DA RULES:

1.) If a Pokemon faints, its dead. Release all dead pokemon.

2.) You can only catch the first Pokemon you find on a Route or in a town. Shiny Pokemon are the exception, and can be captured anytime. They cannot be used unless they are the first, however, and must be Perma- Boxed.

3.) You MUST give a unique nickname to all Pokemon captured.

4.) You can't buy anything from Pokemarts. If someone or something is selling something and they are not in a Pokemart you can buy, but those are far and few between so mostly you will be using things you find on the ground.

4.) If one of your Pokemon evolves through Trade, you can do that, but it will count as your capture for that town.

5.) In-Game Trades count as a capture as well.

6.) Game must be in SET Mode.

7.) If all Pokemon in your Party die, its Game Over. It doesn't matter if you have Pokemon stored in your PC, its still Game Over.

THE WORTHY:

I had a strange dream last night. I was alone and it was dark all around me. I wandered, lost, into the black abyss until light shone from behind. I'm saved. That was my first thought, but when I turned I was filled with dread. He was standing there, in his kindly old man persona. "What is your name, my dear?" His voice was kind and he was smiling, which was something he never did when he saw me. I glanced around only to find I was still alone, and when I turned back to him he chuckled. I still didn't answer. He knew my name, so what was the point? I just looked at his feet. He opened one of his closed palms and offered me a Pokeball.

How cruel, to offer what was wanted but could not be had.

He just chuckled again and tossed it to me. I was afraid to let the ball fall, fearing it would not hit the ground. I reached out my hand and caught it. I looked at it, cupped in my hands, then raised my head up to give it back. But he was gone. I turned around all looked on all sides of me, but all I saw was the darkness. I glanced back down at the ball in my hand, and I let myself smile. Was this really mine?

But my joy was cut short. The ball seemed to be growing in my hand. I cried out and dropped it. But as it fell it just kept growing and growing. That was when I realized it wasn't growing, but I was shrinking. I wanted to scream, but it wouldn't come. Instead, I just let myself grow smaller and smaller until I was nothing.

I woke with a start. It was still dark outside my window, but the first few shards of dawn were peaking over the horizon. I knew I wouldn't get back to sleep, so I just got up and started to get ready for the day ahead. I took a shower and dried my hair and brushed me teeth and all of those other things. By the time I was done, I could hear mom downstairs cooking breakfast. I picked up my pack and went to the kitchen. I sat down at the table just as mom moved eggs from the skillet and onto matching plates. She was already powdered and ready. I wasn't surprised. Mom liked to keep appearances up. She picked up the plates, and I put my head down and feigned interest in my nails.

"No hats at the table, Tae." I loved my mom and I knew she loved me, but I couldn't stand to look at her. When I was little, she had been so kind and happy. Now I was a disappointment who shamed her. She liked to keep herself steeled up and emotionless, but sometimes she would accidentally let that fall, and I could see the bitterness in her eyes when she looked at me. I knew she didn't mean to let me see, but it still felt like a knife in my heart every time I did. This was why I avoided looking at her face as much as possible.

She puts a plate down in front of me. I wanted to thank her, but didn't; I just let the words die in my throat. When she turned, I looked up again. I felt so bad about what I had done to my mother. Their were pictures on the walls from when I was younger. In the Before pictures, she looked young and jubilant, despite her age. In the After pictures, you could see how the stress and sadness had made her age not just catch up with her, but beat her with a stick. And I couldn't remember the last time I saw her smile and mean it, or heard her laugh.

"Eat up, Tae. We have a big day ahead of us!" I pretended not to hear the sarcasm in her voice as I picked at my eggs. The centers were runny, so I stabbed the yellow bubbles with my fork and watched them ooze on the white. I then cut them up into little pieces and moved them around the plate to give the look that I had eaten, even though I hadn't. The time passed in slow motion. It felt like I was sitting there for hours before she made me get up and leave for the Professors lab.

