face adopting coy characteristics. All I wanted was to know what happened to Pryce, and why I keep having these visions of him and the woman's voice. Instead of getting an answer to my questions, I became the subject of this woman's inexplicable amusement. She took another step closer. My mind was sending the message to my body to take a step back accordingly, but my body wouldn't listen.
The woman took a few more steps until she was just a few inches in front of me. I looked behind her to see that she left no footprints in the snow. I would question this if not for what happened next.
My eyes grew wide. "!" The woman kissed me…on the lips. She was cold…very cold…
She pulled back, not breaking eye contact with me.
Why would she do that?
"The heart of a man can be won through a passionate kiss." She said. I have no heart though… "Now maybe you can answer my question: Am I pretty?"
The vision is over…
Location: Mahogany Town-Local Playground
"Seth…Seth!"
"Wha?" I was confused as I saw Yumi waving her hand in front of me.
"You look like you were hypnotized just now," The elderly woman said.
"I saw…" No…there was no reason for me to tell the others about the vision I saw. It was all but confirmed by my perspective though: My dreams and the story of Pryce told by the elderly teacher…they were connected.
I was kissed. It was my FIRST kiss…But why? What was the seemingly inhuman woman hoping to accomplish? Where was Pryce?
"You saw what? Stars? You might want to see a therapist, because you apparently have more issues than just your battling." Morana remarked. She was still as foul mouthed as ever.
Chapel simply shook her head. There was really no reason for her to bicker with the Gym Leader anymore, not since she earned herself the new Glacier Badge.
"Okay, who are you, and what gives you the right to talk like that!" Yumi on the other hand…This was her first time meeting Morana, so she really didn't know what to expect. Yumi's reaction wasn't as passionate as Chapel, yet not as passive as mine.
Morana simply ignored Yumi. "There's no reason for me to remain here, so I guess I'll be taking my leave." And with that, Morana started walking away, but not without addressing the elderly teacher, "I thank you for the entertaining story, grandma."
"The time seems about right for us to also take our leave, is it not?" Rose, with her red flower-decorated egg in her arms, got up and started walking in my direction.
Chapel gave the elderly teacher and the class a bow of genuine gratitude. She enjoyed listening to such a story while out in the spring air. Piplup walked right beside her, and the plain white egg was in her arms as she walked passed me, her short blonde hair and maroon bangs blowing in the breeze. The kids all waved goodbye, Piplup reciprocating the action. "Piplup!"
I was the next one to start walking. I couldn't get the vision out of my mind. The woman, her echo of a voice, that icy kiss…they all seemed so real. I felt as if the dream could hypnotize me in real life…like just a few minutes ago.
I was so preoccupied by my vision, that I was slightly on the startled side when I felt my hand grabbed before I could get a decent amount of steps in.
Yumi…
"Did you think I'd forget? Tell me I'm pretty!" It was official: Yumi was hellbent on dragging the words she wanted to hear right out of me, TODAY. "Am I pretty? Am I pretty? Hm?"
"Am I…pretty-"
"Am I pretty?!" Dammit, Yumi was making it difficult for me to brainstorm about the pale woman in my vision.
I pulled my arm away as I let a hint of annoyance find its way out, "You're annoying me."
Yumi smiled playfully, "Why thank you!"
I gritted my teeth.
She allowed no separation between us as she said, "Am I pretty though?"
Frustration, the emotion that has been reserved for Neo Snagem up until now...Yumi was managing to turn the annoyance I was feeling into frustration.
….
"Am I pretty?"
Yumi was so giddy. Asking this question nonstop, she was attracting unnecessary attention from everyone we passed by. Hands in my pockets and head down, I tried to ignore it as best I could. My patience was being tested, and its limit was about to be reached.
"Yumi, I think you should give it a rest," Chapel said as she turned to us. Now she and Rose were getting a bit annoyed.
"If I were in the shoes of Brother, I would most certainly be embarrassed right now." Rose added. Embarrassing would be the right word, if I had a heart.
