A/N: In case you couldn't tell from the title, this is based on a Nuzlocke run on HeartGold! I grew up playing Pokemon Gold, and now that I'm a little older I couldn't help but Nuzlocke through it. This was my first Nuzlocke ever. What came about was an awesome base for a story. I hope you enjoy!

Rules:

1. You may catch only the first pokemon you encounter in a route. If you accidentally kill it, no second chances.

2. If a pokemon faints in battle, it is considered dead. Release it immediately.

3. You may only use Fresh Water, Soda Pop, Lemonade, and berries as recovery items. (My own 'Wholesome' rule.)

4. You may only use only plain pokeball, great ball, or balls made from Apricorns. (Another part of the 'Wholesome' rule)

Chapter I

I woke up to the beeping of the computer. Bright, eye-piercing sunlight shines through my curtains, and with a great heave I manage to pull myself out of bed. The clock says it's 5:00 pm. Had I really slept that long? I'd just laid down for a nap...

The computer beeps in a long sting again.

"Okay! God, give it a rest for five seconds." I shoot the screen a glare, but it merely blinks a bit and displays the message on it larger;

YOU HAVE ONE NEW MESSAGE

My pajamas crinkle as I make my way over to the computer and click on my inbox. Typically, the message is from none other than Ethan. It's bright white with red and blue stripes, and has a crudely drawn picture of his Marill on it.

ADVENTURE!

EXCITED!

I LOVE POKEMON!

From,

Ethan

I stare at it for a second, then clicked it closed and get dressed. Who wrote in all caps like that nowadays? That was just how Ethan was – bright, cheery, positive and explosive. He was also kind of a butt.

I pull my red blouse on, and clip my denim jumper over it. My long socks reach my knees, just the way I like them. I tie my shoes, brush my unruly mousy brown hair into two pigtails, strap my bag on and look at myself in the mirror.

At sixteen, my body was still bony. I had barely any chest to speak of, but my hips were wider than a Snorlax's belly. I could crush things with my ass. Cans, walnuts, vases, you name it. I seriously doubt any of those things could stand up to the mass of fat that was my backside. Dark brown eyes, too wide and innocent for my face really, stare back at me. My complexion is pale, my hair thin and a nondescript color of brown. I make a face at myself and start down the stairs.

Mom's pouf of indigo hair sticks up from behind the counter, where she's bent over looking for something in the kitchen cupboard.

"Aha!" She smiles, and straightens with a frying pan clutched in one hand, the other busy smoothing down her pink dress. When she sees me, her face lights up.

"Avery! I was just coming to wake you. Professor Elm called. He says he needs to talk to you."

I grimace. Mom's smile widens.

"Did you have a good nap?"

"Yeah. I'll go to the lab, now." I start toward the door, but Mom clucks her tongue.

"Where are going without your hat, young lady?"

The horror that is the white, marshmallow-shaped hat makes its way onto my head, Mom's fingers adjusting it ever so slightly.

"There. Have a good trip!" She pushes me gently out the door.

I flinch as the marshmallow hat wobbles with each step I take. The thing was horrific, but Mom insisted I wear it out. It'd been a gift from my sister, Crys, who was studying pokemon in Sinnoh under Professor Rowan. She'd always sent me gag gifts like this, but never gifts Mom thought I should wear every time I stepped out of the house.

Crys was the star child. She'd been everything I wasn't – brave, magnetic, all smiles and effort. She never gave up or gave in, or shied away from a challenge. My memories of growing up all involved me crying, cowering behind Crys' blue-haired form as she defended me from bullies or the occasional angry pokemon. Her Typhlosion, Xatu, and rare, shiny Mantine were her pride and joy.

I heave a sigh and start forward into town. The sky is a mishmash of orange and red, a dusky blue blanket over both colors that was slowly deepening as time passed. Twilight was my favorite time of day, without a doubt. It wasn't too hot, or too cold, and the sky wasn't too light or dark. It was just right. The soft wind characteristic of New Bark blows through the wind turbines that power the town. Houses are warm with glowing windows and the smells of dinner, rice and tomato sauce and meat, drift on the wind.

"Avery!"

I look down to see Ethan, his black strand of hair poking through his gold hat. His red jacket and black shorts are mussed with dirt – he usually wandered through the grasses on the edge of town, training his Marill. The water mouse sees me and launches itself headlong at me, squeaking happily.

"Marrriruuu!"

