Pokemon Virus Version Chapter 122: Ice-Morana, Cold-Yukiko, Freezing-Yumi
Location: Aomori Village
Yumi's POV
I thought I could escape this terrible day through my dreams. I thought wrong.
I dreamed of the very scene that broke my heart and spirit today…
"I feared for my life, Seth. I feared that if I died, I'd never be able to see you again. I worried that I'd never be able to tell you how I feel…that was, until I found out that you're aware of my feelings. Death was on my doorstep, and if I'd left this life, I'd despise the fact that I never got you to return my feelings. I want you to embrace me when I hug you. I want you to embrace me when I try and kiss you. I want to get you to blush one day…I want you to call me pretty, Seth. Am I pretty?"
Am I pretty, here we were, back at this question, only this time, no more games. I had annoyed Seth with the question all day, but now I longed for an answer.
"That question…" Seth said to himself before looking at me, "That question has annoyed me all day. I've no reason to answer it."
"That's the point!" I argued as I grabbed his hand, "I've wanted an answer from you since day one! Alice told me that you once called her pretty, why can't you call ME pretty? Am I pretty?! Am I pretty?" I was beginning to hold back tears of passion. "Am I pretty?"
Chikorita and Braixen were trying to calm us down, but it was no use.
"Let go!" Seth yelled.
"Not until you tell me I'm pretty! Am I pretty? Am I pretty?"
Seth winced in frustration as he yelled, "No! You're not!"
I paused when those words left his lips. His answer was so unnerving, I felt all strength in my arms minimize, allowing for Seth to pull away.
Braixen and Chikorita went to my side as I dropped to my knees.
"You wanted an answer, and now you've got it…" Seth remarked as he began to walk away.
His footsteps in the ice could be heard, and he was not stopping for me. It was my choice whether to follow him. Did I want to follow him?
I woke up from my dream as this question repeatedly pestered me in my head.
Just where I remember falling asleep. I was in the goshol house, in a bedroom I was using.
I sat up and rubbed my eye. My aqua blue bangs needed to be moved from my eyes, and when I moved them, I realized that it was still dark out.
How long was I asleep? Not long enough, apparently. The wind was as audible as it's been all day.
I sighed, "This wood floor is so uncomfortable." I was still half asleep. My back was on the stiff side, and despite the fact that I had a sleeping bag, my feet were irritated by the cold climate. Well, I WAS wearing pantyhose…
"Chi…" Chikorita was sound asleep.
…
"Seth?" I rubbed my eye one more time as I called Seth's name. He wasn't here…
I called his name one more time, in a volume more audible than my previous. Still no answer.
"Seth." This house was old, but that didn't stop me from treating it like a home. I rose to my feet and started wandering the house. I didn't bother putting on my boots, allowing the sound of my feet touching the wood to be muffled by my pantyhose.
"Chi?" The sound of me moving out of my sleeping bag woke Chikorita. She opened one eye and looked in my direction.
Just before entering the hallway, I saw Chikorita looking at me, and stopped. If she was human, she'd probably be asking me where I was going. The thought of this question being asking made me answer to Chikorita out loud, "Seth's not here."
"Chi?" Chikorita perked up, looking around the room. Realizing Seth wasn't here, Chikorita rose to her feet and began to follow me.
Like the rest of this long abandoned home, there was no light in the hallway. No light, and no life aside from Chikorita and I. This place, along with the rest of Aomori Village, was as dead as the night. As dead, as my heart…
It was my choice whether to follow him. Did I want to follow him? I looked to the floor as this question circled my mind again. In a whisper not audible to Chikorita, I muttered under my breath, "I guess I am following him right now."
Yesterday was the first time Seth was genuinely angry with me. He wasn't simply annoyed with my antics, he had actually allowed his dissatisfaction with me to show. He was not sorry. He has not shown to be sorry, since. Things have been different between us, since. We haven't really spoken to each other, since.
I opened the sliding door on the left, while Chikorita protruded her vines to opening the door on the right. No Seth. We were not going to waste time searching every inch of the house. There was no reason for Seth to hide in this house…but there WAS a reason for him to be outside.