"All Seth has to do is tell me I'm pretty." Yumi countered, defending her persistence.
"…Am I pretty?"
My eyes widened. "That voice…" I am hallucinating…right?
"My voice?" Yumi asked. "What's wrong with my-wait a minute…Don't try and change the subject! Do you think I'm pretty?"
"Am I…pretty?" I wasn't hallucinating…
I…I felt this transparent voice just as magnetizing as I did in my vision…
"Tell me I'm pretty!" But Yumi was making it hard to concentrate.
In order to listen to the voice in my head, I had to ignore Yumi. All I needed to do was tune her out.
Never mind wherever Chapel was headed, it was time for me to take the lead. I hastened my pace until I was ahead of the maroon eyed girl and her Piplup.
"Where are you going now?" Yumi asked.
I refused to answer her. She has already put me in a bad mood.
"Seth…" Chapel called.
Just like in my dream, I couldn't stop my body from moving. I wanted to go to the Gym and challenge Morana again, but apparently the one I saw in my vision has other plans today. It was time to get to the bottom of these chain of anomalies.
"Do you remember the dream I told you about?" I asked Chapel, "Today is the day I uncover what exactly happened to Pryce."
Chapel, as bold as she always is, was the first to declare that she was going to accompany me. She expressed that she's been curious as to what happened to Pryce. I was well aware of the fact that Chapel had been staying in Mahogany Town longer than me. She was here early enough to go to Pryce's funeral, though it was her who told me Pryce's body wasn't actually present. She was passionate about defending the late Pryce from Morana's harsh words as well…
Rose had no reason to decline, while I couldn't get rid of Yumi if I tried.
"Am I pretty?" How I wish she WOULD stay behind…
….
Location: Route 44
I didn't care to notice the pokemon roaming Route 44. I was too preoccupied with my vision…
"The heart of a man can be won through a passionate kiss." What did that woman mean by that?
I remember Pryce looking more hypnotized than me when he journeyed into the icy path. Maybe the woman was doing the same thing to me as what she did with Pryce…
"I think I may have a challenge, my first."
Wait...what if the woman's intention was for me to follow her, like Pryce did? She expressed trying to kiss her way to my heart, and me being somewhat resistant to her effort compared to Pryce.
"Am I pretty?"
She wanted my heart, but I had no heart…
"Seth!" I was brought back to reality by that annoying girl, "Am I pretty?!"
Closing in on the limit to my patience…
….
Location: Mahogany Town Gym
Morana's POV
A long, drawn out sigh made its echo throughout my empty gym.
"What a bore. It seems I've not any challengers today."
I was sitting in my 'Queen's Throne' fidgeting with the tip of my pointer.
"Not like it matters. After all, my field is still shattered."
It is a Gym Leader's duty to await challengers at her Gym…What a load of crap. From traversing the world in search of powerful opponents, to merely waiting for newbies to come to me...Sorry, but not today. It was time to add some excitement to my bore of a day.
I got up from my throne and started walking across the shattered battlefield, on my way to exit the gym.
"The old woman's story about Pryce interests me. Maybe I can find the old man's corpse while training in the icy mountains."
Besides…
'Even before the death of Pryce, the Icy Mountains have been somewhat of an enigma. I heard that even the most powerful trainers have gotten lost, never to be seen again. If there's a powerful Pokemon in the mountains, I'm going to capture it…"
I took out a Pokeball and threw it into the air as I was approaching the automatic doors leading to the outside of my Gym.
"Mamo." Out came Mamoswine, who followed me without question.
"I am the Queen, and you will be my stead today. Got it?" I asked rhetorically.
Mamoswine didn't answer, for this has become routine over the years. He just continued to follow me, as the double doors slid open.
"Ah, excuse me!" Oh, NOW a challenger shows up, "I'm here to challenge you!"
"Like I give a crap." If I did give a crap, I would've at least stopped and acknowledged the ten year old boy's existence, but I didn't. I just brushed him off with an attitude as cold as the snow that awaits.
