Pokémon Hunger Games
Author's note: Hello, everyone. This is LonelyRiolu, the author of The Pokémon Hunger Games fanfiction. Please note that this is my first fanfiction and that I am also not a native English speaker. So grammar and vocabulary errors can possibly take place at certain points but I'll try to keep things as correct as I can. Also, this is my first big writing project and as such can be a tad rusty. But again, I'll try to do my best to bring you a wonderful reading experience. If anyone wants to review my chapters or the entire story when it's finished, that's fine. I'm not expecting a lot of reviews but they would be good feedback and a good way to improve my writing. Also, please note that I do not own The Hunger Games or Pokémon nor am I endorsed by either one in any way. I also make no profit from this, which means I am also going by the laws of copyright. To make sure I am understood and believed, I will refer to the Copyright Disclaimer Under Section 107 of the Copyright Act 1976. "Copyright Disclaimer Under Section 107 of the Copyright Act 1976, allowance is made for "fair use" for purposes such as criticism, comment, news reporting, teaching, scholarship, and research. Fair use is a use permitted by copyright statute that might otherwise be infringing. Non-profit, educational or personal use tips the balance in favor of fair use."
There! Now you can't sue me! Hah! Ok, enough of the legal stuff. Now for what you're really here for. Without further ado, let's jump into my first fanfiction to be published on this site: The Pokémon Hunger Games!
Chapter 1: Introductions
A silent breeze brushed through the grass of the Fighting district. This district was a barren wasteland with very little inhabitants, as it was not favored by The Capitol, the center of the Combined Regions. These regions were once separated but have now been brought together to form one enormous region, Cassiopeia. This region combines the regions of Kanto, Johto, Hoenn, Sinnoh, Unova and Kalos. The makers of all the major decisions are the selected legendary Pokémon of each region. From Kanto, there are Mewtwo and Articuno. From Johto, there are Lugia and Ho-Oh. From Hoenn, there are Rayquaza and Deoxys. From Sinnoh, there are Giratina and Arceus. From Unova, there are Kyurem and Keldeo. And from Kalos, there are Yveltal and Xerneas. Most of them are cruel and merciless. But some wish for a new way to emerge and take the current one's place. Why?
The current one, the Annual Pokémon Hunger Games, which was developed to control the Pokémon population for it had grown too large for the resources to last, has gone too far. It has become a blood sport and the entertainment of Central Cassiopeia's inhabitants. The ones who have to live in most of the 18 districts near the borders of Cassiopeia have very little food, water, materials and money. Every day they live in fear of losing another friend because of hunger, dehydration or even suicide. No hope seems to be given to them.
The districts are divided by type. Therefore there are 18 districts, as there are 18 types of Pokémon. Grass, Fire, Water, Flying, Bug, Electric, Rock, Ground, Steel, Ice, Poison, Psychic, Ghost, Dark, Dragon, Fairy, Fighting and Normal. Some districts are favored by the Capitol. These districts are Grass, Fire, Water, Flying, Electric and Dragon. This is due to these six districts showing exceptional success in the Games. As such, they get more supplies and support from the Capitol than the other 12. These six districts are called the Main Districts. They are rather disliked by the 12 others, which are called the Minor Districts.
In the Fighting district, a small figure sat on a rooftop, staring at the morbid, cloudy sky. This figure was a Riolu. He was worried. This was because the selection of the Hunger Games participants was nearing quickly. He had been training for his whole life just to survive if he ever got selected, yet he had no trust in his abilities. Even his unique aura powers he deemed weak and useless. He felt like his only hope was not to be selected. He jumped down from the roof and landed on one knee with a small thud. He grabbed a bit of sand in his paw. He stared at the sand as he let it flow away from his palm.
"What can one grain of sand among millions do against the society?" Riolu asked, as if expecting the air around him to answer. He smiled at his own question.
What a fool you are, Riolu. One life can't possibly hope to overthrow the entire system. I'd need an army to do that. But who in their right mind would go against such an enemy as the Capitol? No one, he thought. He let the rest of the sand fall to the ground and headed back to his house. When he arrived, his friend Mienfoo was waiting for him on the stairs. Well, what was left of them, anyway. The cat Pokémon got up and walked up to his friend. He nudged Riolu's shoulder slightly.
