Pokemon Virus Version: The Miracle Berry
Yumi and Rose were on the brink of death. Rose's eyes were blank and she had no pulse. Chapel needed to find a Miracle Berry in order to save their lives.
"Chikorita." Chapel stood at the edge of the cave as she called all of the Pokemon out of their Pokeballs, "Banette. Ursaring. Braixen. Chandelure."
"Chi?"
"Rr."
"Zen?"
"Lure…"
"…I need you all to stay here and keep Yumi and Rose alive. Braixen and Chandelure – you keep your flames close. Chikorita – Your Aromatherapy keeps them alive too…Ursaring and Banette…?"
"Yes?" Banette answered.
"Please take care of everyone." Chapel's composure was starting to return, and she was once again leading her team. "…I'll be back. Okay?"
Banette nodded.
"Thank you." Chapel then proceeded out of the cave. The thunder was starting to subside, but it was now snowing. Blankets of snow covered the mountain, as well as the forest below. "Skarmory."
"Skar." Skarmory stood next to Chapel.
"Let's go."
And so, Chapel and Skarmory reentered the outside, where they were no longer protected from mother nature. Skarmory grabbed Chapel with his talons, flying off the mountain and descending into the winter wonderland below.
Landing on the ground, Chapel almost slipped.
"The snow is sticking, but the ground is unstable due to the mudslide earlier." Chapel got a feel for the ground below, "We'll need to be careful."
"Skar." Skarmory started the search for the Miracle Berry as he inspected the snow-covered trees.
"We can't spend too much time searching for this Miracle Berry." Chapel took out three Pokeballs and threw them into the air.
"Lup. Piplup."
"Eon."
"Chime!"
Released from their Pokeballs were Piplup, Glaceon, and Chime the Chimecho.
Chapel had brought Seth's Pokemon Doctor book with her and showed her Pokemon the picture of the Miracle Berry. It was green and looked like a seed.
"This is a Miracle Berry. We need this to save Yumi and Rose's lives. Will you help in my search for it?"
"Lup!"
"Eon!"
Piplup and Glaceon chirped in agreement.
"Chime." Chime flew to Chapel. The two embraced each other for a split second before Chime nodded her head.
Due to the snow, everyone had to manually dust off bushes and trees to confirm the Miracle Berry wasn't present.
"Lup…"
"On…"
Piplup and Glaceon searched the bushes.
"Skar."
"Chime."
"Not here either…"
While Skarmory, Chime, and Chapel searched the trees.
Though they had to make haste, they couldn't afford to just cruise through the entire search. They needed to be thorough and methodical, or else they could miss the Miracle Berry.
"Eon." Glaceon didn't find and Berries, but she did cross paths with wild pokemon on occasion.
"Odd." Wild pokemon like Oddish.
"Nid." As well as Nidoran.
Skarmory, while searching one particular tree, noticed a hole in the bark.
"Tai!"
"Tail!"
"Tail!"
Inside the hole lived a family of baby Taillow. They were waiting for their mother to return.
"Lup…" Piplup carried out her search oblivious to the wild pokemon in the area.
"Nido."
Upon finishing on her current bush, Piplup turned to take her search elsewhere. But she inadvertently bumped into a wild Nidorino.
"Lup?!" Ppiplup didn't mean it. Really.
"Nido…!" But this particular Nidorino was a grumpy one. "Nido!" He charged at Piplup with a Horn Attack, completely disregarding Piplup's plea.
"Lup!" Piplup was launched, and she crashed into…
"What are you doing?" Piplup crashed into Chapel's face. She picked Piplup to where she was holding her face level, and gave her a stern scolding, "We don't have time for your antics today! Help us find the Miracle Berry. I'm not asking for anything else – just get the job done. Please…"
Piplup was promptly returned to the ground. "Lup…" She was dejected, 'But I didn't mean to…' With a droop, a saddened Piplup returned to searching for the Miracle Berry.
But just then…
"Lup?" Piplup spots something. "Piplup" It was partially obstructed by a bush, but there it was! It was what looked to be a green seed! It was certainly bigger than what Piplup expected, but it was what she believed to be a Miracle Berry nonetheless. "Lup!" Piplup hastily ran up to try and pick up the Berry. "Lup?" But it wouldn't budge. "Piplup! Piplup!" Piplup tried putting some elbow grease into it, "LUP!" Nothing. Piplup's momentum caused her to stumble backward.
