Pokemon Virus Version Chapter 155: HaruSakiMura Climax
As the manifestation of pure evil awakens, the darkness rises and the shadows settle in. The comatose was over, at long last.
"This power…" Seth mutters.
Haru, Saki, and Mura could sense the different attitude Seth had compared to Yumi, Chapel, and Rose.
"Who…who is he?" Haru muttered.
'The darkness…it's fierce…and frightening.' Mura thought to herself.
"…" Saki refused to let his bearing falter in the face of evil.
Seth approached the battlefield before him and checked his surroundings. Chapel and Ursaring were defeated, while Yumi was nowhere to be found and Banette remained trapped in a pool of sand. He observed that he was currently in some sort of swamp land. There was a severe fault with a crater in the distance, where water fell in like a waterfall. This was courtesy of the Meteor Beam Onix launched earlier. "…" He stopped when he was right next with Chikorita.
"Chi…"
Seth knelt down to Chikorita's level and started petting her, "Tell me what happened here?"
It was impossible for Chikorita to tell in words what happened. "Chi…" She embraced her trainer petting her before giving him a concerned look. She pointed to Rose, and the HaruSakiMura group taking her away.
"Brother…" Still in Haru's grasp, Rose whispered her Brother's name. She never forgot the terrifying sight of when Seth was last awake.
Flashback
"Is that the Portal of Death?" Yumi asked.
Seth had done battle with the Reaper, Dusknoir. It was a battle between him and Commander 15 that eventually became a fight for his life. Seth, Chikorita, and Dusknoir were sent to the Realm Between Life and Death, where Dusknoir attempted to send them to Hell for eternity.
Yumi, Chapel, Rose, and Lord Bastion were waiting for who would emerge from the portal.
Emerging from the portal was huge concentrations of darkness. The streams of darkness were blown by winds blustery enough for the girls to cover their eyes.
Within the darkness, appeared a figure. Turned away from the girls, he faced Lord Bastion.
Commander 15 froze.
As the dark winds calmed down, the girls got a look at the figure from behind.
The black coat he wore as a cape still breezed slightly. They could see ghastly skeletal ribs, as well as a skeletal arm.
"Is that…?"
Rose, Chapel, and Yumi…they were all disturbed.
"It can't be…"
They didn't want to believe that was who they thought he was. They wanted nothing more for this vision to be their mind simply playing a trick on them, or for this who ordeal to have just been a terrible dream. But it wasn't.
Standing before Yumi, Chapel, and Rose, was the man brandishing the Reaper's Scythe. The embodiment of pure evil itself: Rose's Brother.
End Flashback…
Rose tried to erase the image of her Brother, in a partial skeletal form, brandishing the Reaper's Scythe. She wanted to forget all about the ordeal before Seth woke up so that she could accept him as a dearly beloved once more…but that didn't happen.
Instead, Rose had encountered Lady Beatrice in a dream. She looked back to her days with Lady Beatrice in Team Neo Snagem, and for the first time, wished that she could return to her family. With everyone defeated, Rose's wish was on the brink of coming true with Haru, Saki, and Mura determined to deliver her to her Godmother.
Rose trembled in fear upon seeing Seth emanate the darkness.
Seth finally addressed Haru, Saki, and Mura, "Who are you?"
Mura took an instinctive step back, intimidated by the abundance of darkness.
"Should we tell him why we're here?" Haru was uneasy, but his determination didn't waver. He was never the type to give up, so he was prepared to fight if Saki said so.
"We're here for 26." Saki answered.
"Let he go." Seth's eyes narrowed.
Rose's eyes widened in surprise.
"We've already completed our mission, and we got 26." Mura explained, "We should fall back and report to Lady Beatrice."
Haru objects, "No way! I'm not about to run away!"
"Haru, would you take things seriously for once in your life?!" Mura scolded Haru.
"No. Haru is right." Saki remarked.
"I'm right?" Haru was surprised. He was never right about anything. "I mean-of course I'm right."
Saki kept his eyes on Seth, "No matter how powerful he may seem, we still haven't gauged his power. We were instructed by Lady Beatrice to gauge the strength of everyone."