"Whoa, down girl!" Ethan laughs and runs up to the two of us, pulling Marill off my chest. His hands are way too close to the area, and I blush a little.

"Sorry about that." He smiles, amber eyes warm as always. "Where you headed?"

"Professor Elm's lab. He wants to see me." I mumble, still embarrassed.

"Oh, cool! How's Crys? Have you heard from her lately?" He asks lightly.

"She...she sent me this stupid hat a week ago." I point to it, and it sags comically. Ethan laughs, and pats me on the head...hat...marshmallow...whatever.

"She always had that weirdo sense of humor." Behind him, a bell rings, loud and clear. "Ah, that's dad! I better go see what he wants. Later!"

He flashes me an adventurous grin and takes off running, Marill trailing behind him. As I walk the short distance to the lab, the sky blooms with silver stars. George, the overweight plumber, sees me and waves.

"Yo, Avery! Professor Elm discovered some new pokemon!"

I wave back, and when he smiles and turns I gag. Who cared? George was nice enough, but did I look like I liked pokemon? I didn't hate them, but all my life they'd reacted badly to me, and everyone in the town new that. I was the Girl Who Pokemon Hate. My walks home from school in Cherrygrove usually had me running into town by the end of them, shrieking and chased by a flock of angry Pidgey. My presence alone seemed to piss pokemon off. Did I smell bad or something? Maybe in my past life I'd been a Grimer, or a Dark Type pokemon. Something most pokemon didn't like.

I'm so absorbed in the stars and my thoughts that I walk past the lab, past the mailbox, and into the side of someone very tall. I mumble an apology and rub my chin where his shoulder had hit me. The stranger has deep red hair that falls to his shoulders, gray eyes the color of steel, and a face lined with anger. If it wasn't such an angry face, it'd be cute. Hot, almost. He narrows his eyes, takes my form in, and then shoves me away with both his hands.

I stumble back, my butt hitting the hard dirt. Thank god it was so fat, I barely felt the fall. I was pissed nonetheless.

"Hey, what did I do to you? I said sorry!" I bark, brushing the dirt from my overalls.

"Stay away from me." He growls, and turns back to what he was doing before I ran into him – staring into the window of the Elm lab.

"Creepy much?" I ask. He doesn't move, mumbling to himself things I can't make out. I sniff, deciding to leave this loser to his thoughts. He was probably one of Elm's new assistants, or a fan of his. Elm's fans always were a little creepy. I won't admit this guy is more than creepy. Inside, my heart twists with just a faint waft of terror.

I push into the lab, determined to forget the creeper. The building is huge and white, lined with books and machines that beep into the calm air. Elm's aide shuffles papers on a desk in the corner, and Elm himself waves me over, his glasses slipping on his long nose.

Professor Elm is what most people would call 'nerdy'. His face is oval, his hair dark and thin on his head. He's unnaturally skinny, like a beanpole. He even talks with a faint nerdy lisp. His black eyes, however, are friendly and filled with calm serenity.

"Avery! I'm sorry to ask this of you on such short notice, but would you be willing to visit Mr. Pokemon's house? He has a pokemon egg I need to inspect, and I need someone I can trust to deliver it."

"Uh..." I eye the three pokeballs sitting on a machine to his right. Elm starts.

"Oh, of course I'd give you one of these three pokemon to protect you as you went. That's a no-brainer." He chuckles.

"But..I'm not due to get my pokemon for another two weeks." I furrow my eyebrows.

"Consider this an advance, then." Elm smiles. "You already have all the necessary trainer equipment, I see." He cranes his head to my bag, where a pokegear pokes out of the top. "You're more than ready to be a trainer."

Secretly, I doubt it. Pokemon hated me, and they would probably hate me forever. I would be a trainer, sure, but never a really good one like Red or Blue.

"Here, go ahead and choose a partner." Elm smiles and gestures to the machine. I walk over slowly. I already knew which pokemon I wanted – since the day Crys had gotten Cyndaquil.

I grasp the ball with a small water-type sticker on it. I let it fly, and in a flash of light the small water crocodile appears. It does a little dance, as though stretching its legs, and then looks up at me with huge, reptilian eyes.

"A Totodile! Good choice! How about a nickname? I do believe it's a girl." Elm smiles.

"Darla...I guess."