"Sar?" It was here that the Miracle Berry moved.
Wait…this wasn't a Miracle Berry. It was a creature, and it turned to face Piplup.
"Sar." This creature had a seed on it back that merely reminded Piplup of what she remembered the Miracle Berry was supposed to look like.
"Lup…" Piplup got a glimpse of the creature, immediately recognizing it.
"Sar." It was a Bulbasaur, and he didn't take too kindly to Piplup trying to rip off his bulb just now. "Bulba! Bulbasaur!"
"Huh?" Chapel, still within earshot, looked at Piplup, and then to Bulbasaur.
"Sar." Bulbasaur carried something in his mouth.
"Is that a Berry?" Chapel's eyes widened.
This Bulbasaur…if he knew where to find Berries, he could probably lead Chapel to a Miracle Berry.
"Bulbasaur!" Chapel took out her Capture Styler and pointed it at Bulbasaur
"Saur?" Bulbasaur sees the Capture Styler and starts growling. "Bulba…" He saw the Capture Styler as some sort of weapon.
"Capture, on!" Chapel launched the Capture Styler.
"Saur!" Only for Bulbasaur to dodge. "Saur! Bulbasaur!" Bulbasaur began snapping in Chapel's direction.
Chapel tried to explain herself, "Bulbasaur! You don't understand! The Capture Styler is so I can communicate with you. I need your help! My friends' lives are riding of me finding the Miracle Berry!"
"Saur! Bulba!" Bulbasaur wasn't listening to a word Chapel was saying.
Chapel had no time to waste. She needed to get Bulbasaur on her side, whether or not he wanted to. Glaceon, Skarmory, and Chime were still searching the trees and bushes, leaving Piplup as the only possible pokemon Chapel had to work with.
"Piplup!" Chapel called.
Piplup had slowly risen to her feet, and she glared at the Bulbasaur.
"Use Ice Beam!" Chapel called.
Piplup had no qualms about launching a beam of ice at Bulbasaur. Admittedly, Piplup embarrassed herself when mistaking Bulbasaur's bulb for a berry.
"Saur?" Bulbasaur was struck by Ice Beam and was promptly frozen.
Chapel assumed that the battle was over. All that was left was to wait for Bulbasaur to defrost, and then use the Capture Styler.
"Saur…" Defrosting from Ice Beam would come sooner than expected. Encased in ice, Bulbasaur began emitting a white aura.
"Lup?"
"What's going on?"
This white energy promptly defrosted the ice. "Saur!" Bulbasaur roared.
Chapel and Piplup were taken aback. No pokemon has ever managed to defrost Ice Beam of their own accord. That white aura…what move did Bulbasaur just use?
"Saur…" However impressive escaping Ice Beam was, the brief moment encased in ice was still enough to cause Bulbasaur to sniffle slightly. Sensing a sickness coming, Bulbasaur needed to act before he was overwhelmed. "Bulba!" Bulbasaur took his attention off Piplup and Chapel, running up to and climbing a nearby tree.
"What's Bulbasaur doing?"
Chapel watched as Bulbasaur sat on a branch and protruded vines to claim from the tree…an Oran Berry!
'Bulbasaur really knows where to find Berries?!'
She stood agape as Bulbasaur once again surrounded himself in that white aura, eating the Oran Berry in the process. Oran Berries had Vitamin C properties, which helped one's immune system fight off sickness. Yumi and Rose were passed the point where Oran Berries could cure them…but this Bulbasaur…Chapel was now dead set on having him help her find the Miracle Berry.
"But what move is that?" Chapel had brought Yumi's Pokedex with her. She used it to scan Bulbasaur.
Bulbasaur, the Seed Pokemon: While Bulbasaur are young, they use the nutrients that are stored on the seed in its back to grow older.
Currently using Natural Gift. Natural Gift draws power from a Pokemon's held Berry to attack. However, Natural Gift can also be used by certain Pokemon to absorb a Berry's healing properties, allowing for more effective treatment for battle damage or illness.
