This was originally a joke made between me and CHIKARAfiction while talking about Bloody Red Version: The AU Story and Pokemon X and Y.
Then Halloween sprung up and I decided to do it for real. Just a little bit. More like a teaser.
Don't expect a full-length story revolving around this. If it ever happens, it won't be anytime soon.
Originally supposed to be done for Halloween. You can blame school and work and general laziness for its ultra-late completion.
Happy very late New Years, everyone. Don't let the glitch Charmanders get you! :)
Pokemon: Bloody Red Version: AU
Bloody X Version
It happened three months ago. It only hit me now that I should probably tell someone about this. In case something really bad happens to me.
Finals had just ended and everyone in my dorm was mentally drained. All we did was lounge on the couches or watch TV. We didn't really want to do anything.
Jerry, my roommate, came back from town. He'd been out shopping with his parents and managed to get something for me. When I saw it, I felt my jaw drop.
It was a copy of Pokemon X.
The game had only just come out in our area but, being the broke college student that I was, I couldn't afford to get either of the Gen 6 games. Jerry gave it to me with a smile.
"Happy birthday, dude," he declared.
I hugged him so hard that I swore I could hear bones cracking. Then I ran straight for the dorm. Once in my room (well, Jerry lived there too), I opened the case and pulled out the game card. I popped the game into my 3DS and watched the intro run. It was better than I had imagined. I felt my heart soar when the title screen appeared.
I happily clicked New Game and watched the intro with Prof. Sycamore. I sped through what he said, knowing it was the usual speech the professors gave in every game about what Pokemon were and their specific research about them. I simply didn't care. I wanted to get to playing, not listen to the ranting of an old man.
When it finally came to picking my gender, I (naturally) went with the boy. I also went with my usual name: Dante. It means lasting or enduring in Latin. When it came to picking my appearance, I went with the dark-haired one with gray eyes. It was the default male character used in the trailers, I believe.
I sped through the rest until I was in my character's room. I rushed through the speech with my mom and, upon heading out the door, was surprised to see two girls there. It was Shauna and Serena, two of your rivals in the game (even though Serena becomes Calem if you picked the girl character).
We apparently had to go to Aquacorde, the neighboring town. Once the pair left, I raced toward Route 1 (which had no grass at all) and quickly entered the town. I was soon seated at a café table with Shauna, Serena, Trevor, and Tierno.
I sped through the text (nicknaming myself D Meister) until I was allowed to pick my starter. I picked Froakie because, from the moment I saw its final evolution, I had fallen madly in love with the Water-type. I named him Kunai since he would eventually become a ninja.
Trevor then gave us a PokeDex to fill out (a standard mechanic in all Pokemon games). When I made to move Dante, I found he wouldn't leave his chair. Trevor wasn't done talking?
His next words both confused me…and caused a shiver to race up my spine. "Don't let them manipulate you. Stay in control. Don't hesitate. THEY sure won't…"
I was able to move my character again. Forcing Trevor's cryptic words from my head, I left the table and headed back to Vaniville to give Sycamore's Letter to my mom.
Shauna stopped me before I could leave Aquacorde, suddenly challenging me to a battle. She called out her Fennekin, the Fire-type Kalos starter. I was shocked to see that Kunai already had Bubble in his moveset, quickly realizing Shauna's starter had Ember. That was new. At least this wouldn't be another war of Tackle, Pound, and Scratch like in previous generations.
Two Bubbles easily took Fennekin out. Shauna had decided to be an idiot and use Tail Whip instead of Scratch. I felt like dancing for joy. My first victory in Gen 6!
My joy turned to confusion when I read Shauna's text. "No! I wasn't supposed to lose! Li'l Fennekin, please try to understand! I didn't mean to lose! Really, I didn't!"
Shauna abruptly ran from the town. I tried to shake the dread I suddenly got. Serena suddenly appeared on the side of the screen, having approached when Shauna fled. Her next words brought the dread back ten-fold.
"She lost control. Poor girl… Let her be spared from too much pain, Arceus."
Lost…control? Is that some new game mechanic? I wondered.
I disregarded the thought and proceeded to rush through the letter errand. I soon returned to Aquacorde, exploring a bit and finding a Poke Ball and Potion shop. I also found a healing spot. Not exactly a Pokemon Center but it would do in a pinch. I stocked up on Poke Balls and then headed north to Route 2.