"Hey, Rio! Where the heck have you been? You haven't been giving one of those monologues of yours to yourself again, have you? I know you have, that's all you do nowadays. Come on, let's train! We need to be in shape if either one of us gets selected!" Mienfoo spoke enthusiastically.
Riolu sighed and frowned at Mienfoo, who gave Riolu a confused look.
"Look, Mienfoo. This whole Hunger Games thing is not a game. I know you just turned 12 and you haven't really experienced anything bad concerning the Games but you have to understand that if you get selected, there is a good chance that you'll die and never return. The same could happen to me or anyone we know. You seriously ought to hope you don't get selected. Do you understand me, Mienfoo?" Riolu scolded his young friend. Riolu was five years older than Mienfoo, making him 17 years old. That meant that he had a big chance of being selected, as the older a Pokémon gets, the more tickets with their name on it will be placed in the lottery bowl from which the respective representative of the district pulls two names out. These two names represent the two participants who will be brought to take part in the Games. Riolu had been lucky not to have been selected yet but the odds were getting bigger each year.
"Riolu… Why do you think I'm pressuring you to train? I want both of us to survive the games! The more we train, the bigger a chance we have to survive. So please… Help me and I'll help you" Mienfoo replied, with a much more serious tone to his voice. He extended his paw for a handshake. Riolu stared at Mienfoo and then switched to his paw. He extended his paw as well and took Mienfoo's paw in his. They shook hands and then jumped back. Mienfoo raised its paws up and turned sideways, this being his natural battle stance. Riolu took a more defensive position, extending his right paw forward and the other one he extended backwards. He spread his legs sideways, the right one towards Mienfoo and the other one behind the right one. His paws started to emit small amounts of deep blue aura. Mienfoo smirked and charged at Riolu. Even though Mienfoo was quite fast, Riolu was older and more experienced and therefore was able to easily counter by ducking and grabbing Mienfoo's arm, throwing him a few feet away. Riolu then went back to his stance.
"Head-on attacks are a really bad idea. Any participant will see right through that and you'll be playing the kissing game with the cold, nasty dirt before you can say 'MmphmmphmmphI'm dead'. You have to be able to strategize" Riolu gave advice to his friend. Mienfoo got up and took his stance again. Both smirked and continued to train with each other.
A Kirlia and Sylveon were strolling down the broken pavement of a back alley of a small village in the Fairy district. They were good friends. Kirlia was 16 years old and Sylveon was 18. However, their friendship would soon fall to fade, as Sylveon was severely sick and had no cure. She hadn't told Kirlia yet, but she felt that it would only give her more to carry. So she kept quiet about it and tried to smile whenever Kirlia was around, even though she was hurting every single second.
"Listen, Kirlia" Sylveon said quietly. Kirlia glanced at her always cheerful friend to notice a glummer, sad expression on her face.
"What's wrong, Sylveon? You look like nothing I've seen before. Are you… Sad?" Kirlia inquired. Sylveon raised her head, seeming slightly more cheerful.
"Nothing unusual, I'm just worried about the Hunger Games selection that's coming up. I just hope you don't get picked" Sylveon said, obviously worried about her friend, even if it was an emergency lie. Kirlia turned to look at the sky, her eyes glowing like Dazzling Gleam. She placed her hands on her chest.
"I'm sort of torn apart. On one hand, I don't want to be selected because, you know… The death risks. But on the other hand I do want to get picked!"
"What?! Are you insane? Who in their right, hell, even wrong mind would want to be taken to an almost certain death?" Sylveon asked her younger friend with anger and shock in her voice at the same time.
"It's… It's because of my sister… She found her love on the Hunger Games field and rebelled against the Capitol. I want to be like her. I want to go against unnecessary deaths as well! I want to follow my brave sister's footsteps and, maybe, find someone to do it with me. Someone to entrust myself to", Kirlia spoke, almost indifferent to Sylveon's rebuke. Sylveon sighed and hid her face behind her paw.
"Why is it that you always find a way to sound so devoted and nutty at the same time?" Sylveon asked, slightly rhetorically. Kirlia laughed out loud and put her hand behind her friend's shoulder. Sylveon felt a current of pain run through her whole body but didn't flinch so as to conceal her condition from Kirlia.