After hearing this, Chapel was no longer committed to simply having Bulbasaur help her out. She took out an empty Pokeball and held it out at Bulbasaur. This let Bulbasaur know of Chapel's intention to capture the Grass type.
"Saur!" Bulbasaur accepted Chapel's challenge, hopping off the branch and facing Piplup once more.
"Lup!" Piplup launched Ice Beam once more.
"Saur!" In response, Bulbasaur protruded his vines. He slammed his vines to the ground, launching him into the air.
"Lup?!"
"Oh no!"
Now falling downward, Bulbasaur aimed for Piplup headfirst as he once again glew a white aura. This aura was different from Natural Gift, "SAUR!" Bulbasaur was using Skull Bash.
"Lup?!" Piplup was struck head first. The impact caused for a cloud of snow to be created. "Lup…" Upon said cloud of snow clearing, Piplup lied face down.
"Piplup was soundly defeated…" This frustrated Chapel. She wasn't prepared for Bulbasaur to be as powerful as it was.
"Saur."
Bulbasaur watched as Chapel took out a Pokeball, recalling Piplup.
"Piplup, return…" What was Chapel going to do? Capturing Bulbasaur represented her best chance to save Rose and Yumi, but she failed to capture him. Now was the worst of times to have incorrectly gauged Bulbasaur's power.
"Bulba." Bulbasaur acknowledged Chapel one last time, before turning away and beginning to walk.
"Bulbasaur, wait!" Chapel reached out to Bulbasaur.
"…" Bulbasaur stopped.
"I'm not done with you yet…" There was too much on the line for Chapel to just let Bulbasaur walk away.
"Saur!" After a momentary pause, Bulbasaur began running from Chapel.
"Wait!" As Bulbasaur ran, Chapel gave chase.
The footprints of Bulbasaur and Chapel in the snow were clear as day, as they past tree after tree.
"Bulbasaur! I need your help!" Chapel called out.
"Bulba!" Bulbasaur had no interest in helping this 'outsider'.
"My friends! Yumi and Rose! They need your help or they'll die! Woah!" It was the first time Chapel had ever pleaded to a pokemon or human. She was desperate for Bulbasaur's help because she cared very much for her friends. But alas, mother nature wasn't on Chapel's side. "Ow!" The slippery, unstable ground Chapel noted earlier? She'd slipped, falling flat on her face.
"Bulba!" Bulbasaur didn't bother looking back.
"…" Slowly, Chapel lifted her face from the snow. "Bulba…Bulbasaur…" As her vision was on the brink of fading, Bulbasaur disappeared in to the slowly-intensifying snowfall…
"Where…where am I?" Yumi…she questioned the situation she was in as she found herself in an endless black abyss. Her eyes were empty…"Chapel? Rose? Seth?"
No answer from any of her friends…
"How did I get here? What do I do?"
Just then, a distant light began to flicker.
"What is that?"
Yumi began floating toward the light.
"This light?"
As she drew closer to the light, Yumi immediately recognized this light.
This…was the light at the end of the tunnel. Once you reach the light at the end of the tunnel, your soul will be delivered to a better place…for eternity…
"Chi…" Chikorita and the pokemon in the cave were worried by the blank look in Yumi's eyes.
"Zen…"
"Lure…"
No matter how worrisome it looked, the pokemon needed to keep tending to the girls.
"Ur…"
They needed to trust in Chapel's judgement, and believe that she'll retrieve the Miracle Berry needed to save their lives.
In Chapel, they trust…
Snow continued to fall as Chapel rose to her feet.
"…" Chapel's gaze stayed on the ground in front of her. 'Bulbasaur thinks he's gotten away. But he left footprints in the snow.'
Considering the rain and mudslide earlier, perhaps the snow was a blessing in disguise. Bulbasaur would undoubtably have gotten away had it not snowed.
"Bulba…bulba…"
Bulbasaur continued running away.
"Bulba…"
He wasn't just blindly running away. Bulbasaur was retreating to a familiar territory.
"Saur…"
The reason why he resisted capture from Chapel and declined helping her was because there was something he felt he needed to protect.
