Pokemon Virus Version Chapter 142: Uncle Bastion Part 4

Yukiko rushed into the Portal of Death to find Seth. But when she came to, she was all alone.

"…"

Something strange has happened as well.

"Huh?" Yukiko, upon waking up, discovered a slender and feminine hand in front of her. "Is this…mine?" Yukiko felt as though she wasn't a spiritual being anymore-like her very existence now had weight. She felt not only a hand, but a second hand as well. And a body. And legs. And feet.

Yukiko wasn't used to this. It'd been over two hundred years since she had a body, so naturally, she needed to adjust. Though she stumbled and struggled, she slowly but surely arose from the ground.

"It's raining…" Yukiko approached the nearest puddle in front of her. "What?" Her mouth hung open.

Yukiko was human! And she was wearing the clothing she wore when she was alive two hundred years ago. Her skin was pale, her eyes an icy blue color. Her hair was a perfect shade of black, and went down to her lower back. She wore a white, short skirted furisode with blue accents on the sleeves. On the furisode, was a red obi. Lastly, she wore black leggings and black heels.

"What's going on? Why am I human?"

The Reaper's Portal of Death…does it actually possess the power to deliver souls to the afterlife? If so, then that may explain why Yukiko was human again. Leaving the world of the living, she was no longer a spirit trapped by earthly boundaries. Could this be considered 'Yukiko's spirit finally being allowed to pass onto the afterlife'?

"…Is this Hell?" The young woman asked herself.

Heaven was supposed to be a place of eternal life and peace. But this place…it looked deader than death. It didn't look like Hell, but it looked close to it. Perhaps it was the bridge that linked Hell with the world of the living.

Yukiko took a look at her surroundings.

Abandoned buildings were everywhere. There were no grass or mountains-no worldly geography to take away from the loneliness this place brings. Just buildings, a black sky, rain, and dirt ground.

"Where is Seth?" The question finally arose once Yukiko got a hold of her surroundings.

'Whispers…'

'Whispers…'

'Whispers…'

Yukiko's ears twitched. Even when she was a human, she was a trained kunoichi with a keen grasp of what goes on around her, hidden or not. She readied a kunai-not the Ice Shard kunai made of ice, but the actual kunoichi kunai made of steel.

'Whispers…'

'Of the…'

'Apocalypse…'

Just then, there was an explosion in the distance. There was no doubt in Yukiko's mind that the Reaper was near. Under this rainy Hell, Yukiko made a run for it.

Seth had disappeared into the Portal of Darkness. Followed by Yukiko, and then the Reaper.

Chapel, Yumi, Volbeat, and Illumise were stunned speechless by what had just happened. Commander Bastion never commanded Dusknoir to pull Seth into the Portal of Darkness, nor did he tell the Reaper to reap Chikorita's soul. While the whispers of the apocalypse were thirsty for death, Lord Bastion himself had kept to the initial rules of the battle. The fallout from the battle just intrigued him. He may be one of the more soft-spoken members of Neo Snagem, but he's still among the many reasons why the organization has caused much chaos in the world. And now…

"26." Bastion held his hand out to Rose. He was waiting for the girl who called him 'Uncle' to join him.

Rose's black maiden dress blew in the wind under the cloudy sky. She didn't know how to react to Uncle Bastion's offer. "…" There were so many conflicting notions in Rose's head. She has never really gotten along with her Brother, but even so, she just can't bring herself to hate him. She would never wish death upon him. But at the same time, this could've been the other way around, with Seth murdering Uncle Bastion. Rose has watched Seth use the Shadows to kill before. Yumi and Chapel weren't there that day. They weren't there to see the evil Seth was willing to stoop to in order to eliminate the organization. And they weren't there when Seth struck her down. Rose wanted to go with Uncle Bastion, and she wanted to see Mother Flora again. But at the same time, Rose didn't want to go with Uncle Bastion, and she didn't want to see her Father Atticus again. No matter how intelligent she is, Rose is still just a little girl. She doesn't have the answer to everything in the world, just as she doesn't have an answer to Uncle Bastion's offer.

"Your Mother is waiting for you, 26." Bastion kept his hand out.