This world isn't like it was a mere nine years before. When I was six, an evil gang called Team Rocket tried to take over Kanto with brute Pokemon force. They would have succeeded if it wasn't for the bravery and strength of one girl. She foiled their plans and saved the day, but before she could claim any type of reward she disappeared. From what I know, she was just a few years older than my fifteen. No one knew her name, or got a good look at her to know more than she was female. They don't know where she came from or where she went. It was just known that she was a hero.

The government had been at a standstill back then, but decided to use this mysterious girl in their favor. The wild Pokemon had been declining for years, and not because of poachers. It was because their were to damn many Trainers running about willy- nilly. They captured everything in sight and it was hard to keep tabs on them. Pokemon that had once been numerous were near extinct in the wild. But that wasn't the worst part. Many children had been disappearing. The government had been trying to up the age of legal Pokemon training for years, but until then they had been unsuccessful. Too many people wanted to stick to tradition. The Rockets takeover was just what they needed to get the ball rolling.

Other measures had to be taken as well. People didn't want anything like this to happen again, so along with the upped age they made it that you could only be a Trainer if you passed a special test to prove you had no ill will towards Pokemon. The test itself is fairly simple, but other measures were taken to help ensure no one 'evil' gets through the system. If anyone displays any destructive behavior before their test date, they are denied Pokemon as well. This is what normally puts people out of the running. This supposedly kept future criminals at bay, but it didn't help with the extinction problem. So another plan was enacted. It was now illegal to catch more than one Pokemon on a Route or in a Town. A hard law to enforce, but Sliph Co. pushed through with innovation. Now Pokeballs are built with a lock system so you can't use them unless its with the first Pokemon you meet in a Route.

Its hard to imagine that one girls love of both Pokemon and her homeland changed everything.

What would it be like to be a hero, but no one else knew it? I pondered this as I was escorted into the Lab. It smelt like metal and cleaning supplies, and everything was scrubbed and clean. I swore I could see myself reflected in the floor. My short light brown hair with faded out blond streaks. Its longer in the front than in the back, so it is in my eyes as I look down. My light blue tank top and matching socks. Red skirt and yellow pack. White and red hat and shoes. Grey eyes. Distorted, but it's how I feel.

I am taken to the very back by one of the Aides. Two people are already there. I recognize them as I get closer. Leto and Nate. They stand next to each other, whispering in excited voices, smiles about to break their faces. Leto notices me and waves me over. He is so handsome. Short, spiky, blond hair and big bright blue eyes. He always has a smile on his face and a kind word to say. I really like him. As I walk over, I notice Nate is not as happy to see me. She steps closer to Leto and glares at me. I don't like her. She looks like a slut to my eyes. Revealing, tight shirts with leather boots and black minis, long blond hair, make- up caked on her face- not very pretty. Its hard to believe we used to be friends. Now she just sneers at me as I cross the room to join them.

"What are you doing here?" The distaste shows in her voice. I almost say, 'to keep up a façade', but I don't. I don't say anything at all. I just look at my feet. Turns out, I don't have to say anything because Leto answers for me. "She's here to get her Pokemon, like us." I'm still looking at my feet, but I know he's smiling as he says it. What he says makes me sad. I know he didn't mean to, and probably can't tell, but it does. It also leaves a bitter feeling and a pang of anger. I am not here to get a Pokemon. The Professor is just doing this as a favor to my mother; I'm not allowed to have a Pokemon.

We stand there seventeen minutes before the Professor shows up. He looks at Leto and Nate with pride, but me with contempt. They don't notice; They're to excited. But I do. He knows what this is. I will stand here, listen to his speech, take a Pokemon, and then give it back when Leto and Nate have left. If they ever ask, he will say that I decided to come home. A lie. He talks a lot about how to treat your Pokemon and what is appropriate. When he starts talking about what happens to those who abuse or kill them, his eyes are trained on me. I want to scream. But I don't. I just stand there with my head down and hold my tongue.