"There's no taking the easy way out?" Mura really wanted to go home.
"So, you intend to fight me?" Seth was well aware of the Swampert, Sandaconda, and Eldegoss that were still outside their Pokeballs. "By all means, hit me with your best shot. You're just target practice for this newfound power of mine." The shadows surrounding Seth grew hungry for blood, "Throw all your Pokemon at me. I'll send them all to Hell."
"No…" At this, Rose forced her body to respond to her brain as she fell out of Haru's grasp and onto the ground. "Brother…" She watched her Brother with great anxiety.
"Target practice?" Haru was angered by Seth's comment. He gritted his teeth and clenched his fists.
"Calm down, Haru." Both Saki and Mura told Haru to watch himself.
"No! This guy will pay for underestimating us!" Haru lunged at Seth, Pokeball in hand. "This next Pokemon will beat you where you stand!"
Seth remained as indifferent as ever as he rushed dark energy to surround Haru.
'I…can't…move…' Haru was right in front of Seth on eye level when he was immobilized.
The heartbeats of Saki and Mura began to increase.
The eyes of Seth were disturbingly cold and distant. He considered killing Haru where he stood. "…"
Haru had no clue how much of a farcry Seth was from the rest of the group. Whereas is battle with Yumi and Chapel started off as friendly competition, Seth didn't entertain any desire for friendship.
Seth rushed the darkness to Haru's neck, ready to end his life. The Pokeball in Haru's hand fell to the ground as Haru started flailing in a panic for air. "…" Haru was right in front of Seth, but Rose was also in his line of sight in the distance.
Rose wanted to cover her eyes…but she was too frozen in fear to move. "Please…Brother, please stop…"
Seth's face remained glued in an indifferent state…but for some reason, the site of his younger sister was enough to spare the life of Haru.
"Ngh…" Haru's body went limp, but the pressure on his neck eased.
Seth used the dark aura to throw Haru's body back in front of Saki and Mura.
Mura was trembling, but she nevertheless went to see if Haru was okay. "Haru is breathing…" She looked to Seth, confused, "You spared Haru's life?"
"This is merely a demonstration of the power I possess." The dark aura surrounding Seth began to dissipate. "If you wish to fight me, you put the lives of your group and your Pokemon on the line. Leave Rose here and leave this place."
Saki didn't to yield to Seth's power.
…But Mura thought otherwise. "Saki, we should go."
"No…" Saki attempted to assert his leadership position in the group.
But Mura finally stood up for what she believed was the best course of action, "Yes, we should. Haru nearly lost his life because you wanted to stay and fight."
"It was Haru's decision to charge in headfirst." Saki replied.
"But you'll be taking responsibility for encouraging him in the first place." Mura countered. "Remember what Lady Beatrice said – Gauging the power of this group was our primary mission. Now that we've assessed what this boy is capable of, our mission is complete."
Saki's shoulders drooped in defeat. He was too stubborn to admit Mura to be correct, but his body language gave it away. Despite never getting along with Haru, Saki always had his back when he was in trouble. This time, Saki picked up Haru's unconscious body and readied to carry him back to Lady Beatrice.
Mura was happy to see Saki listening to her. She walked up to Saki and gave him a slight kiss on the cheek, "Let's go home…"
Haru, Saki, and Mura…Swampert, Sandaconda, and Eldegoss…they all started walking away from a battlefield that had been forever altered by their fight.
Saki gave Seth one last glance from the corner of his eye. Walking past Rose, he gave her some parting words. "This won't be the last time we meet. Lady Beatrice and Lord Bastion miss you. If they desire, our paths will cross again in order to bring you back home."
When Haru, Saki, and Mura left, there was nothing stopping Rose from inevitably having to interact with Seth. She was approached by her Brother, and the atmosphere somehow had more tension than during the fight.
"…" Rose truly didn't know what to say to her Brother.
"Are you alright?" Seth asked.
Rose couldn't move.
Seth knew from looking around him that there was a fight of some sort. Perhaps Rose was involved. Jumping to this conclusion, Seth called for Chikorita.
"Chi?"