She embraced the Egg in her arms as she finally spoke. "My name…"

"Huh?" Volbeat's curiosity was peaked.

"Her name?" Illumise repeated.

"My name…is not 26." She looked Uncle Bastion straight in the eye. "When I left the organization, I left that name behind as well. My name…My name is Rose."

Lord Bastion was intrigued. He withdrew his hand and stared back at Rose. "Rose…" Looking at 'Rose' reminded Bastion of someone else. He looked into the sky before closing his eyes. He gave a distant sigh, "Rose…like the flower. I know someone else who's named after a flower, Rose." He opened his eyes and looked to Rose once more, "Your Mother: Flora. You're a spitting image of her. From her beautiful blonde hair to her deep blue eyes. She was never one to wear her emotions on her sleeve, but she loved flowers dearly. I can tell that you love flowers as well. Your favorite flower? The Rose."

"…" Rose made no effort to accept Lord Bastion's offer yet.

"Come with me, Rose." Up to this point, Bastion had remained in place. But when he took a step forward."

"Stay away." Chapel stepped up, as did Yumi and Banette. They were ready to guard Rose at any cost.

"Ah, yes." Bastion didn't flinch. Rather, he anticipated this. "Of course, you've traveled with Rose for what seems like forever."

Rose wasn't going to move. And now with Chapel, Yumi, and Banette standing guard, Lord Bastion wasn't going to move either. It appears that a stalemate has fallen upon them.

Location: Portal of Death

Dusknoir, the Reaper of Death…In this graveyard of a bridge between Hell and the world of the living, he wore his Reaper's Robe, and bore his Reaper's Scythe. Now was the time to deliver the lost souls to Hell. 'Whispers of the apocalypse…' The predator was in pursuit of prey running for their lives.

"Chi!" Chikorita ran on the dirt path surrounded by buildings. The black clouds and dark buildings made it very hard for Chikorita to see. She was fortunate to have not tripped down here.

And there, running next to Chikorita, was Seth. With the rules of a fair battle no longer in play, Seth could've used his virus power to turn into Fear and match the Reaper. However…

'The Whispers of the apocalypse are thirsty for death. The Lord of Hell will surely come up here to drag you down there himself, if you give in to the darkness.'

If Seth gave into the darkness, he would remain in Hell for eternity.

'Your Fear has committed countless Sins. The Lord of Heaven will NEVER grant forgiveness to a murderer already on his way to Hell.'

Was Seth indifferent to dying? A curious question indeed. Whether or not he had the heart to care about life or death, his drive toward destroying Neo Snagem gave him a purpose for returning to the world of the living. He had to keep running.

Run.

Run.

Keep on running.

That was all Seth could do. How could he kill Death? Was it possible? Even so, if Death were to die, would he just reappear here in the bridge to Hell?

Run.

Run.

Run…

He could only keep running until…

"Chi?!" Chikorita stumbled.

Seth gritted his teeth. He stopped and turned around.

"Noir…" As the Reaper neared Chikorita, he readied his scythe to send her to Hell.

'Crap!' Seth cursed inwardly before rushing to the ground to grab Chikorita.

"Chi…Chi?!" The fear of death kept Chikorita from savoring how much Seth cared for her, as she looked at him with glowing eyes.

When Seth looked up, The Reaper was floating right in front of him.

'It is time to deliver you to Hell.'

As the Reaper raised his scythe, the eyes of both Seth and Chikorita widened.

'Welcome to Hell!'

In her trainer's arms, Chikorita flinched in fear. This wasn't the result of the effect of some move. No. The way Chikorita flinched, it was out of legitimate fear. "Chi…"

As the Reaper's scythe came down, and as Chikorita's life flashed before her eyes.

*Clank!*

Chikorita could hear a clash of steel versus steel.

"You…"

It was Yukiko in her human form, and she had countered The Reaper's scythe with her kunai.

The Reaper was a great threat to their lives. Otherwise, Yukiko would've looked at Seth with those beautiful eyes and said 'Now now. It would be rude of you to leave a young woman like me in the world of the living without saying goodbye.'

Seth rose to his feet, Chikorita being held closely. "You're human."

"You need to run. Now!" Yukiko kept her eyes on The Reaper.