'I've heard some of the other pokemon mention humans before…' Bulbasaur thought to himself. 'I always thought these 'humans' were a myth. All my life, I'd never seen one here at my home. But today…today was different.'
Bulbasaur gritted his teeth.
'All the bedtime stories Dad would tell me about how humans were greedy and wanted nothing more than to destroy this world…All the tales about Pokemon like us being taken from home to serve these trainers forever…were they true? Of course, Dad is no longer here…but other pokemon have told me that humans have a compassionate side. Wild Pokemon would happily accompany them in their travels, and in turn, the humans would love the pokemon like their children…'
Bulbasaur began thinking about Chapel.
'She tried to take me from my home, but she didn't appear to mean any harm…She looked like she really needed my help. '
"I need your help, or my friends will die!" He remembered Chapel screaming.
'On one hand, humans were greedy. But on the other hand, humans were compassionate. I want to help the girl, but I have no way of knowing if she's being honest. This forest NEEDS me. We all need to protect 'it' at all costs.'
On the ground and past the trees, Bulbasaur approached a shrine that looked ready to fall apart. Upon Bulbasaur's arrival, a few of the forest pokemon gathered around.
"Rat." Rattata.
"Rhy!" Rhyhorn.
"Herc!" Heracross.
"Prrr…" Paras.
These Pokemon all gathered around the shrine.
'This shrine has been abandoned since I was born. I've been told that the Miracle Pokemon would appear here, but I've never seen it myself. But all the forest Pokemon collectively come together, putting aside their differences to defend this shrine, and hoping that maybe someday the Miracle Pokemon would finally make its return.'
As Bulbasaur and all the forest Pokemon stared at the shrine…Chapel had found them.
"It's Bulbasaur." None of the forest Pokemon noticed that Chapel was there. But then Chapel noticed the shrine. "Is that a shrine?"
That shrine…it looked like the shrine from the Ilex Forest Chapel would frequently visit when she was little. It made the shrine in front of her seem nostalgic.
"It's a shrine for Celebi." Chapel then approached the shrine.
"Bulba?"
"Prrr."
This was when the forest Pokemon became aware of Chapel's presence.
"Rhy!"
"Herc!"
At the sight of an outsider intruding upon their home, the forest Pokemon became apprehensive.
Chapel kept her composure as she touched the unkempt shrine, "I remember visiting a shrine like this in Ilex Forest. I used to live near that shrine, but that was a long time ago…From playing with the wild pokemon to returning home and letting Mom brush my hair, and feed me, and tell me she loved me…those were the days."
Chapel turned to Bulbasaur.
"Bulba?"
"These days, I'm on a journey to find Celebi in order to rid the world of darkness. I still don't have any leads on where to find Celebi, though." She rubbed the back of her head.
"Bulba…" Bulbasaur and all the forest pokemon seemed to calm down. This Chapel girl could relate to protecting this shrine and waiting for the Miracle Pokemon. But for Bulbasaur…he dwelled on the fact that Chapel was actively seeking out the Miracle Pokemon, rather than staying at the shrine and hoping it would make its return…
"The world is in danger of falling into the hands of darkness. If that darkness spreads, it may destroy this shrine and your home."
The forest pokemon gasped.
"But me and my friends journey the land, hoping to save the world from this darkness. Yumi and Rose…" Chapel then looked Bulbasaur straight in the eye, "I need the Miracle Berry in order to save them."
"Bulba…" Bulbasaur was a stubborn Pokemon, but then Chapel looked at him with sincere eyes. "Saur." Bulbasaur's stance was beginning to waver.
Bulbasaur was Chapel's only hope. "Please." She got on her knees and bowed to the little Grass type.
"Saur." The forest Pokemon all waited for Bulbasaur to make a decision. 'If I help this girl, I would be helping save our home in the long run…And I would be helping the Miracle Pokemon as well.'
This was it. This was Chapel's best chance at saving her friends. If Bulbasaur refused to help, what would Chapel do?
Bulbasaur looked at Chapel, and then at the shrine.
"Rhy."
"Herc."
"Par."
His gaze then shifted between each of the forest pokemon. "Bulba." Bulbasaur waits for Chapel to lift her head.
"Hm?" Chapel curiously looked to Bulbasaur.