I could see Serena up ahead. Shauna was with her but…did her sprite look different? I could swear she had bandages on her now. Strange…
I took two steps into the grass patch separating me from them and was dragged into a wild encounter. It was a Level 3 male Pidgey. Honestly, I would've preferred a Spearow but this was Gen 6, so I was surprised to see Pidgey present at all. I doubted I'd get lucky enough to find a Spearow in X, though.
Kunai easily knocked it down to low health with a single Bubble. I tossed a Poke Ball at it and smiled victoriously as the Flying-type was caught without trouble. I decided to name him Whirl, like whirlwind.
I sped through Serena's catching tutorial. Shauna said nothing, weirdly enough. I expected her to make some funny comment…or something. There was nothing. She followed after Serena as they headed into the forest up ahead.
After beating the lone trainer on Route 2 (the kid had a Zigzagoon, it was an easy KO), I went on a catching spree. There was a good mix of Pokemon in Route 2—Pidgey, Bunnelby, Fletchling, Zigzagoon, Scatterbug, Caterpie, and Weedle. After about twenty minutes of no new encounters, I headed into Santalune Forest. I barely took three steps in when Shauna appeared behind me.
Didn't she enter the forest BEFORE me? Why is she now BEHIND me? Game physics, you fail. I chuckled at the thought.
"…I should be okay if I stay with you," she said. "Fennekin isn't mad anymore but… I will heal your Pokemon when needed, D Meister."
There wasn't an option to say 'no' to her request. Not that I would've refused it. Free healing meant I could afford to level grind without needing to run to a Pokemon Center constantly. I definitely intended to grind here since I had no idea what to expect for the first Gym…wherever it was.
This layout looks pretty similar to Viridian Forest, I realized as I had my character wander around.
I noticed that Trevor, Serena, and Tierno were wandering through the tall grass, seemingly following me around the map discreetly. Aside from most of the same catches in Route 2, I discovered that the Gen 5 elemental monkeys could be found here. I also ran into Metapod and Kakuna, though not as often as their pre-evolved forms.
Then I found a Pikachu and squealed like a little girl.
Did I mention I'm one of those catch-them-all guys? I like being able to declare that I have them all. It's more for satisfaction than anything. It can be pretty fun though, especially when they evolve.
I laughed when Youngster Joey appeared, sending out a Scatterbug. I just couldn't help myself. I did feel sorry for Rattata, though. Poor thing got replaced by a worm, of all things.
My rivals and I gathered up at the end of the forest, heading into Route 3 together. Speeding past their chatter, I soon had my character race ahead to Route 3 for more battles and catching. Dunsparce, Bidoof, Azurill, and Burmy soon joined my character's collection.
Then I reached the first major city, scored a pair of roller skates (which, while awkward to control, were completely awesome), and discovered the first Gym to be Bug-type. Kunai was Level 14, Whirl was Level 13, and Charge (my Pikachu) was Level 12 thanks to all the grinding I did in the forest. I had boxed everyone else, not interested in using them.
Unable to leave Santalune City thanks to some reporter lady blocking the path northward, I instead headed east to another route I had noticed. It was Route 22 and had a bunch of trainers on it. I went on yet another catching spree (there were wild Farfetch'd in the grass, dude!) and decided to add a Litleo to my team for the Fire-type attacks.
A Riolu soon joined my team too…once I found one just as I was leaving the route.
Once I was sufficiently leveled (Kunai was 15, Whirl and Charge were 14, Cinder the Litleo and Champ the Riolu were 13), I headed to the Santalune Gym. It wasn't very hard to defeat, though the Gym design was really cool. We were walking around on a giant spider's web! Viola, the Gym Leader, was easy to beat…until she sent out that Vivillon. Man, Infestation is annoying!
Somehow, I got through it and received the Bug Badge for my efforts…and a TM for Infestation…
Kunai also evolved into Frogadier after defeating Vivillon.
Bug Badge? Now they're naming badges after types? That's lame, I thought as I had my character leave the Gym.
Then I got the Exp. Share from the journalist and realized what an incredible item it had become in Gen 6. It was basically Exp. All from Gen 1. It was sweet!
Going north led me to Route 4, where I added yet another Pokemon to my team—a Ralts named Glitter. Cue more battling and catching here.
When I reached the end of the route, I encountered two strange people who explained Fairy-type to me and declared they were students of Prof. Sycamore. They then led me into Lumiose City (think of a massive 3D Castelia) and showed me the way to the Pokemon Lab. I would've explored more of the city but its sheer size made me reconsider. I'd explore later when I didn't already have to do something specific in a certain spot.
