***AUTHOR'S NOTE***

This is based off of my experiences when I did a blind "Nuzlocke" run of Pokemon X. I also have this story posted on the Nuzlocke Forum, and I welcome comments from either source. Also, I had a naming theme of "Animated Show Characters" so if you see some names you recognise later on, that's why.

***AUTHOR'S NOTE***

"Welcome to the 19th annual 1-on-1 Pokemon Tourney!" A voice blared from large speakers over a huge crowd of trainers and their Pokemon. They were as excited as the announcer sounded, waving banners and cheering for whoever they'd shown up to support. The only part of the room which was not packed with fans was the arena in the middle. This arena was the kind you'd see in a wrestling competition; it was square, flat, and roped off so nobody would interfere with the battle.

"We have a very interesting lineup today, folks!" The announcer told his audience. "For our first round, we have a new challenger, Fennekin, pitted against last year's champion, Aegislash! That's not really fair if you ask me..."

One of the contestants, a Fennekin named Spitfire, proudly stood in her corner and listened to the cheers. She blew fire as the announcer said her name, and the crowd ooh'ed and ahh'ed.

She sized up her opponent. This was the latest one-on-one champion, Aegislash, a large sword which had been possessed by a spirit of some sort. It leered down at her from behind a shield as it spoke.

"Run along, little one," Aegislash taunted. Its voice was sharp and metallic, sending a chill down the Fennekin's spine with each word. Perhaps the scariest part was that it had no mouth. "This is the big league, not Daycare."

In response, Spitfire blew a cloud of black smoke which made the sword cough and splutter. The crowd gave a cheer of approval as the announcer chuckled. "This one's got attitude. Well, without further ado, let's begin!"

As soon as the words left the speakers, Aegislash lunged at Spitfire, blade first. The small vixen jumped out of its path, giving its shield a good clawing on the way past. As Aegislash spun round to face her, Spitfire saw its blade. It looked very sharp, and she didn't like the idea of getting cut by it. She braced for another charge, ready to breathe fire if necessary.

Instead, Aegislash seemed more interested in intimidating her. "Do not fool yourself into thinking you can win," it said coldly, lowering its shield to fully reveal its blade. "I have faced far tougher than the likes of you, and still won effortlessly. Accept defeat now, and you will leave here with your fur still inta-" the ghost's speech was cut off as Spitfire sent a jet of fire its way. Aegislash was engulfed in the flames before it could raise its shield in defense, and she could hear it scream with rage. Apparently, Aegislash didn't like heat very much.

Spitfire saw something in the corner of her eye which distracted her for a second. In the front row, waving and cheering with everyone else, were Shauna and Chespin. [i]Dear Arceus no,[/i] she thought in frustration. She had enough on her paws at the moment without having to listen to these two idiots! The fact that Chespin was holding a vuvuzela made everything a million times worse.

As the crowd applauded, perhaps thinking Spitfire had already won, Aegislash burst out from the flames. It looked burnt and absolutely furious. "You have sealed your fate! Prepare to die!" it shouted as it jabbed itself at Spitfire. She dodged just in time, but the thing was relentless. Before she could counter or even get her bearings, Spitfire had to roll away from another attack, duck another, and-

A loud, annoying, and totally indescribable sound broke Spitfire's concentration. "Dammit Chespin!" she snarled as she lost her footing and fell. Aegislash took advantage of this, swinging its blade down as hard as it could. If she hadn't managed to scramble away, Spitfire could've lost her head. She got back on her feet, feeling blood begin to trickle from her right ear though strangely feeling no real pain. Why did Chespin have to ruin everything, and why did it usually involve loud noises?

"Hahaha!" Aegislash cackled in its horrible voice. "You can't avoid me forever!"

Spitfire bared her teeth at the sword, though she knew it was right. Sooner or later it would do a lot more damage than a torn ear.

The ghost-sword attacked again. Spitfire continued to dance away from the blade, looking for an opportunity to set it on fire again, but it was simply too close for her to get a good aim. She growled in frustration, knowing that she was in serious trouble though not knowing how to get out of it.

Then, she had an idea. She followed the pattern of the sword's parries and thrusts as best she could, then lunged at the arm carrying the shield. She didn't go directly for the shield, but instead sank her teeth into the thing's arm. Spitfire heard Aegislash scream again, heard the shield clatter to the floor, and held on for dear life as she felt her prey try to shake her off.

"You're not supposed to do this! Let go, you brute! Let go!" Aegislash was yelling hysterically and Spitfire could only guess the reactions of the crowd, but she concentrated only on avoiding getting struck by the blade as Aegislash struggled to remove her. She noticed her opponent was getting weaker, until finally it stopped trying to murder her. "I yield, I yield! Please, get off me!" it cried.

Spitfire thought about this, then let go. The demonic hell sword stumbled from the arena in a panic, looking quite ridiculous as it did so. She smiled slightly, and listened as the announcer's voice boomed over the speakers. "The winner is... Spitfire!"

The crowd cheered again, and of course Chespin's vuvuzela played loudest of all, but she didn't care. She was champion, not just some pretty face like all those trainers had thought for all those years. As she posed and breathed fire in triumph, a chant was taken up. "Spitfire! Spitfire! Spitfire!"

"SPITFIRE!"

This was from Shauna, who was suddenly right in front of Spitfire and looking annoyed. "Wake up!"

All of a sudden, the crowd stopped cheering. In fact, as Spitfire looked around, she saw that there wasn't anyone around besides her owner. The arena was fading from sight, too, and somehow in the middle of it all, Spitfire had gone from standing in triumph to sitting on a bunch of pillows.

Fantastic, Spitfire thought bitterly. It's just a dream.