I envisioned the determined expression on his face, and what I might say if it were possible to communicate with him right now, "I am on this quest to find the mysterious woman and discover what happened to Pryce. I'll be sure nothing stands in my way."
"Chi?" Chikorita tapped my arm with one of her vines. She was curious as to why I was deep in thought.
It was like a lightbulb light up in my head. My eyes widened as I said, "Seth went outside!" I smiled and grabbed Chikorita's vine and said to her, "Let's go outside and find Seth! I wonder if he'll still be mad at me? Oh well. He has a knack for starting trouble, and if that's the case tonight, I say we have a job to do, right Chikorita?"
"Chi!" Chikorita nodded in agreement. My sudden energy had brought some positivity to this bleak night.
It was about time for me to get my mojo back. How early I've woken up is irrelevant when looking at the bigger picture and saying to yourself' today is a new day'. Today, I will be better than what I was yesterday. And today, I'll find Seth and give him a good morning hug!
…..
"Wow." Yes, today will be a better day than yesterday. I believed by fortune to be changing for the better already, when I discovered a path of footprints leading away from the house. "This will lead us to Seth."
"Chico." Chikorita cried in agreement.
…..
Location: Yukiko's Destroyed Cavern
Morana's POV
Minutes ago, this mysterious woman-Yukiko…Froslass…this 'thing' was defeated by the dumbass, Seth. Her face shattered, her cave crumbled, and her heart split like glass, or so she believed.
I was defrosted, and the night had descended in to a false sense of security that even had the dumbass fooled. His victory was not meant to be, as this Yukiko girl seemingly rose from the dead. Though, she was ALREADY dead, and revealed her true form. This Froslass then proceeded to put the dumbass asleep with a kiss…a Draining Kiss that drained his energy.
"The heart of a man can easily be won by a passionate kiss." The Froslass floated over the boy now sleeping.
"Froslass…" I said to myself. There was only one reason why I'm even here right now, and that was to capture a rare pokemon-a pokemon worthy of being under the ownership of yours truly.
I walked a couple of steps closer, and stopped, "Froslass." I called.
The Froslass sharply faced me with the cold eyes. Honestly, I guess she was hoping I'd be intimidated by such a gesture.
"I'll make the formality short and sweet, kay? Name's Morana, and I'm here to fight and capture you."
"Lass?" Hah, this Froslass must've gotten the last of 'Illusionary Human Yukiko' out of her system by going back to pokemon talk. I'll guess that she questions my guts. I wish to capture her, after she killed Pryce, defeated Seth, and separated him from the Pokemon Ranger and their company? Yes.
"Having me drink tea that gives you control over my body temperature and then freezing me is cunning. However," I took out a Pokeball, "You won't fool me with that trick twice!"
"Swine!" Out of the Pokeball, came Mamoswine, my stead who has been very busy today.
"Time for you to put up or shut up. I'm here to capture you."
As if on cue from my words, Mamoswine began charging at the Froslass. His giant footsteps made the ground quake every time contact with the ground was made.
Froslass watched and waited as Mamoswine closed in on her.
"Swine!" Mamoswine jumped into the air, and braced for landing on his target. Upon impact, a cloud of smoke was made from the powdered snow.
I did not wait for the smoke to clear to make my next move. I know very well that this Froslass was not going down without a fight, so it was up to me to fight accordingly. I took out one more Pokeball, and threw it into the air.
"Aboooom!" Out came another of my Ice types. Abomasnow roared, and it echoed throughout the icy mountains.
When the smoke cleared, Mamoswine stared at where he landed. Froslass was not there.
I smirked. I wasn't caught off guard. In fact, I was catching on to a pattern of hers that she exploited when fighting the dumbass.
"Lass…" Froslass was right behind me.
Without turning to face the snow woman, I calmly called out to Abomasnow, "Energy Ball."
Abomasnow raised his arms, producing a ball of green energy that was launched in my direction.
"Hmph." The smirk still on my face, I sidestepped, allowing the Energy Ball to flow right past me, and straight to Froslass.
