Hello, and welcome to my new idea. If you have read my update on my profile, then thank you for coming to read and help decide the event. If you haven't seen the profile update, please head to my profile and read the April 2016 update. (FYI, don't think I'm trying to get views on my profile for fun. I'm sure half of the views on it are my own since I bookmarked it for easy access) Now, this quick story will explain the basics of what a Nuzlocke is for those who are unaware, the games that will be available to vote for, and what kind of Nuzlocke will be associated with each game. Please understand that not all Nuzlocke variants will apply to all games (some for obvious reasons), so keep that in mind when voting. This will be in the K rating for general purposes, but the story itself will likely fall into the T rating as it will involve deaths and some likely swearing.
Without further ado, let's begin.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~An Introduction to Nuzlockes~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
I stare at the door for a moment, making sure I have the correct room number. Seeing the number is correct, I open the door and enter the lecture hall. My eyes widen in surprise as I see the dozens of people already sitting in the room, waiting for the lecture to begin. Finding an empty seat at the end of a row, I place my bag next to my chair and relax (imagine an amphitheater-style lecture hall). I run my fingers through my messy brown hair as I look down at my flyer, having picked it up while walking down the hallway earlier. I take a moment to reread the flyer:
Advanced Pokémon: An Introduction to Nuzlockes
A lecture about the different kinds of challenges a trainer can create.
Lecture today at Room 101.
Prepare yourself for a challenge.
Looking up, I glance around the room, checking out the fellow trainer hopefuls. Dozens of people, each with their own style and appearance, show a face of confidence, stone-faced stoicism, or a look of nervousness. Men, women, children, all ready to hear the lecture and learn what this is all about.
As I look down, I notice a number of trainers sitting in the front row that I recognize. How could I not; they are some of the most famous Pokémon trainers in the world. In the first row, I see Red, Blue, Yellow, and Leaf chatting with one another. A row above them, Gold, Silver, Kris, and Lyra are waiting for the start, with Kris occasionally chiming in on the Kanto quartet's conversation. Sitting next to Lyra, Brendan and May from Hoenn are talking; Brendan making some exaggerated gestures and May giggling at him.
In the row above them, I see Lucas and Dawn resting their heads on the desk, doing their best to ignore Barry. The blonde seems like he's five seconds from exploding with excitement. Next to Barry, I see Hilbert and Hilda showing a bit of annoyance. I'm guessing it's because they're stuck between Barry and Bianca, who's also chatting excessively. Looking to the side, I see Cheren looking at Bianca, his face showing boredom. Next to Cheren, I see Nate, Rosa, and Hugh discussing something together. Finally, I spot Calem, Serena, Trevor, Tierno, and Shauna either talking or reading a book. Impressed that such famous trainers are within yards of me, I lean back and think about what's going on.
After a few more minutes of people entering and sitting, the door at the front of the teacher's platform opens, and six adults in lab coats walk into the room. My eyes widen in shock again as I recognize the six as the professors from the six popular regions. From right to left is Professor Oak from Kanto, Professor Elm of Johto, Professor Birch of Hoenn, Professor Rowan of Sinnoh, Professor Juniper of Unova, and Professor Sycamore from Kalos. I watch in amazement as Professor Oak steps toward the podium, the other professors taking seats on the platform next to him.
"Greetings, and welcome to 'An Introduction to Nuzlockes'!" The Kanto professor announces into the microphone, getting everyone's attention. Seeing that everyone was listening, he continued. "Today's lecture is about an interesting fan-creation that has helped to make Pokémon training more interesting and challenging. What we are referring to are Nuzlockes." Seeing some murmurs, Professor Oak sits down as Professor Birch takes over.
"Just for clarification, does anyone here not know what a Nuzlocke is?" The professor asks. Seeing a few hands raised, he nods and continues. "I see. Well, I can help clear this confusion up. You see, a Nuzlocke is a set of rules implemented by Pokémon trainers in an effort to make their games more challenging. Originally, this started when someone with Nuzlocke as an internet name created a comic detailing his adventures in Ruby. The name Nuzlocke soon latched on as the fan term for this kind of challenge." Still seeing some confused looks, Birch smiled and continued.
"In most situations, a Nuzlocke is designed to make the game much more difficult than normal. You can set rules that are lenient but challenging, or you can set rules that are extremely punishing if you want a real challenge. However, there are two 'official' rules to a Nuzlocke challenge, as well as a third common rule that may not be applicable in some situations." At this, Professor Birch walks back to his seat as Professor Elm takes the podium.
"As my colleague said, there are two main rules to a Nuzlocke challenge. The first, is that you are only allowed to capture the first Pokémon you encounter in a new area. If you fail to capture it, you cannot capture another. As a result, this immediately limits the number of Pokémon you have available to progress through the game. The second rule is that any Pokémon that faints is considered dead. As such, they must either be released or put into storage separate from the rest of your Pokémon. This can be important depending on the type of Nuzlocke you run." Professor Elm took a moment to look around the room. Smiling as the confused looks disappeared, he nodded and returned to his speech. "There will also be one rule added to all Nuzlocke variants. When a Pokémon faints, you will roll a six-sided die. If you roll a 1-5, the Pokémon is dead. However, if you roll a 6, the Pokémon will manage to survive the knockout. But, if the Pokémon faints from a Critical Hit, it dies outright. Now, the rule Professor Birch mentioned is often implemented, but not always possible. It states that you should nickname each Pokémon you capture or receive in order to build stronger bonds with it."