"But you're a Gym Leader," the boy argued, "You're supposed to accept my challenge!"
"So sue me." The catchphrase that the Pokemon Ranger uses is one that I'll have to add to my vocabulary. "Come back when I feel like battling nobodies like you."
And so the double doors slid shut behind Mamoswine and I. To the Icy Mountains and its Ice Path, we went…
Little did we know…this would turn out to be more than just a training quest…
….
Seth's POV
Here is was…the far north. Here lied the answer to so many question marks. What happened to Pryce? Where was he? Who was the mysterious woman, and why was I having visions about her?
…What was the purpose of the village Pryce and I passed through? It was a surprise seeing a settlement in a place as isolated as the Icy Mountains, but there was enough people for it to be considered a legitimate community. Why haven't I heard of it? Every map and geographic reference I've read depicts this part of Johto as completely uninhabitable by humans.
"Am I pretty?"
The hypnotizing voice…
The force of the Icy Mountains' nature was starting to pick up. Snow was being blown by gusts that made it more freezing than any night spent in Mahogany Town's challenging winter. No human nor pokemon were present…
"Vui." Except for our pokemon. I was indifferent, but the weather was already taking its toll on Chapel, Yumi, Rose, and the pokemon. Chapel felt the need to warm up using her grey furred Eevee. The Evolution Pokemon embraced Chapel while in her arms.
"You're a lifesaver, Eevee." Chapel chuckled.
Meanwhile, Chapel's egg was stowed away in her brown backpack to keep warm. Rose's egg was in MY black backpack. I allowed Rose to carry it, since she didn't have a backpack of her own. Piplup made herself right at home in the cold weather.
Chikorita was right beside me, while I had recalled Mawile to prevent the cold from irritating her damages.
"Am I pretty?"
I looked up into the mountains from on the ground. 'You're here, in the mountains…' I thought.
"So you've finally come.' The voice said to me. 'Do you wish to answer my question in person?'
'I have questions for you, and you WILL answer.'
The voice chuckled. "Hmhm…The heart of a man is won through a passionate kiss…"
This was the first time I had acknowledged the voice while wide awake. It was such a major stepping stone toward solving the mystery of what happened Pryce, because now there was a link between the visions and the real world.
I kept my eyes on the sky as the clouds turned dark, giving the illusion that the night was here, even though the day was still very much alive. Snow fell, and I could feel a single snowflake fall on my cheek. Winter was here once again. This cold weather wasn't going to keep my mind from realizing, "My dreams may have been just a foreshadowing of what's to come…"
"What?" Chapel looked at me as if something was wrong, "You should stop talking to yourself, sweetie."
"That's the longest sentence you've said all day!" Yumi got in my face as she said this. As she put her hands on her hips she remarked, "All you have to do is tell me I'm pretty, and I'll leave you alone. 'Yes, you're pretty', see? Just three words!"
I was the first to start walking again, "Yumi, please give it a rest."
Yumi stood there for a second before following me. I could feel the glare in her eyes as she slightly changed the tone in her voice, "Well excuse me for trying to make you feel like you have a heart. One day, you're gonna have to put your pride aside and listen your heart."
People have been talking about my heart a lot today.
"The heart of a man can be won through a passionate kiss…"
"But I don't have a heart." I said as I continued walking.
There was nothing Yumi could say to combat my fact. For the longest time, my heart has remained shattered into glass pieces…
Yumi grabbed my wrist, and I stopped. This caused for Chapel and Rose to stop as well.
"Well I DO have a heart, and one day, you'll have a heart too. Maybe you'll be able to feel emotions people like me are feeling…right now." Yumi's voice started to descend to that of a whisper as she looked at the ground, "…Stop talking as if you'll never have a heart…"
Why was she speaking like this? Yumi…has been around me ALOT since Autumn Town.
…Never mind, I've no obligation to answer any of Yumi's questions…even if she may have a point. I took my arm back and continued. Chapel and Rose watched as I simply whispered to Yumi, "Give it a rest."
"No." She whispered.