"Lass!" Froslass swiftly ascended. She paid no mind to the Energy Ball that continued until crash landing in the blank snow. Quite a ways behind, an explosion caused by Energy Ball could be heard as a dim green light lit up the night.
I watched as Abomasnow took initiative, firing multiple Energy Balls at Froslass, like a missile launcher.
"Lass!" She ducked. "Froslass!" She swung to her right, and then smiled. "Laaassss." She happily avoided a third Energy Ball by twirling to her left like a dancer. She then proceeded to dodge a fourth Energy Ball by quickly ascending to the air.
Abomasnow wasn't done yet, but that didn't stop Froslass from seizing an opportunity to wave her finger at me. "Laaasss." This had a 'you're too slow' taunt written all over it.
Was this supposed to offend me? Probably, but I was too impressed by the evasive action this Froslass was capable of. I was more excited than worked up.
"Snow!" Abomasnow on the other hand, found the need to launch Energy Ball at a higher rate.
Froslass narrowed her eyes as she stopped taunting us. She was ready to take evasive action again, as she maneuvered around the projectiles with relative ease. However, now she was moving in the direction of Abomasnow. "Lass…" She dodged four more balls of energy, and as she closed in on Abomasnow, she produced a single Ice Shuriken. This was really an Ice Shard attack with Froslass' own twist, and she was ready to strike Abomasnow.
Abomasnow recoiled as he was struck by the sharp weapon of Froslass. He stepped back, and then fell to the ground. He was not unconscious, he was just reacting how any other pokemon would.
Froslass could've tried taunting me again, but time wasn't on her side. As soon as Abomasnow went down, she could hear the ground quake again. Was it? It was: Mamoswine charging at her one more time.
"Swine." This time, Mamoswine cloaked his tusks in a sharp coating of ice.
Froslass, off guard, had no time to react. She was struck by Mamoswine's Ice Fang, and sent back a few feet. Now, he was down, and it was the perfect time for me to call an attack from an Abomasnow who just rose to his feet.
I used my pointer stick to point at the down Froslass, "Abomasnow, help the damsel in distress…End the battle, and end her punishment before it truly begins. Use Wood Hammer."
Abomasnow jumped on it. Literally. He hopped into the air and roared as his arms became cloaked in a green aura. Honestly, if I was a man, I'd probably remark something along the lines of 'striking a woman while she's down is terrible'.
"Snow!" Abomasnow hammered his arms into the ground with authority.
All Froslass could do was look up, in time to see the damage come straight to that pretty face of hers. It wouldn't surprise me if that fragile face was shattered again.
"Now!" Froslass was planted on the ground, and I wasted no time reaching for an empty Pokeball. I took a single step forward as I threw the Pokeball with authority, "Pokeball, go!"
The center of the Pokeball tapped Froslass, and just like that, the pokemon was engulfed in a red light and forced inside. The Pokeball fell to the ground, and all that remained was a waiting game.
"Swine."
"Snow."
Both Mamoswine and Abomasnow were anxious.
I had my arms crossed, and an expectant look was on my face. There was little doubt that Froslass was as good as mine. Allow me, Morana, to call Froslass my own in three. Two. One.
"Mamoswine!"
"Abomasnow!"
That little bit of doubt was all that was needed for Mamoswine and Abomasnow to keep their guards up, as I jinxed myself.
"Lass!" Froslass emerged the Pokeball, indicating that my attempted capture of her had failed.
It was here, the action halted for a minute.
"Lass." Froslass looked to her left and gazed at Mamoswine.
"Swine."
"Lass." She gazed to her left and looked at Abomasnow.
"Snow."
"Froslass." This mysterious pokemon seemed to be surveying the predicament she was in. After carefully assessing Mamoswine and Abomasnow, she at last stared at me. Those narrowed eyes were speaking to me.