"You can't take on Dusknoir on your own. Not when you're in human form." Seth countered, "This isn't the world of the living. If you get struck by The Reaper, you can't die because you're already dead. You will immediately be sent to Hell. There's no coming back from Hell…you'll be left to suffer for the rest of eternity…"

Yukiko smiled, "I don't plan on dying, sweetie." She thrusted the Reaper backward, then gave Seth a passing glance with the corner of her eye, "You'll never be rid of me, even if you wished it. Whether or not you like it, I'll be your partner for life."

"Rrrrr!" The Reaper readied another swing of his scythe.

Yukiko jumped out of the way before making a second jump, this time to the top of one of the abandoned buildings.

The Reaper didn't stop his attack once Yukiko was out of range. He readied a second swing of the Reaper's Scythe. This time, he aimed for Chikorita and Seth.

"Ngh…" Chikorita was frozen in fear. She had already been killed by the Reaper's Scythe before.

Seth hurriedly grabbed Chikorita, avoiding Dusknoir's attack.

Yukiko jumped from the top of the building with her kunai pointed downward. She was going to pierce the Reaper into the ground.

'The whispers of the apocalypse…from Hell…they are ready to feast on the souls of the living…'

Was it possible to kill Death in his own playground, and deliver him to Hell?

"Hah!" Yukiko's kunai was ready to drive Dusknoir down.

"Rmm!" But Dusknoir was savvy. Rather than deflect the kunai with the Reaper's Scythe again, Dusknoir instead conjured up physical aura that came in the form of a fist.

'Is that Shadow Punch?' Seth thought.

Correct, what the Reaper was using was indeed Shadow Punch. However, there was a twist. The Reaper focused the aura into opening its fist. He then extended the open shadow hand and intercepted Yukiko before she could land her attack.

"Ngh…" Yukiko was struggling to free herself. As a Froslass spirit, she could easily break free of the Reaper's grasp. Despite appearing to get the hang of being in her human form, she had yet to adjust to using physical strength. In her two hundred year stint as a spirit, she'd long forgotten the limitations of the human body.

'There's no escape.'

This was looking bad. Seth knew he needed to act fast. "Murkrow! Battle stance-wait…" Seth reached for his Pokeball, ready to call upon Murkrow to fend off the darkness…but Murkrow's Pokeball wasn't there.

Gabite.

Elekid.

Mawile.

None of their Pokeballs were here…

"Are you confident that Seth can make it back alive?" Yumi asked.

Chapel was brimming with confidence in Seth's victory, "Don't forget, he has all his Pokemon with him."

"Hmph." Commander 15 chuckled.

Chapel, Banette, and Yumi all looked in his direction.

"What's so funny?" Chapel asked.

"Plot twist?!" Volbeat chirped.

"Plot twist!" Illumise answered.

"Lord Bastion's face has 'plot twist' written all over it!" Both the fireflies cheered.

"If you think the young man and his Froslass have backup, you're sorely mistaken." Bastion answered.

A thick tension started to settle in.

"What do you mean?" Rose asked.

"Only Froslass, Chikorita, and your Brother were hit by the Reaper's Scythe. His other Pokemon weren't sent to the realm that separates Hell from the world of the living. Therefore, he is unable to use the remainder of his team that you mention."

Chapel was speechless. She…didn't know what to say.

"Froslass, Chikorita, and your Brother…If they die in the Realm Between, they will cease to exist in the world of the living."

Yumi's reaction to Commander 15's news wasn't immediate, but it came soon enough. "He's going to die…?" She dropped to her knees.

Yumi…though her hints were obvious, she was never able to truly tell Seth how she felt about him. She wasn't able to get Seth to return her feelings for him either. It appeared whatever hopes of a deeper connection had all but evaporated. There was no way anybody could kill Death – a being who is not among the living – in his own playground.