"Saur." With a smile…Bulbasaur gives a single nod.
Chapel let out a huge sigh of relief. She was relieved, elated even. "Thank you!" She rose to her knees and picked up Bulbasaur.
"Saur?!" Bulbasaur was surprised when Chapel pulled him in for a hug.
"Thank you so much!" Chapel hugged him tightly and nuzzled him.
This…makes Bulbasaur blush.
Chapel rises all the way to her feet while still holding Bulbasaur in her arms. "Please lead the way." She tells Bulbasaur.
It was a bit of a walk, but Bulbasaur remained in Chapel's arms the entire way, as he led her to what was known as the Tree of Life – a tree gifted with the blessings of the Miracle Pokemon.
"This tree is humongous…" Chapel looked to Bulbasaur, "Will you do the honor?"
"Saur." Looking at Chapel's warm smile, Bulbasaur again blushes. How could he say no to that face? "Bulba." Bulbasaur protruded his vines and began searching for the Miracle Berry. "Bulbasaur!" He looks to Chapel, giving her warning to hold out her hands.
"Okay." Chapel held her hands out.
Just like Miracle Pokemon gave the Tree of Life its blessing, Bulbasaur wanted to give Chapel his blessing. He retrieved the berry from the tree and delivered it to Chapel.
"This is it!" It was the Miracle Berry that listed in the book!
Bulbasaur didn't stop there. He used his vines to give Chapel several more Miracle Berries.
"Thank you!" Chapel put the Miracle Berries in her bag before pulling Bulbasaur into another hug. "Thank you so much!"
Again, Bulbasaur blushed. But this time he gave of a smile that was as clear as day. He didn't mind Chapel keeping him in her arms even after getting the Miracle Berries.
Making her way back to the foot of the mountain, Chapel reunited with Glaceon, Chime, and Skarmory.
"Skar."
"On?"
"Chime?"
"I have the Miracle Berry." Chapel said. "It's all thanks to Bulbasaur."
"Bulba." Bulbasaur greeted Chapel's pokemon.
Glaceon, Chime, and Skarmory were all happy to hear the news.
"I'll introduce you all to Bulbasaur later." Chapel then took out Chime and Glaceon's Pokeballs. "Return!"
"Skar."
"Skarmory, let's fly back to the cave."
Skamory then grabs Chapel using his talons.
As they take off, Chapel tells a Bulbasaur still in her arms, "I hope you don't mind me taking you with me. Yumi and Rose…I want them to see who was responsible for saving their lives."
"Bulba."
Upon returning to the cave, Chapel saw Braixen and Chandelure maintaining their flames.
"Zen."
"Lure."
Chikorita was maintaining Aromatherapy. "Chi…chi…" She looked exhausted.
"Ur."
Ursaring and Banette were helping in small ways, giving Yumi and Rose small taps on the shoulder to keep their lives from fading.
Chapel let Bulbasaur onto the ground and reached into her bag to get one of the Miracle Berries, as well as a cup.
"Skar." Skarmory flew over to retrieve the bag of Mint Leaves from near Seth.
Chapel followed each step written on the Pokemon Doctoring book to create the medicine for Pneumonia. The Miracle Berry's juices were squeezed out and put into the cup. The Mint Leaves were crushed and scattered throughout the juice. Next was to fill the cup with water and mix the Berry Juice and Mint Leaves.
"Last but not least is to heat the solution to a warm temperature…" Chapel looked to Braixen. "Braixen?"
"Zen?"
Braixen's flame was able to heat the solution without problem.
"Bulba…" Bulbasaur took note of how caring Chapel was. "Saur…" He then saw the alarmingly empty eyes of Rose and Yumi – they looked almost dead inside. 'It must've been a frightening experience, seeing all of your friends dying slowly in front of you…' He now understood why Chapel was so determined to get his help.
"Bulbasaur?" Chapel called.
This snapped Bulbasaur out of his train of thought.
"That move you used earlier – Natural Gift – can you use it on this medicine?" Natural Gift would increase the potency of the Miracle Berry's juice, thus increasing the healing properties of the medicine exponentially.
Bulbasaur nods. He glows a white aura, then transfers said white aura to the medicine. For a second, the medicine flashed this aura before returning to normal. That should do it.