Prof. Sycamore met with me, Serena, and Shauna on the third floor. After making a grand speech about his decision to make my character the fifth PokeDex holder, he suddenly challenged us all to a battle. No professor (aside from the Oak glitch in Gen 1) had ever engaged in battle with a player in any past generation. To say the least, I was mind-blown.
He had the Kanto starters as his team, each one being Level 10. My heart raced when I saw them. I'd heard about the leaks saying you could get a Kanto starter early in the game. Was this it?
I used type advantages against the trio. Whirl blew away Bulbasaur, Charge electrocuted Squirtle, and Kunai drenched Charmander. I laughed upon seeing Prof. Sycamore's stance upon defeating him. It was just plain hilarious.
"I'll give you each one of these starters. Go on. Pick one!" he prompted.
I jumped up and whooped for joy. Yes! I was getting a Kanto starter!
I was tempted to bring back Vinnie the Bulbasaur from my old Red version. But…was that too easy? I would've picked Squirtle but I already had Kunai for a Water-type.
Then Charmander caught my eye. Cinder was good and all, but being part Normal-type just bugged me. I had always been bugged by the Normal typing added onto Pokemon that were perfectly okay being a full type (Deerling as Grass-type, Bibarel as Water-type, etc.). That was just my opinion, of course.
I decided to pick Charmander. I was glad to see that I was given the option to send someone to the PC in order to add him to my party right away, so off Cinder went to the PC. I was confused when I wasn't given the option to nickname the Charmander.
"Good luck, Dante. You must be very brave to have picked Charmander. Use this Mega Stone well. Remember—stay in control. You'll regret it if you don't," Prof. Sycamore said.
Once I was free of the conversation, I checked my party. I was shocked to see that Charmander already had a nickname.
Wildfire…
Maybe it's more like a trade than a gift. Maybe you don't get to name the Kanto starter. That sucks. Oh well… I reasoned with myself.
I raced through all the events afterward, wanting to progress on my journey myself. I encountered Lysandre (the hair gave him away as part of Team Flare, so did his "beautiful world" quote) and the pop idol Diantha (obviously a very important character since they showed her off with Lysandre) in Lumiose City before Tierno finally called me away to a nearby route to introduce horde battles. After encountering the Steel-type Gym Leader and her two Lucario, I resumed control of my own actions.
Seeing Tierno and Trevor further up the route, I was forced to fight against a pair of twins before I could get near them. Walking in front of them sent us straight into battle. I sent out Wildfire and Kunai against their Plusle and Minun. The battle went smoothly until Wildfire attacked.
Wildfire used Ember! Enemy Plusle died!
I did a double-take. Died? Pokemon don't die (the movies don't count and neither does the Marowak in Gen 1 since we didn't see it die). Was that a new mechanic in Gen 6?
I hesitantly continued with the battle, watching as Wildfire proceeded to "kill" the Minun. When Tierno challenged me to a battle, I was shocked to see Wildfire burst out of his Poke Ball instead of Charge, who I had placed at the front of my party.
Just what's going on here? Pokemon dying. Wildfire hijacking the first position on my team. Is this some kind of glitch?
I had absolutely no idea what I had unleashed upon myself and the world of Pokemon…
.o.o.o.o.
Xerneas gave a shrill scream as flames engulfed it. My heart went out to the creature as it was consumed by the hungry flames. It took mere moments before the indigo deer collapsed to the ground, blackened and smoking.
Wildfire faded back into his original form, smirking toothily. "So much for a god," he snorted. "That was easy. Give me something harder to kill!"
"Now do you understand, Dante? The world I wish to gain will be better off without such Pokemon. Situations like yours could never occur in my world of beauty."
Lysandre, I realized, turning to see the Team Flare leader approaching.
There was a strange mechanical device attached to the man's back. He had a visor over his eyes, similar to the ones worn by his subordinates. He was glaring firmly at Wildfire, who turned and glared right back. Lysandre looked at me in pity.
"You would've been better off had you just stayed away, Dante. I'll try my best to free you of that menace," he declared.
If only you could, I thought, looking away.
"Dante! Let's end this blabbermouth for good!" Wildfire snarled, wings flared in preparation for battle.
It was automatic now. Ever since I got the Mega Ring, each battle started out the same. I'd lift my wrist, call up the Mega Stone's power…and Wildfire would turn into a true monster. Pitch black with blue flames rushing forth from his jaws and ruby red eyes that pierced the soul with a single glance. A true monster.