"Yes, I DO realize you won't allow yourself to be captured so easily," I said, "When you were parading around as that illusionary woman, I heard you express you desire to turn the dumbass into a frozen trophy." I was referring to the Seth fellow who was fast asleep, "He's immobilized and defenseless. Yes, this is the opportunity you've wanted all along. Well…" I licked my lips, "It's a shame I stand as the obstacle you'll never overcome. I don't give a crap about the dumbass. I've already destroyed him in battle once. Once I capture you, who knows? Maybe he'll die of the cold before he wakes up. Maybe he'll wake up to daybreak. I bet the dumbass is so dumb, he'll never make it off this mountain. But you…YOU'RE going to be MY trophy, Froslass!"
I took out a second Pokeball, and threw it at Froslass.
"Froslass!" Froslass responded by producing a single Ice Shard shuriken, and threw it. The shuriken landed right in the Pokeball's center, and for a moment, they halted in the air. Sparks were coming from the stricken, but no red arc of energy.
Froslass couldn't help but smirk as the Pokeball fell to the ground, the Ice Shard Shuriken ultimately disintegrating.
"You're getting restless. Maybe now I should show you a new extent to my power."
"What?" I questioned. Was she still talking? No. This was just an echo in my mind…Froslass was speaking to me in my mind.
Did Froslass forget that she was surrounded by Mamoswine and Abomasnow just now? All of her attention was focused on me…Maybe she simply didn't see Mamoswine and Abomasnow as enough of a threat. I would be offended, but like I said: This Froslass is powerful enough to boast. Her power was going to be on full display right now.
"Laahhhh." It was as if Froslass was singing a high note as she lifted her arms, and she glowed a white aura.
Suddenly, the snow all around us…it was beginning to move, on its own. From Mamoswine to Abomasnow, to Froslass and I, ALL the snow looked as if it was being controlled. The snow was surrounded by the same aura as Froslass.
"What the hell?" I observed in bewilderment as the snow gathered in clumps, forming multiple flat surfaces that were as reflective as a mirror-as reflective as the icy caverns in these mountains… "Mirrors?" I turned around and touched one of the snow mirrors right behind me. This was no longer snow in its purest form. The surface was as smooth as a window. At first, I could see my reflection, until…
"Do you like what you see?" Appearing in place of my reflection, was Froslass. She looked straight at me.
How did Froslass get in there? I thought she was… "What?" I turned around. Froslass was in THAT snow mirror too. And that other one. And the one over there. No longer was she standing in the center of Mamoswine and Abomasnow. She was in every snow mirror.
"This is my favorite playhouse." She disappeared from the initial snow mirror behind me, as well as the snow mirror across the way, "I will disappear from these mirrors. Please, tell me the people and pokemon that you see."
I saw an Avalugg…but why? This Avalugg appeared on the snow mirror located just behind Abomasnow.
Next, there was a man with long black hair, tied up. He had on armor plates to protect his shoulders, and he had a sword.
Next was a man that looked an awful lot like the Froslass when she was posing as a human. While he didn't have the inhumanly pale skin, her had the blue eyes and hair as black as the night.
All of these people were men. Foolish men, at that. Unlike the dumbass, they DID have a heart that could be easily seduced by the woman of snow. It's like she says: The heart of a man can easily be won over by a passionate kiss.
"These are those who have fallen victim to me, whether I killed them directly, or if I led them to their demise at the hands of someone else."
One notable victim of Froslass was a Piloswine, appearing on a mirror near the top of this makeshift chamber. This Piloswine…looked a lot like the one belonging to the late Pryce. Pryce's death has made top news in Mahogany, and continues to do so today. One subject that hasn't surfaced since Pryce's death: Whatever happened to his trusty Piloswine?
"You're looking at Piloswine. Ah, this Piloswine…You know, I froze the poor creature in these mountains, where he remained obscured for years. I never expecting him to survive and return to Mahogany Town, but that's what he did. It wasn't until I killed his trainer that he returned to the mountains, allowing me to finish the job." Froslass calmly ascended to the mirror located at the very top. She looked into the victim's eyes, "You see this girl right here? She's my very first victim."