"Oh, don't be such a worry fairy. If I get picked, I'll just have to try not to get killed. That's all, right?" Kirlia said, sounding unaware of how dangerous the Games could be. Sylveon sat on the thin layer of snow that covered the ground.
"And that's no big whoop at all!" she said, clearly sounding sarcastic. Kirlia looked at the stars, which the Fairy district used as a way to tell time. She gasped in shock.
"I'm late for my training session with Grandma Gardevoir! I have to get going! See ya, Sylveon!" Kirlia exclaimed and then teleported off. Sylveon was left sitting there, in the snow. She winced in pain, finally being able to let the pain loose. She grunted and then looked at the sky.
"What am I going to do with you, Kirlia?"
In the Normal district an Eevee was running away from some bullies she had had for as long as she could remember. She ran, ran like crazy, but the bigger, stronger and faster children were catching up way too quickly for her to make it to her house. She hid in a back alley, hoping to lose them in the narrow spaces. But no, the leader of the bunch, Watchog, was able to squeeze in just fine and grabbed her in no time. He then brought Eevee back in the open so all of his pals could gang up on her. She wept and sobbed, wishing someone, anyone, would save her. But no one seemed to be coming. So she braced herself for yet another cruel beating. She had hoped for rescue, but she knew it wasn't coming. The Normal district was the most neglected of all the districts. As a result, the Pokémon living there also become very heartless, almost empty of all empathy for others. The strong survive, the weak are trash. Disposable, worthless and easy subjects for others to pick or even live on, like leeches. It's not like the Main districts. It's a cruel, unforgiving place where "no mercy" is the rule anyone who wants to survive usually abides by.
Eevee knew this, and she also knew that no help was on its way. It never was and it never would be. She was destined to be tormented by cruelty all her life. She had already given up crying and just fell limp to the ground, ready to be beaten again. She closed her eyes as the bullies surrounded her and…
Nothing. She felt nothing. No pain, no laughter, no ripping her fur or pulling her ear. No kicks, no scratches, not even names. What did this mean? She got up and opened her eyes to see a white ferret-like Pokémon cutting a very deep wound on Watchogs's chest. She also saw the other bullies lying on the ground, unconscious and curled up, as if having been beaten near death. She watched in awe, scared as she was, when this white Pokémon tossed Watchog at a wall. This savior of Eevee then turned around. It had an angry expression. Eevee got down on her stomach, closing her eyes and curling her tail around her as well as she could. She thought this Pokémon was just another violent one, looking for more bloodshed. But then she felt herself being lifted. Not from her tail, but her whole body being lifted on safe, comfortable arms. She carefully glanced up to see the same, white Pokémon, but now with a kind, warm smile on its face rather than a "You're going to make a great scratch pole"-face. The white Pokémon spoke, his voice soothing Eevee immediately.
"Hey there, little one. Are you all alone here? My name is Zangoose, and I can teach you how to defend yourself, maybe even survive a potential Hunger Games incident. What do you say, Eevee? Do we have a deal?"
Riolu and Mienfoo were panting, neither one planning on giving up anytime soon. Their eyes were locked in an intense gaze that would have crumbled even a Snorlax. Both had enough determination to last for a lifetime, maybe even two. But Mienfoo, being the younger, less experienced fighter didn't have as durable a physique as Riolu. This led to him collapsing out of exhaustion and the pain Riolu's Force Palm had left lingering in his torso. He fell to the ground and Riolu rushed over to see if his friend was alright. He kneeled in front of Mienfoo and flipped him on his side in order to let him breathe more easily. Mienfoo opened his eyes and squinted, as the pain was still very much there. He tried getting up but, stubborn as he was, he could not manage it. Riolu pushed him back to a more relaxed position.
"Just stay down, Mienfoo. You did great but you also need to know when to quit. You can't just waste all of your energy or you won't last one minute in the Games. You need to spare energy and also try to avoid any unnecessary fights. That's what I'd suggest; staying out of harm's way as long as possible. That way you won't, you know, die as easily", Riolu advised his friend. Mienfoo smiled and sat up. He held his left shoulder, which was in most pain at that moment.