After he is done, he walks over to a metal workbench. On it rest three Pokeballs. They are simple and wonderful and evil; an invitation to hell. They're all the basic fare: red on top and white on bottom, a button in the center. One stands on a red base, one on blue, the last on green. What lays inside I do not know, and I couldn't guess. Leto is called up first. He ponders for a few minutes, reaches for the green one, then picks up the red one, puts it back down and chooses the blue one. It has a turtle type creature inside. It looks dazed, then trains its eyes on him and smiles. Nate is next. She picks up the green one, without any thought. She releases it (a small plant dog- lizard?) and then coos over how strong Leto's must be.

I am last. This was done on purpose, I know, and there is only one left. Instead of excitement, I can feel my heart breaking as I shuffle up the table and pick up the ball. The Professor's eyes are narrowed on me, and Leto is watching expectantly. But I don't release it. I was told not to. If I did, the Pokemon inside would imprint on me, and then wouldn't listen to the Trainer who deserved it. Instead, I stick the ball in my pocket and turn back around.

"Aren't you going to see what's inside?" Leto's face is scrunched up and he's tilted his head. He doesn't know about the arrangement between Oak and my mother, or about The Incident, so he can't figure out why I would want to keep my new partner a secret from myself. He steps towards me, but Oak chimes in, distracting him.

"I have a gift for you: some Pokeballs. Make good use of them, but know you can always buy more if you need them." He hands us all five. I shove them in my pack. "Now, this road will be a long and hard one, but I have faith that you all can make something great out of yourselves. Go out, and make me proud." He smiles warmly and I begin to file out with the others. I'm not really paying attention to where I'm going, thinking about the way to the backdoor Oak had told me about, when I bump into Leto. He has stopped right in my path, looking triumphant and determined.

"I, Trainer Leto, challenge you to a battle!" He smiles down at me. I shake my head no. He nods his head yes.

"My boy, I'm not so sure if tha-"

"We're both Trainers now, Professor Oak! She has to accept my challenge!" He just interrupted Oak. That's something I would never dream of doing.

He walks a good distance away from me and his Pokemon is in front of him before I can blink. It looks like its about to have a great time, and this battle means nothing. Fuck. Now what do I do? I try to stammer out some reason why I can't battle, but give up when my voice fails me. Instead I grasp for the ball in my pocket and press the button. I point it at the blue turtle. A burst of red light escapes the ball and slowly forms together. An orange lizard stands before me. He yawns, then blinks, then looks back at me. I'm sure he can see the terror and confusion on my face. He turns back around, facing the turtle. The lizard grins to himself, and the flame at the end of his tails grows bigger.

"Shells, Tackle!" The turtle (Shells?) charges forward. It heads straight for my lizard. He tries to get out of the way, but is to slow and is sent sprawling on his back. He hops back up and looks at me. I don't know what to do. A little voice in my head says to tell it an attack, but I know I shouldn't; The Professor will be even more mad at me later.

"C…Charcoal!" My voice cracks some. I rarely speak, and suddenly yelling makes my throat hurt. I also sound like shit. I have to clear my throat before continuing. "Use….. Um… Scratch!" Charcoal lets out a battle cry and lunges at Shells. His little claws are raised above his head and ready to strike. When he draws close, he scrapes Shells over the face and across the belly before backing away. Shells cries out in pain, but shakes it off. Leto repeats his command, and I repeat mine. This seems to go for ages, but eventually Shells falls. Tired and haggard, Charcoal puffs out his little chest and looks at me for approval. I'm still in shock, but I give him a nod.

"That was a good battle, Tae. I really mean it. Now that I've seen what you can do….. Lets go." Leto is smiling, which isn't surprising, but I know that his mind is whirring with plans and strategies for the next time he fights me. He approaches me after he had called Shells back into his ball, and he grabs my hand. Well, not so much as my hand as my wrist, but it's still nice. I feel my face flush, and see that Nate is seething when we walk by her. I chance a look back at Oak. My happiness is gone and my blood turns to ice; he is looking at me with pure malice.

Pokemon Obtained: 1

This Chapter: 1

Lost: 0

This Chapter: 0

Obtained:

Charcoal the Charmander;; Level 5;; Male;; Brave

Party:

Charcoal the Charmander;; Level 6;; Male;; Brave

Lost:

None