The girl Froslass was referring to looked very lost. She…looked like that Yumi girl who travelled with the dumbass. She had long black hair, but didn't have bangs that were aqua blue in color. Her eyes were as icy and the eyes of Froslass. Like Yumi, she wore a short skirted furisode, only this time, it was white, with blue trimming on the sleeves. She wore black pantyhose.
The girl was holding a Snorunt.
"The girl has been dead for a long time. Isn't that right, Yuki?" Froslass phased into the mirror, and completely overshadowed the girl. In this position, the Froslass asked me, "There's one empty mirror left, and it lies right next to you. Look inside, and tell me what you find."
I saw…I saw…My eyes widened.
"I see a woman with long, silver hair. She's holding a pointer-like wand…" This woman's name is Morana. She's ME.
"On the inside of these snow mirrors, you no longer have the hope of escaping me with your life. Your image in that mirror…It will remain there forever. I'll make sure of it!"
The Froslass produced one Ice Shard Shuriken.
"Heh. You're calling out my final turn, and you've just one shuriken? I'd like to see you pull it off." I smirked.
No matter how powerful this Froslass is, my character just couldn't help underestimating her. I'm a powerful trainer who has earned the right to be overconfident in my skill, so it was bound to happen eventually.
Froslass threw the Ice Shuriken straight down, and my overconfidence would cause me to make a crucial mistake: dropping my guard. At this moment, I didn't realize that the mirror with Froslass' image would reflect off every other mirror. This made for the illusion of Froslass throwing bunches of shurikens.
Were these shurikens all illusionary?
"Snow!"
"Swine!"
The answer was no. Mamoswine and Abomasnow were both struck with multiple shurikens, and in vital areas that would cripple them too. They both fell to the ground, leaving me as the sole target.
These shurikens were real…
I wasn't going to back down like some helpless damsel in distress though. I was prepared to fight further, as I reached for one last Pokeball.
"Ack! Ngh…" Glalie…I was a fingertip away from touching Glalie's Pokeball. But…A sharp pain…The back of my neck… "I…I…"
POV: There is no POV at this time…
Froslass' newest victim was all but confirmed now. Morana, as tough as she was, was STILL only human. Froslass pitied the human, for she couldn't take an Ice Shuriken being lodged in the back of her neck.
Morana's eyes closed as she fell to the ground. Like Abomasnow and Mamoswine, Morana did not move. The Gym Leader was just as unconscious as Seth, who quietly remained on the ground, asleep in Froslass' mirror room.
Everyone was defeated. Froslass was the winner, and now, it was time for her to clean up this mess. The corpses of Morana, Mamoswine, and Abomasnow were going to join Aomori's fallen along the desolate paths, as they rot into mere skeletons.
"Froslass." Froslass didn't even blink to the scenario in front of her. Slaying people and pokemon is something she has crafted into an art. Her favorite project: Froslass shifted her gaze to him right now.
Froslass thought he looked very peaceful in his sleep. Beneath those closed eyelids, were hypnotized eyes that were ice blue in color-the same ice blue color as her own. Seth was now under her spell, and once he woke up, he was going to tell Froslass how pretty she is.
Froslass slowly descended to him. She reached out to him, ready to brush some of the black hair and blonde bangs covering his face
In her head, she said, 'My precious. I will freeze you, and then you will savor my beauty. For eternity.'
…
…
…
Footsteps.
"The footsteps lead here, but what is 'here'? I can see my reflection through all these…mirrors? I think they're mirrors, at least."
"Chico."
Yumi's POV
Curious, it was only natural for Chikorita to approach the strange surface and stare at her reflection. I did the same. I saw a black haired, aqua blue banged girl named Yumi staring back at me. She looked tired. That was me. I was tired.
"Why have you come here?"
"Huh?" I thought I heard someone speaking to me, in my mind. I looked behind me, and then to my left and right.
"Chico?" Chikorita cried, asking if I was okay.
"I thought I heard something." I answered, looking to the Grass type. "Whose voice am I hearing, and where is it coming from?"
"Look in front of you."
"What?" I looked in front of me. There, in the mirror, I saw my reflection start to change. At first, my aqua blue furisode turned to a white color, with a blue trim on the sleeves. And while my long black hair remained, my aqua blue bangs were gone. "Who is this? It's not me." I approached the surface, touching the reflection with a single hand.