"I told him…" Chapel whispered to herself while shaking her head, "I TOLD him…" She had Seth's heart, therefore she could feel all the memories and past experiences he had. Out of every human and pokemon in the world, Chapel related to Seth more than anybody on his thirst for vengeance. Like Seth, Chapel's childhood and happiness were taken away by the hands of the organization. But even after everything, Chapel believed in preserving the people and pokemon of this world. She's driven herself to stop Team Neo Snagem to have her cause realized. But that's where her goal differs with Seth. Seth doesn't share Chapel's altruism, and he has continually tried to denounce his humanity. He has murdered human beings, and has moved ever so closer toward becoming a pure evil even greater than Neo Snagem itself. It is here that animosity began to develop between the two. The relationship between Chapel and Seth was as tumultuous as Seth and Rose's right now….The relationship between Chapel and Seth was bound to deteriorate some time in the future, whether or not the conflict between Seth and Rose was resolved. But to have Seth DIE before that happens…even Chapel mourns in sorrow.

"Rose." Commander 15 took a step forward.

"Uncle Bastion…" Rose didn't say it out loud, but Bastion remembering her name put her at slight ease. There was a hint of longing in her gaze.

"Come with me." Like he did upon first encountering Rose, 15 extended a hand out. "Let's go home."

Chapel and Yumi wanted to step in…but what if Rose didn't want that? What if Rose were to return to the organization? And all while they're still mourning over the death of Seth? In this empty part of the land where no human dares to traverse, Chapel and Yumi would be alone. All they could do was watch and wait.

"…" But what did Rose want? She's an emotionally fragile girl who wears her feelings on her sleeve, and yet, she's uncharacteristically calm considering she may never see her Brother again…Uncharacteristic, yet unsurprising. She wants to move on from her toxic relationship with her Brother, and provide the Egg she holds with a loving family…But she STILL couldn't see herself turning away from her Brother so soon. "The battle has not yet been decided." Rose responded to 15.

Commander 15 retracted his stretched arm. Rose had a point. "We shall see then."

They will wait however long it takes for Seth, Chikorita, and Froslass to reemerge from the Reaper's Portal of Death.

Kunai in hand, Yukiko awaited Dusknoir's next move

"Chi?" Chikorita approached a disturbed Seth, asking if he was okay.

'I have none of my other Pokemon at my disposal…against a being who intends to send us to Hell…' A new sense of urgency had to be taken on Seth's part. He couldn't afford to dwell on his other Pokemon now. Rising to his feet, he told himself, 'I swear on my life, I will not fall here…'

"Rrmm…" The Reaper stood his scythe down. He realizes that physical attacks have gotten him nowhere thus far. "Rmm!" So, the Reaper's red eye began glowing intensely, as blue flames started to appear.

"So the Reaper has command over fire as well?" Yukiko braced herself.

The flames of Will-O-Wisp were promptly sent in their direction without delay.

As the flames approached, Yukiko went about swinging her kunai with much velocity. Each swing was an attempt to dispatch the flames using the wind created by the kunai's momentum. These maneuverings showed off just how agile and strong Yukiko was in her human form. She would perform an upper slash followed by a downward horizontal slash successively. Slashes left. Down. Right. Up. In dissipating one particular flame, Yukiko was able to sneak in the throwing of one of her kunai in Dusknoir's direction.

The Reaper quickly phased into the ground, dissipating into the shadows. This shadow figure quickly snuck in between Seth and Chikorita.

"Chi?!" Again, Chikorita was scared frozen, fearing for her life.

"Seth!" Yukiko called out the name of her trainer as she tossed a kunai in his direction.

Seth caught the kunai backhanded.

'Your Hell lies just beyond the horizon…' The Reaper readied his scythe to slash Seth and Chikorita in one go.

Seth and Chikorita were about to cease to exist! He needed to act fast! Something – ANYTHING!

COME ON, SETH!

"Die!" Seth leapt up into the air and promptly used the kunai to pierce Dusknoir in its eye.

'Ngh…Ghhaaaaahhhhh!' The Reaper recoiled, quickly pressing his hands against his eye as if to somehow ease the pain, dropping the Reaper's Scythe in the process.

The Reaper's Scythe…Seth stared into his own reflection through the cold hard steel as it fell to the ground.

'Nghhhhh...Nghhhh!' The Reaper's whispers – the whispers of the apocalypse – they continued to writhe in agony. The red concentration of energy that was Dusknoir's eye was more than just a weak spot. It was one of the Reaper's most vital sources of power, and Seth had pierced it with authority.

Seth's eyes narrowed as he continued to stare at the Reaper's Scythe on the ground.