"I guess you're right. Well, you always are. That's really no surprise. But still, if I just hide and run away, I'll seem like a coward, which is unbearable for my family and bloodline. We Mienfoo and Mienshao are a brave, noble species that have a great sense of pride and honor. If one of us were to disgrace the name of the species, it wouldn't be seen as very admirable. I don't want to disappoint my family, Riolu", Mienfoo countered. Riolu sighed and sat down next to Mienfoo.
"Look, Mienfoo. I know you take great pride in your species, as do I. But sometimes your own safety comes before such trivial stuff as pride or honor. You do want to live, don't you? If you would rather die with honor than live without it, I'd say you're already dead. No sense in foolish acts, right? If honor gives you so much trouble that you start considering death as an option, it's best to just forget pride altogether. Life is more important than reputation", Riolu argued against Mienfoo's honor-centered mindset.
"But if life is going to be this", Mienfoo said as he gestured at the entire Fighting district, "then I'm not sure about what you're saying, Riolu. Is life really worth living if there's nothing to come back to?" Mienfoo asked sadly. Riolu got up and offered a hand to Mienfoo, who in return took it and Riolu helped his friend stand up.
"You've got me, Mienfoo. Your friend. Even though I may be mulish and hurtfully honest, I'm still your friend and I'll stay that way as long as time still flows", Riolu finished. Mienfoo shook hands with Riolu and then both went their own ways, Mienfoo having his family and Riolu having… No one to go back to. He gazed at the sky. He secretly longed for the day he would find someone to protect, someone to devote himself to. Little did he know, at this very moment, a certain other Pokémon was watching the sky, her eyes shining brightly like Dazzling Gleam.
(The next morning)
Eevee woke up in a shabby house. She looked out of the window and saw that it was near the border of the Normal district. She had never been here and she first wondered about how she had gotten there. Then she saw a note on her desk. She took it on her bed and started reading.
"Hello and good morning to you, Eevee. I hope you slept well because sleep is what you're going to need during this last week before the selections. I'm going to be training you in combat, survival skills and strategy, as well as telling you who you should consider making alliances with." Eevee wondered what alliances were, having never heard of them before. She continued reading.
"I hope you're ready to get tough! Your new tutor, Zangoose." Now Eevee remembered why she was there. She had been rescued by Zangoose, who then had taken her under his wing, or more like claw, in order to make her stronger. She jumped out of bed and shook the sleepiness off. She then headed out of her room and into the kitchen, which she found with the help of the delicious smell of pancakes and tea. She almost floated into the kitchen, being enchanted by the smell. She came in and, sure enough, Zangoose had made pancakes and tea for breakfast. There was jam, too! Eevee's eyes multiplied in size at the sight of the table. She blissfully jumped on the chair and her mouth fell open. Drool was flooding from her mouth.
"I take it you like my way of starting a day?" Zangoose said happily, trying to hold in laughter, as Eevee's reaction amused him ever so much. He had to put his claws in from of his mouth to hold it. Eevee turned her gaze to Zangoose and went from happy to confused in zero seconds flat.
"What's so funny?" Eevee asked. Zangoose had partially recovered and pulled his claws off of his mouth. His smile was still twitchy and uncontrollable, though.
"Oh, nothing", Zangoose said, trying to seem like noting out of the ordinary had happened. He offered a pancake to Eevee to keep her busy as he recovered with a nice sip of tea. Luckily Eevee fell for the distraction and started stuffing her face with pancakes. Zangoose almost spat his tea out of his mouth like a Hydro Pump. He swore he couldn't keep a straight face with this kid much longer. He ate a pancake himself and then got up. Eevee looked at him, her face covered in jam. Zangoose managed to keep his cool and not completely crack up. He then spoke with a more serious voice than before.
"Now that we've eaten, or rather destroyed the breakfast, we can get down to business. Meet me in the backyard in ten minutes so we can start your training", Zangoose said and then exited the room. After he closed the door of the kitchen, he grabbed a pillow off a couch and buried his face into it, laughing like a maniac. He was happy he had made it without laughing, as he didn't want to laugh at Eevee because of what she had been through. She needed a strong caretaker and Zangoose wanted to show that he was up to the task.
I just hope that the next mornings won't be as ridiculous as this one. I'm doomed if she keeps that up, Zangoose thought.