"Use Aromatherapy."
Chikorita emitted a pink aura that surrounded Rose and healed any damage she might've sustained in battle.
"I thank you…" Rose may have been healed physically, but she was on the verge of breaking down emotionally. Rose had risen to her feet. She and Seth stood mere inches apart, but the connection between them couldn't get any further removed. Rose was beginning to fear her Brother. Ever since she was dragged down underwater, she'd been having visions of her, Lady Beatrice, and everyone back home – including Zero. Seth and Zero were the brothers of Rose, but how the two treated Rose couldn't have been any more different. If anything, Seth being detached emotionally reminded Rose a lot of Mother Flora…but at least Mother Flora cared for her. Who exactly was Seth – or Fear?
"Why were those people after you?" Seth asked.
Rose hesitated to answer that question. Seth had always been obsessed to a fault with defeating Neo Snagem. But lying to her Brother's face would've been even worse in the long run. "Haru, Saki, and Mura. They came to bring me back to Team Neo Snagem."
"You fought them?"
Rose nodded. "Yumi, Chapel, and I."
"I guess we'll have to use Aromatherapy on everyone." Seth remarked.
Honestly, Rose expected Seth to drop everything and go after Haru, Saki, and Mura. But that didn't happen.
"You did a good job, Rose."
Seth's praise, although rare, did wonders to boost Rose's morale in the past. But this time…even though her side won, Rose felt like she'd lost the best opportunity she had at returning home. One compliment wasn't going to make Rose stop fearing her Brother. Was she getting past her desire of being loved by Seth? Only time would tell, as the storybook of their relationship was far from over.
All that was needed to ease some of the tension between Rose and Seth was the others waking up. The siblings approached the defeated being of Banette, who was set to be awakened first.
"Chi…" Chikorita emitted Aromatherapy directed at the Marionette Pokemon.
"R…Rose…" Rose's name was the first word to escape Banette's mouth. When she sat up, the first person she saw was Seth. "You…"
The interactions between Banette and Seth had always been rocky at best and apprehensive at worst. Banette considered Rose as a sister just as Seth did. She was more aware of Rose's inner turmoil than anyone else.
"Chi…" Chikorita was happy to see Banette doing okay.
With Banette awake, Seth began walking to the next patient. "Come, Chikorita."
Chikorita used her leaf to give Banett and Rose a friendly wave before following her trainer.
"So, he's awake now…" Banette muttered.
"It was bound to happen eventually." Rose remarked.
"Are you going to tell him how you feel?" Banette question.
Rose slightly squeezed the Egg she was holding as she struggled to find an answer, "I am unsure if I have the nerve to confront Brother."
As Chapel awoke, the light of the sun shimmered in her maroon eyes.
Unlike with Rose, Seth was aware of his connection with Chapel. Chapel was the one who housed Seth's heart, but that didn't keep the two from going together like oil and water. Chapel wished to save the world from Team Neo Snagem, while Seth only wished for revenge with no regard to the world around him. They were two sides of the same coin, which gave birth to a rivalry – albeit it was one-sided on Chapel's part.
Chapel didn't fear Seth. If she ever had a problem with how he did things, she always told him to his face even if it meant an argument was going to happen. This was the reason why Chapel was able to smile when Seth was the first person she saw. "Seth…"
"Rose told me what happened." Seth sat right next to Chapel, staring at the clouds.
Chapel sat up, "And you didn't go chasing after the group who attacked us? That's a first." Chapel elbowed Seth playfully. "Joking aside, I'm glad that you're awake."
"You?" Seth looked to Chapel questioningly.
"We've been on quite a few adventures since you fell into a comatose," Chapel started, "I felt happy when we made it to the edge of Johto to see the Butterfree migration…But then…" She looked to the ground, "Rose and Yumi nearly lost their lives to Pneumonia. We all almost drowned, were nearly turned to stone, and were close to having our life forces taken."
"Sounds like quite the adventures." Seth remarked.
Chapel was just glad to have someone lend an ear so she could let it all out, "Yumi and Rose are some of my best friends, but Yumi doesn't know how to sit down and listen, and Rose is too young to fully comprehend where I'm coming from."