POV: There is no POV at this time
Chapel and Rose watched as Seth started walking again, leaving behind a still Yumi who was unceremoniously serious. Chapel and Rose respectively have their own complicated relationships with a Seth lacking a heart, but just now with Yumi…It was for the best that they weren't forceful with him.
Rose could only look at the back of her older brother as his black jacket blew in the wind. She thought to herself 'Brother is very complex…'
"Yumi, are you okay?" Chapel put a hand on the shoulder of Yumi.
Yumi didn't know whether or not to feel saddened. She knew getting on Seth's nerves has been her theme today, but she truly thinks what she does is for his own good. "I put on a smile whenever he tells me to leave him alone, but sometimes his words will hurt, like today. Sometimes, it's as if Seth doesn't want to change."
Yumi would never guess that she's right. Seth hasn't said it out loud, but on an occasion or two, he has expressed the desire not to have a heart. To Seth, emotions are a sign of weakness, and he has no time for such trivial feelings, not while on his journey to satisfy his thirst for vengeance.
What Seth doesn't know is that his actions affect how other people feel about him. Yumi doesn't take for granted the fact that Seth came running for her even after she lost a battle for the right to claim him. What Seth saw was him repaying a debt; saving Yumi's life after she saved his in Ecruteak City. What Yumi saw, she saw through 'rose lenses': Seth refusing to let her go-and this was right after dreaming of her and Seth living happily ever after. What Yumi fails to realize is that Seth never really expressed himself as seeing Yumi 'that way'. Nevertheless, Yumi planted a kiss on Seth's cheek as she promised herself that she would get Seth to return her feelings for him someday. Today was the day it would start.
Being in the mountains was not an excuse to break her promise to herself.
Yumi looked ahead as she said to Chapel and Rose, "You two should know by now. I really want Seth to call me pretty!"
Seth's main priority though: Find the mysterious woman, and find out how to end the strange visions once and for all…
….
Elsewhere, In A Snowy Village…
Snow, snow, and more snow. The white flakes piles on top of what was left of the ruined village…if it was big enough to be called a village at all.
Abandoned cottages were present, and they housed a variety of pokemon, such as Snover, Smoochum, Jynx, and Cubchoo.
There were no humans, a complete contrast to how this town seemed in Seth's vision. Yep, no humans…except for one: The inhumanly pale woman who stood at the center of the village. The woman left no footprints, leaving the mystery waiting to be solved: Who was she?
There were plenty of small pokemon, and they were arguable lighter than the woman, yet left visible footprints. These pokemon were called Bergmite, and they had a reputation given to them by humans: Bergmite often resided in armies exclusive to their own species.
Countless Bergmite were gathering at the mysterious woman's command, like insects. But why?
…
The woman came to communicate with Seth, and felt the presence of others accompanying them. 'I came to speak with the young man. Black hair, blonde bangs, blue eyes…I never knew he existed until days ago. He appeared before me in a vision, along with the late Pryce. He had such a dark and mysterious aura to him, how could I resist? He was a tough one, so I planted him an ice cold kiss, to convince him to see me. He wants to know what happened to Pryce, but that will have to wait…until he tells me I'm pretty'. Her near-hollow white kimono and black hair blew in the wind. 'He finally arrives. However, the boy has brought company. Three girls, they are. They seem to disrupt him concentrating on his visions of me, which is troublesome. Which brings me to you…Bergmite…do away with the three girls. However, leave the young man to find me. I wish to win the heart of what could be my greatest challenge…'
The snow falls, and the winds blows.
A simple quest is about to become difficult…
To Be Continued…
Author's Note:
And so the build up begins-an arc that I've wanted to do for a few years now, since 2014, to be exact. Please forgive me for giving a heads up before hand, but NO MORE MAHOGANY TOWN. That's right, this was the last chapter spent in the snowy city. And now, this Arc-with build up for the last 25 chapters, will be a send off to the snowy weather before we shift gears to Team Neo Snagem. Hello 06. Hello 13 and Zero.