I raised my hand quickly, getting a "Yes?" from the Professor. "You say that nicknaming is not always possible. Why is that?" I ask, slightly confused. To my surprise, Professor Elm walks back to his chair, only for Professor Sycamore to answer my question.
"You see, young man," the young professor starts as he reaches the microphone, "there is a Nuzlocke variant called a 'Wonderlocke.' In this variant, each Pokémon you capture or receive as a gift is to be wonder traded away, and you use whichever Pokémon you receive in return. Because of this, you cannot nickname any of these Pokémon." I nod in understanding and lower my hand. Professor Sycamore nods and continues. "Now that the general Nuzlocke rules have been explained, we will continue to the next part of the lecture. Here, we will explain which games and regions will be associated with certain variations. This will be due to the number of regions and variations there are. As such, each region will be limited to two variations. Does everyone understand?"
Seeing everyone nod, Professor Sycamore smiles before giving the microphone back to Professor Oak. "Okay, we will go through our regions, associated games, and the variants available. We will explain the general idea of the variants, but we would like for you to read up on what each variant can entail before making your decision on what kind of Nuzlocke you want to vote for. Now then, we will begin with the Kanto region."
Taking a breath, Professor Oak started again. "For Kanto, you might recognize these games as Pokémon Red and Pokémon Blue. The two variants available in this region are the standard Nuzlocke and the Dicelocke. The standard variant is simple. The three rules of the normal Nuzlocke are in place. Only first encounters and static encounters/gifts, must nickname all captured Pokémon, and any fainted Pokémon are dead. Here, the dead Pokémon are released. For the Dicelocke, there will be a list of rules decided before the locke starts. When you enter a new city, route, cave, or other location for the first time, a random number will be generated between 1 and 20. As this can be done with one, most players of this variant use a twenty-sided die to generate their number.
"Once the number is determined for that area, a specific rule or effect is applied for the area and cannot be undone either until the storyline progresses past that point, or the Nuzlocke ends. If a restriction occurs, such as no encounters or no shopping, these effects linger for that area as long as the Nuzlocke is ongoing. Finally, the dead Pokémon are boxed away, as one common result for the 20, the best possible pull, is the immediate revival of one dead Pokémon." Seeing the understanding looks on their students' faces, Professor Oak nods and passes the microphone to Professor Elm.
Clearing his throat, Elm begins. "For the Johto region, the games will be HeartGold or SoulSilver. Here, we will have the standard Nuzlocke and the Wedlocke. The standard Nuzlocke rules were mentioned already. The Wedlocke is an interesting one in that Pokémon are paired in male-female pairs (to increase difficulty of finding pairs). When setting a Pokémon as the lead of the party, it can only switch in battle between itself and its partner. If one dies, the other must come out to avenge the fallen Pokémon or die with it. The rules can be adjusted as necessary if it is selected." Taking a seat, Professor Elm passes the mic to Professor Birch.
Standing, Birch smiles. "For Hoenn, we will use the game Alpha Sapphire. Here, we will use the standard Nuzlocke and the Wonderlocke. The wonderlocke, as stated earlier, will require each Pokémon captured to be wonder traded off. The only major rule to note as of right now is that the levels of the received Pokémon must not exceed 5 levels higher than the traded away Pokémon, even if your team is well above that level."
Professor Rowan clears his throat as his turn comes. "For the Sinnoh region, the game will be Diamond or Pearl. Here, the variants will be either the Dicelocke or the Wedlocke. Both have been briefly touched upon, so you will simply need to refresh yourself with them online." Sweat-dropping at the short and blunt explanation, Professsor Juniper stands up to speak.
"Okay, for the Unova region the game will be Black or White," the female Professor said happily. "The variations available for Unova will be the standard Nuzlocke or the Dicelocke. As mentioned already, both have been explained slightly. If you choose this region, I wish you luck." As she sits down, Professor Juniper hands the mic off to Sycamore once again.
Standing, Sycamore smiles warmly. "Finally, the Kalos region will use X or Y for the Nuzlocke. Here, we will run the Dicelocke or the Wonderlocke. Both would pose an interesting challenge. If you choose Kalos, I will see you there." Handing the mic once more to Oak, Sycamore sits in his seat.
Standing once again, Professor Oak smiles as he addresses the group. "Now that the variants have been announced, you will have until April 30th to decide which you would like to see reported. In addition, feel free to give these a try yourself. The many rules can easily be found online for many of these Nuzlocke variants, and each pose a level of challenge that would make playing through the older games more enjoyable. We will reconvene on May 1st for you to choose which Nuzlocke you choose to attempt. Any of them will be difficult, but we have faith in all of you. Good luck."
I watched as the six professors left the room one by one, noticing that most of the people began talking to one another about what Nuzlocke they would be interested in. I smile as I grab my bag and head towards the exit. I am unsure what I will do at the moment, but I can already tell it's going to be one hell of a ride.
And with that, the poll will now be open. Just a quick warning, I will only count votes cast on the poll. Any PMs or reviews giving votes will be disregarded and ignored. Once April 30th has come and gone, I will check the poll and see which Nuzlocke variant has the most votes. After that, I should have the game ready to start playing in a week. I should have the chapter finished on Saturdays or Sundays, and it will go up on Mondays. Please vote on the poll and make your opinion known!