Now, it was time to give Yumi and Rose the medicine. Chapel needed to lift the heads of Rose and Yumi to feed them the medicine.
"…" First was Rose.
"…" And then Yumi.
The Mint Leaves will overpower the bacteria threatening their immune system, while the warm water will increase their body temperature, allowing said immune system to fight bacteria with much greater efficiency. The Miracle Berry will then cure Yumi and Rose of any and all ailments.
"…"
"…"
It took a few minutes, but color was finally starting to return to their faces.
Chapel smiled, "It looks like the medicine is working."
Watching Yumi and Rose on their deathbeds was a terrifying experience. It was the first time Chapel's composure faltered, and her mental fortitude was truly tested. Retrieving the medicine needed to save the lives of her friends was only the beginning. The worst of the worst was behind Chapel, but she wasn't out of the woods just yet…
While the world outside the cave moved on, Chapel and the pokemon remained here, taking care of Yumi and Rose around the clock. It was exhausting work.
"Chi."
"Zen."
"Ur."
"Lure."
"Skar."
Everyone just had to keep pushing forward.
Yumi and Rose's breathing became more audible, allowing room for relaxation on everyone's part. Chapel took this time to bring out all her pokemon from their Pokeballs.
Skarmory, Chime, Glaceon, Ursaring, Piplup, Braixen, Chandelure, Banette, and Chikorita were all addressed by Chapel. "Thank you all for everything you've done to help out. It's because of you that we were able to get through this ordeal. It wasn't easy. In fact, these were the hardest few days of my life…" For a split second, her mind flashed back to the day her mother was taken away from her. "I've seen my mother die before my very eyes before…I didn't want to experience the same thing with Yumi and Rose. But now…Yumi and Rose will live to see tomorrow."
All the pokemon smiled warmly.
"Now…" Chapel motions everyone to gaze at Bulbasaur, who stood next to her.
"Bulba."
"This is Bulbasaur. I wouldn't have gotten the Miracle Berries without him."
Everyone greeted Bulbasaur, grateful for helping them out in their greatest hour of need.
Chapel once again took Bulbasaur in her arms, hugging him.
"Saur." Bulbasaur didn't understand why Chapel was so affectionate.
"You helped save people's lives!" She hugged Bulbasaur tighter, "I just want to keep you nestled in my arms forever!"
"Chi?" Chikorita and the other pokemon were surprised. They were never used to seeing Chapel's girly side. Bulbasaur seemed to enjoy being babied.
Contrary to what Chapel said, she put Bulbasaur on the ground. "Thank you."
"Bulba?" He looked at Chapel questioningly.
"I'm sorry if you wanted to stay with your friends in the forest. You can have Skarmory take you home now." Chapel explained. "Yumi and Rose are stabilized now, so I can see you off."
"Bulba…" Despite Bulbasaur's droop, he was glad to have helped Chapel in her time of need.
"Skarmory, are you ready?" Chapel asked as she approached the entrance to the cave.
"Skar." Skarmory flew next to her.
"Okay! Huh?" Chapel assumed that Bulbasaur was right next to her as Skarmory grabbed her with his talons. "Bulbasaur?"
"Saur." Bulbasaur hadn't budged. He just stared at Chapel.
"What's wrong?"
"Saur."
"What are you saying?"
Banette steps in, putting Bulbasaur's words into a language Chapel could easily understand. "First you try to capture him, and then you ask for his help. You act so sweet to the little guy, and then you have the nerve to say goodbye? What's wrong with you, Chapel?"
This hit Chapel like a bolt of lightning. How could she have been so naïve? It couldn't be helped now…Chapel smiled upon what this insinuated. Calmly, she approached Bulbasaur, "Would you like to join me on my journey?"
Bulbasaur nods.
Chapel's smile grows wider as she takes out a Pokeball and tosses it to Bulbasaur.
"Bulba!"
To which Bulbasaur avoided!
He avoided the Pokeball? Annoyed, Chapel asked, "Are you joking? So sue me for getting my hopes up!"
Bulbasaur shakes his head. He wasn't joking.
"Then why did you avoid the Pokeball?" Chapel asked.