The Reaper's Scythe…it wreaks of darkness…

Seth didn't realize it, but his left eye was starting to turn a dark purple color. It was as if the darkness of the Reaper's Scythe was calling out to the pure evil known as Fear, whom Seth housed.

"Chi?"

Chikorita looked uneasy, as she watched Seth slowly gravitate toward the Reaper's Scythe like a magnet.

As soon as the scythe was touched, Seth began to uncontrollably glow that dark aura.

"Seth?" Yukiko called out to Seth, but he didn't respond.

Seth was no longer here. Standing in front of The Reaper, was Fear.

As soon as Fear made contact with the Reaper's Scythe, his other eye turned dark purple. The dark energy he exuded was in such abundance, and gusts of wind were created in its wake.

"The boy who is my vessel: Seth…" Fear spoke for the first time, "He is a fool…for trying to suppress me…in this realm which separates Hell from the world of the living."

"What are you saying?" Yukiko, who still thought Seth was conscious, asked.

"Chico?"

Fear's facial expression became fiendish. Holding the Reaper's Scythe, he turned the tables on Dusknoir as he remarked, "The whispers of the apocalypse hunger for lost spirits. When you get to Hell, be sure to let me know what its like. After all, I'm sure I'll be joining you in the realm of fire someday. And when that time comes, all who inhabit Hell will bow to me!"

Fear lunged at Dusknoir, Scythe in hand. The red eye that Seth pierced with the kunai? Fear was going to slice it clean, and slaughter the rest of Dusknoir's spirit.

The Reaper was still recoiling from the kunai, but that didn't stop him from focusing all of his spiritual energy into the shadowy fist of Shadow Punch.

Fear didn't flinch. He was too great an evil to be stopped by a simple darkness like Shadow Punch.

Dusknoir's eye was sliced clean, just as Fear said.

"Chi…Chi…" Chikorita was starting to be overcome with horror as she watched Dusknoir's severed eye fall to the ground.

"…" Without the red eye of energy, the Reaper's body was nothing more than an empty shell, which stood in silence.

The Reaper's Scythe remained lodged inside the empty vessel's body.

…

…

…

"Death…has been killed?" Yukiko stood, still in doubt as to whether Death could be killed in the Realm Between.

…

…

…

Seth/Fear's darkness spread to the Reaper's Scythe before making its way to the empty vessel, completely engulfing it. This darkness gave way to purple fire.

"Burn in Hell for eternity." Seth's will kept Fear from smirking fiendishly. Nevertheless, wishing Dusknoir an eternity of suffering in a haven of fire escaped Fear's lips.

"What…what are you?!" Yukiko had never seen Seth like this before. What happened to the calm, cool lone-wolf who was indifferent to everything? What happened to the boy she became enamored with enough to aid him on his journey? Sure, Seth was obsessed with destroying the organization, but to MURDER so callously…

"…" Chikorita has seen Seth give in to the power of Fear, and murder before. She watched him use the darkness to crush a man's neck and shatter his mind. And now, she was watching Fear find pleasure in literally using Death's Scythe to pass judgement.

"…" The purple fire burning Dusknoir spread to the Reaper's Scythe, and then back to Seth/Fear. Both consciousnesses allowed the fire to burn their being.

The vessel that was Seth's body began transforming due to the purple flame. A mask of a skeleton was now being worn on his face, with his right eye still left exposed. The black jacket he wore was now being worn like a cape. And the black, long-sleeved turtle neck he wore was now ripped from the abdomen down, exposing ghastly skeletal ribs. His dark blue jeans had slight rips throughout, and the Reaper's Scythe began transforming. The Scythe now had a second blade.

Seth/Fear were effectively half ghastly skeleton now.

Yukiko and Chikorita were without words.

What was this transformation.

Seth/Fear spoke. "In this Realm separating Hell from the world of the living, I have manifested the power of Hell through Death himself. The empty Dusknoir which stands before me failed to stop my cause to eliminate the organization. My prize for overcoming Death, is the power of Death itself. Combined with my darkness, I have effectively ascended past all others who have been gifted Shadow powers by the world's 'virus version'. This is…"

Darkness – Grade 2

To Be Continued…