"So where do we go from here?" Seth asked.
"We have to cross a rocky valley before making our way to Dawn Meadow. Once we pass Dawn Meadow, we'll be in Troia" Chapel explained.
"And Troia will be our last stop before Blackthorn City." Seth finished.
"I can't wait to sleep in an actual bed. It's been so long that I've forgotten what that's like."
"Have you?" Seth raised an eyebrow.
"I'm just kidding." Chapel put her arm around Seth's neck. A moment of silence ensued before Chapel said, "By the way, don't mistake my friendliness for a free pass to do as you please. I still intend to keep you and your darkness on a leash."
"I wouldn't expect anything different."
"Chi…" Chikorita had just finished using Aromatherapy on Ursaring.
"Rrr." Ursaring wasn't in as much danger as the others. Technically, the Normal type only fainted by a routine defeat within the rules of normal battle. "Ur." Ursaring eyed Seth, the boy he'd been carrying for some time now.
"Chicori!" Chikorita happily told Ursaring that her trainer was awake now.
"Rrr."
Chikorita ran into her sitting trainer's lap. She, Seth, Chapel, and Ursaring all watched the moving clouds together.
When Yumi returned to the battlefield, she was confused by the silence. "Did someone already win the fight?"
Decidueye was successfully defeated. He'd launched one last arrow shortly before being defeated by Braixen's Flamethrower. Since then, Yumi had been on her way to returning to the scene.
"Haru, Saki, Mura, and their Pokemon…" Yumi muttered to herself, "I don't see any of them here…" What Yumi saw was Rose and Banette conversing with themselves as they cared for the Pokemon Egg in Rose's arms. Rose looked uneasy, while Banette was attempting to cheer her up.
"Zen?" Braixen, who'd been walking alongside Yumi, spoke up. "Zen! Bra zen!"
Braixen was the first to see it.
Yumi's heart fluttered as she saw it as well. There he was, watching the clouds with Chapel, Chikorita, and Ursaring. "Is he…?"
"Zen!" Braixen called out to the group.
It was here that Seth turned to Yumi's direction.
"You're awake…You're really awake!" Yumi ran to Seth and grabbed him by the hands to pull him from his seated position. She then gave him one big happy hug.
This prompted slight annoyance on Seth's part. He just wanted to sit down and relax with everyone for once. Leave it to Yumi to break the peace with her overly affectionate nature.
"Baka." Yumi, while open about her feelings toward Seth, didn't hold back on what she thought about the last time she saw him awake. "We almost lost you to the darkness…again."
The fight against Lord Bastion wasn't the first time Seth had been put in a vegetative state. It happened in Ecruteak City as well. Yumi was the only one to have been there both times to care Seth in such a vulnerable state.
"I don't care if you're not the hugging type. I feel like I never want to let go, Seth. You're very precious to me…and I almost lost you." Yumi has told Seth that she liked him multiple times, but her feelings had you to have been reciprocated.
Though Seth lacked emotion, he still cared for Yumi. He was grateful that she'd had his back every step of the way. He allowed to girl to embrace her as he said, "I wouldn't expect anything different." Those were the same words he said to Chapel. Seth was beginning to embrace Yumi's affectionate character, just as he was beginning to embrace the abrasive yet friendly Chapel.
"Chapel, join in!" Yumi looked to Chapel with a smile.
"Me?" Chapel was being asked to join in on the hug.
"Come on!" Yumi unwrapped one arm from around Seth and pulled Chapel out of her seated position. She then whispered in Chapel's ear, "I was worried when you went down too. I'm glad you're okay…"
"Thank you, Yumi." Chapel smiled softly.
Chikorita, Ursaring, and Braixen were all happy to see their trainers embrace each other's faults. No surprise. They were best friends, after all.
Yumi, Chapel, and Seth…Best friends…
She felt like she stood alone as she watched her Brother embrace Yumi and Chapel like that. "They seem like one big happy family…" Rose began feeling a slight hint of contempt to the sight. "But which family do I belong in?"
The issue of Rose and Seth was only beginning.
To Be Continued…