"Chapel," Banette called, "Bulbasaur DOES want to come along, but not without a proper fight first."
Chapel was perplexed. Bulbasaur was a sweetheart, but he still had the pride to fight. "I accept your challenge!"
Just outside the cave, Chapel and Bulbasaur stood on opposite sides.
Glaceon vs Bulbasaur.
"On."
"Bulba."
Begin the battle now!
Why did Chapel choose Glaceon? Well, Piplup was already defeated by Bulbasaur earlier. Skarmory put in a lot of work helping Chapel to and from the mountain, and the same could be said with Ursaring carrying a comatosed Seth.
"On."
Besides, the snowy battlefield gave Glaceon an advantage. The snow only served to make the shiny Glaceon look even more vibrant.
"Glaceon, use Ice Beam!" Chapel called.
Immediately, Glaceon launched a beam of ice energy at Bulbasaur.
Bulbasaur protruded his vines, using them as a springboard to launch himself in the air.
Chapel anticipated this. "Just like the battle with Piplup…" While Bulbasaur was still in the air, Chapel called another attack from Glaceon. "Blizzard!"
"On!" As Glaceon cried, a wave of windy snow roared from behind her. This wave of snow brushed Chapel's hair en route to Bulbasaur.
"Saur?!" Bulbasaur was blown away – perhaps too far away, as he was sent flying over the cliff. "Saur!" But Bulbasaur was resourceful, as he wrapped his around one of the mountain rocks to launch himself upward. "Saur!" Cloaked in the aura of Skull Bash, Bulbasaur dived at Glaceon like a missile.
Again, Bulbasaur was mirroring the moves he did in the battle with Piplup.
"Use Hail!"
"On!" Glaceon summoned forth clouds that were befitting of the snow that surrounded her. Hail started falling from the sky.
Bulbasaur was struck by the falling Hail. "SAUR!" But this wasn't enough to deter him from using Skull Bash.
Glaceon was struck by headfirst by a critical impact Skull Bash…or was she?
"…" Just then, the Glaceon that Bulbasaur thought he struck vanished, blending in with the Hail.
Bulbasaur was confused. What just happened?
"Snow Cloak worked…" Chapel said to herself. "
"On."
"On."
"Glaceon."
Illusions of Glaceon started to appear and disappear in the Hail. Or…were they all illusions, or was the real one hidden among them?
"Bulba? Bulba?" Bulbasaur was having trouble keeping track of where the Glaceon illusions were appearing.
Chapel looked confident. "What are you gonna do now, Bulbasaur?"
Bulbasaur couldn't afford to let himself get overwhelmed. He needed to finish this battle before it got out of hand. "Saur…" Bulbasaur calmed down, taking a deep breath before glowing a green aura.
"What's Bulbasaur doing?" Chapel asked herself.
"On." Glaceon waited in hiding within the Hail.
Bulbasaur opened his eyes and began producing leaves.
"Leaves? Is that Razor Leaf?"
It appeared to be Razor Leaf at first…but then the leaves started stirring into a frenzy. This frenzy grew and grew, to where it was combatting Hail and all of Glaceon's illusions. This wasn't Razor Leaf – this was Leaf Storm.
"On…" Leaf Storm had successfully thwarted Hail, and Glaceon was knocked off her feet.
"Saur! Saur!" Bulbasaur all but dared Chapel and Glaceon to try that trick again.
"This Bulbasaur is tougher than I thought…" Chapel then gave a warm smile.
Bulbasaur had to resist blushing, but he didn't know what to make of that smile.
"Bulbasaur, I have the perfect plan to catch you."
"Gla." Glaceon rose back to her feet.
"Glaceon, use Ice Beam!" Chapel called for the first move she'd used in this battle.
Glaceon, complying, launched a beam of icy energy.
'This again?' Bulbasaur thought to himself. "Saur!" Bulbasaur used his vines to launch himself in the air once more.
"Perfect…" Chapel whispered.
"Saur!" Bulbasaur cloaked himself in the aura of Skull Bash once more.
Chapel took out a Pokeball.
"Saur?!" Oh no! Upon seeing the Pokeball, Bulbasaur panicked. But he couldn't change momentum midair. He was left wide open.