"It's a girl who is very pretty, wouldn't you agree, Yumi?"
"How do you know my name?" I asked, growing uneasy.
"The young guy mentioned it. And how could I forget the name 'Yumi' when it sounds so much like the name 'Yuki'?"
The voice was right. 'Yuki' is literally one letter away from 'Yumi'…Wait, a young guy mentioned my name. Could this young guy be Seth?
"Who is this young guy?" I asked.
"The one who called you ugly."
At the mention of that scene, I froze, and then drooped. "Why did you have to remind me?" I don't even know if he'll want to see me.
Just then, my head shot up.
"Wait, Seth IS here! But where is he? Is he on the inside of these mirrors?" I peeked just past the mirrors, and what I saw, was a battlefield. Each and every mirror had the face or a man or pokemon suffering. They looked to be victims of some sort. My eyes also gazed at a few victims who weren't in the mirrors. A Mamoswine and Abomasnow each lay wasted. In front of me, I gasped. It was a long, periwinkle-silver haired woman-the one I we saw in Mahogany Town. I quivered, taking in the fact that there was an ice shuriken lodged in the back of her neck. Was this woman dead?
"Chico!" Chikorita cried. I looked at her as she ran inside, excited and worried. "Chico…" Her feet were so small, her footprints made in the snow were near nonexistent. She stopped, and looked to another fallen body, kissing his cheek in an effort to comfort him.
"…That's Seth!" Immediately upon this realization, I rushed to the inside of the mirrors. I followed Chikorita's trail, and left the footprints she lacked. "Seth!" He was downed, and I couldn't help adopting the same worried emotion coming across Chikorita right now. I slid to my knees, and took a look. He was still breathing. Was he…sleeping? "Seth? Seth." I lightly tapped his cheek, hoping to wake him from his sleep. "It's dangerous to fall asleep out here in the cold. You have to wake up!"
"It is no use."
"What?" That voice was still talking to me.
When I looked at the girl who called herself Yuki. She transformed into a pokemon-a Froslass, to be exact. She surfaced from the mirror, like a ghost. Eyeing Seth, she said to me, 'He is under my hypnotic seduction. He will not wake up.'
"This is your doing?" I asked. "Who…are you?"
"I am a Froslass, is it not obvious? Yuki is merely a nickname, short for Yukiko. I've longed to make this Seth a trophy of mine. Many obstacles, I've overcome. But before I can satisfy my ultimate desire, I have one last trial to pass. The trial kneels in front of me, hoping to wake to boy she desires. Her name is Yumi, and I have not a clue why she would come for this boy, especially after he called you ugly."
"Why must I be reminded of that so often…" I whispered under my breath.
How did this Froslass know what had happened between us? How did she know that Seth and I had a fractured connection that's on the brink of being severed?
'Seth has never called me pretty.' I thought to myself as I rose to my feet, 'Sometimes I wonder if he ever will.'
I asked the Froslass, "You're talking as if you know what it's like for him to call you pretty."
She chuckled, "What of it?"
"Has he ever called you pretty?!" I sassed as I placed my hands on my hips.
"Once he is my trophy, he will call me gorgeous, and bask in my beauty as we live happily ever after. Unfortunately for you…" Froslass produced multiple Ice Shurikens that she was holding with her small fingers. I braced myself while reaching for a Pokeball, as she was ready to fight, "Our happily ever after will only happen once I kill you."
"You're happily ever after will never come because I won't die here! I promise, I'll be the one to defeat you!" I would've flinched under any other circumstance. Not now though. I was determined to fight for Seth and I. He called me ugly, but I can't help but get jealous when thinking about 'should Froslass REALLY make Seth her trophy, and getting him to tell her she's pretty'. So what if he hates me now?! I DON'T hate him.
A while back, I admitted to myself that I DID like him. I told him that I would do whatever it takes to get him to show me the same emotion someday. Today was going to be that day, as I would fight for our lives.
To Be Continued…