Mega Charizard X.
Lysandre fought like mad through the battle. Wildfire battered his Meinshao with his wings, easily downing it. Charge, fully evolved into a Raichu, electrocuted his Honchkrow without trouble. Kunai, fully evolved into a Greninja, took down his Pyroar with a barrage of Water Shuriken.
Then he tossed out his Gyarados and Mega Evolved it.
"Dante! This is the last strike I will throw against you!" Lysandre cried. "Help me! I know you can! I know you do not want that monster to win this either!"
"Moron! Like he has a choice!" Wildfire laughed. "He's getting me to the top, whether he wants to or not. I'm in control here, not him. So stop trying to appeal to his desires!"
He punctuated his statement with a sudden burst of blue fire.
The battle was long and hard. Wildfire was at a type disadvantage and we all knew it. It was almost to the point where I was sure Wildfire was going to lose. I could almost taste my own freedom.
It was taken from me when Mega Gyarados was downed by a shot of fire to the jaws, its insides burning up. The serpentine creature roared, thrashing wildly as it was burned alive from the inside out. Lysandre fell to his knees as his beloved Pokemon hit the ground, nothing more than a cooked corpse.
"No… Why must this world remain so twisted and ugly? All I wanted was for it to be beautiful," he whispered.
"I heard that Heaven is beautiful. Why don't you go ahead and see if that's true," Wildfire sneered, fresh flames building up in his jaws.
I've had enough, I decided, moving forward to end myself. If I was going to burn to death, at least I might give Lysandre a chance to flee.
I found myself held back by Kunai. The Greninja gave a terrified croak, refusing to let me go. I squirmed with all my might, wishing I could scream (damn you, in-game character muteness). In the end, all I could do was look away and squeeze my eyes shut as Wildfire struck.
Lysandre's scream would echo in my nightmares from that point on.
.o.o.o.o.
"No… How could you? That…shouldn't be possible…"
Diantha crashed to her knees, slumped over in shock. The burnt remains of her team were scattered across the floor of her chambers. Wildfire snorted, blue flames burning endlessly in his jaws.
"I did it," he realized in excitement. "I'm at the top. Me! I did it! I'm finally here!"
"How could you allow this?" Diantha asked, looking at me in horror. "You were supposed to stay in control. How could you not even manage that?"
"Because he's a moron," Wildfire replied, glowering at her. "Specifically, he's my moron. The moron that got me this far. The moron that got me to the top. You lost to a moron. Isn't that just pathetic?"
"…It's over," she whispered, hand over her mouth as she sobbed.
"Yeah, you're right. You're not needed anymore," Wildfire declared.
Diantha gave a choked scream as she was enveloped in blue flames. She writhed and screamed before toppling off of my school's roof, falling to the ground far below.
Wildfire laughed, long and hard. He was victorious. He had won. He was at the top. He was the best.
Then he looked at me and sneered.
"You're not needed either. Thanks for getting me up here. Now you can join everyone that you couldn't save," he growled.
It was automatic, this battle. My team emerged from their Poke Balls, unafraid of the fight ahead of them. They knew what the outcome would be. So did I. How could we not?
Wildfire was a good twenty levels higher than any of them. This battle had a clear winner. That wasn't the point, though.
Thank you, everyone. I'm so sorry this had to happen, I thought, tears racing down my cheeks.
I stepped back, slowly heading backward toward the edge of the roof. The Kalos League shattered, revealing my school and the surrounding woods. The rooftop shimmered, trying to return to the rainbow glass it had once been. My mind fought against the glitches, trying to keep me in my own world.
Not that it would help. I wasn't in the game anymore. Neither was Wildfire. This was real. We all knew it.
Whirl, Charge, Glitter, Champ, and Kunai all fought their hardest against the monstrous dragon before them. One by one, they fell beneath an endless sea of brilliant blue flames…until only Kunai was left. He was barely standing, clearly on his last legs. He glanced back at me, eyes shining with tears.
I smiled as I mouthed the only message I could send to him.
Goodbye.
Wildfire struck Kunai down with Flame Burst. My Greninja collapsed, burning to death. When the Mega Charizard turned his attention back to me, he found nobody standing on the roof. He was all alone with a bunch of burning bodies.
I was already thirty feet down and still falling, my death racing up to meet me.
I didn't care.
…I was free…