"Go, Pokeball!" Chapel threw the Pokeball.
The Pokeball hit a descending Bulbasaur, sparing Glaceon from any unnecessary damage. The Pokeball landed on the ground, and Chapel and Glaceon watched as it rolled around.
…
…
…
"Come one…"
…
…
…
The Pokeball pinged.
"On?"
"I caught Bulbasaur…" Chapel walked up to the Pokeball, picked it up, and held it triumphantly in the air, "I caught Bulbasaur!"
Glaceon joined in on Chapel's celebration as the Hail completely subsided.
"Come on out, Bulbasaur!" Chapel called.
"Saur." Bulbasaur was immediately released from his Pokeball. The way Chapel captured him was foul, and he was about to grunt before Chapel picked him up.
"Let's go inside and get you some medicine." She smiled warmly.
In all honesty, Bulbasaur loved being babied. He loved that Chapel was going to make medicine for him. They proceed back into the cave, where Chapel plays with Bulbasaur like a child.
"Bulbasaur!" Bulbasaur was looking forward to the journey ahead…
Three day later…
"Chico!"
"Zen!"
"Lure…"
Chandelure was approached by Banette.
"So, I totally thought you were a Shadow Pokemon, but it turns out you're not." Banette noted, "You just naturally love to have your flames devour people and pokemon's lifeforces. Is that it?"
"Lure."
"You know, I've never seen you blink either. Just because you're an inanimate object doesn't mean you can't have character. I mean, look at me. I'm literally just a doll, and I have more personality than any of you!"
"Chi."
"Zen."
Braixen and Chikorita both chuckled. Banette is quite the comedian.
"What, you think that's funny? I'm serious!"
Chikorita, Braixen, Banette, Chandelure, Ursaring, Piplup, Glaceon, Skarmory, Chime, Bulbasaur, and Chapel all kept the cave lively while treating the girls. It was little interactions like this that made time pass by much faster.
Outside, the storm had completely subsided, and the snow was beginning to melt. Through the blanket of clouds in the sky, rays of light were starting to shine through.
…
…
…
"Erm…" Yumi began stirring.
"Zen?" Braixen is the first to notice Yumi stirring. "Brai."
…Shine was starting to return to Yumi's empty eyes. The first thing to come out of her mouth was, "…Brai…xen?" It was a chore for Yumi to speak. Her body wasn't one hundred percent, so it took a lot of effort for Yumi to sit up from her sleeping position.
"Zen…" Tears started escaping Braixen's eyes. "Zen!" She gave Yumi a big hug.
Normally, it was Yumi who gave the big hugs around here.
"Zen!"
"Chi?" This gets the attention of Chikorita, who was laying next to her comatosed trainer. She couldn't believe her eyes. 'Yumi is awake?' This got Chikorita excited. "Chi!" Chikorita immediately ran outside to tell everyone the news.
Outside, everybody was enjoying themselves to a game of tag.
"Ur!" Even Ursaring decided to join in.
"Chi! Chi!" Chikorita runs up to Chapel with no regard to the game.
"Chikorita? You're awfully excited." Chapel's eyes went wide. If Chikorita had reason to be excited, that must mean… "Do you mean to tell me…?" Chapel immediately rushed inside the cave.
Yumi…was awake…Chapel couldn't believe it. "Yumi…you're alive…"
Yumi stirs from Braixen's hug, "I-I-I almost died?"
Chapel fell to her knees as she starts crying tears of joy, "Your bodies were cold, and your eyes were empty…I truly believed that you'd died. But you're okay. You're OKAY!" Chapel wrapped her arms around Yumi.
Yumi didn't know what to say. So that was the reality, huh? Yumi died, and it was Chapel who saved her. "Chapel." However much pain Yumi was in didn't matter, as she warmly embraced Chapel. She lovingly nudged her forehead against Chapel's, "You did a great job."
"Thank you…Chapel…" These words came from the body of Rose, as she began to wake up too.
Chapel and Yumi welcomed Rose into their embrace, and the girls all shared a warm hug.
This seemingly insurmountable trial has been overcome. Whatever obstacle is next to stand in front of the girls, they will surely be able to overcome. Now, they are stronger than ever…
To Be Continued…