Totodile's jaws widen a little as it looks me up and down. Those rows of teeth are intimidating. Maybe I'd picked wrong, if Totodile acted like every other pokemon did around me, I might get bitten. I watch her for any sign of hostility, but Darla simply watches me back. I clear my throat nervously.

"Let's get going, then."

Professor Elm waves, and I walk out of the lab. Darla follows me, stubby tail waving with each step. She's different from the Totodile I'd seen when Crys chose her Cyndaquil – that Totodile had ben zooming around the room, his jaws clacking incessantly. Still, I decided that day I wanted one of my own – I loved the bright aqua color of their skin, the red scales that contrasted, and their sense of power, and grace.

Behind me, Darla trips. So much for grace. I turn and debate about going over to help her – would she bite me? Her face is smeared with dirt, and tears well up in her eyes as she nurses a tiny scrape on her knee.

"Toto...to...dile."

My heart wrenches around. I hurry over and kneel at her side.

"Are you alright?"

She looks up at me, the tears falling.

"Don't cry!" I panic a little, rummaging through my bag. "Here, hold still."

I unwrap a band-aid, pressing it gingerly over the scratch on her rubber skin. She stares down at it, sniffs a little, and stands again.

"Dile!" She wiggles her tail and admires the flowers on the band-aid. "Dile dile!"

"I'm glad you like it." I smile.

"Todile!" She launches herself at me, jaws spread in a Totodile version of a smile. She wraps her stubby arms as far as she can around my waist. I jump a little, panic rushing through me. Will she bite me? The joy in her eyes is apparent, and I feel my muscles soften, wrapping my arms around her tiny shoulders in return.

"You're welcome." I smile.

I didn't notice the boy in the shadows watching the whole thing. I wouldn't notice him, nor the dark face he wore as he watched me and my Totodile interact.

The walk to Cherrygrove was pleasant, the night air caressing our faces as we walked. Darla stopped every so often to pick a small flower. Hoothoot and Rattata were few and far between, and Darla's sharp claws made quick work of them. I was nervous to give my very first command, but Darla followed through with it and understood it.

I could only thank my lucky stars. Whatever curse that plagued me before seemed null with Darla. Now that I had a pokemon by my side, and one with such big claws, the flocks of pokemon that grew inexplicably angry at me were staying away.

In Cherrygrove, an old man eagerly showed us around, and when he saw the TOtodile, he ran into his house only to emerge with a pair of brand new running shoes.

"Mah first pokemon was Totodile." He wheezed, eyes twinkling. "Ya'll take these shoes now, and use 'em well, you hear?"

I nodded, thanking him. Darla received a pat on the head from him.

"Treat ya pokemon with kindness, always!" He guffawed, and turned back into his house.

Weird but nice old men aside, I stepped into the pokecenter. The warmth and smell of pine cleaner greets me, and beside me Darla takes in the trainers with a calm eye. A hiker, a cooltrainer, and a super nerd, all in deep discussion. Nurse Joy, with her bundle of cotton-candy pink hair, smiles and bows.

"Welcome! May I see your trainer card for a moment?"

I hand it to her, and she scans it with a machine before passing it back.

"A rookie trainer, huh? You sure do have a cute pokemon." She smiles down at Darla, who wags her tail and gestures to her band-aid on her knee.

"Dile, dile totodile to to dile!"

"Oh? That's a pretty band-aid."

"Dile!" Darla nods with the satisfaction of showing off her prize. I laugh a little behind my hand.

"Darla needs a bit of a heal."

Nurse Joy nods. "Certainly! Please return her to her pokeball, and place it in this tray. She slides me a plastic tray with six sphere indents. Darla looks curiously up at me as I pull her pokeball out.

"It's just for a second, okay?"

She nods, and the red laser sucks her inside the ball. I put it on the tray, and Nurse Joy slides the tray into the dark recess of a machine. A cheerful chiming noise sounds, and when I let Darla out again she looks brighter and healthier than before.

We head out to the next Route, where Mr. Pokemon's house is. This is new territory – I've never been here before. Darla enjoys the sound of the pond when we take a rest by it. I gather a ripe green apricorn from a nearby tree and stow it away for later. You never knew when those would come in handy.

Mr. Pokemon's house is a glowing hut of yellow in the deep night. He greets me jovially, hands me the egg, and gives Darla a pokemon treat. Just as we're about to leave, Professor Oak emerges from the living room. His eyes widen upon seeing Darla.

"That's a very happy Totodile."

"I...I just got her today." I smile sheepishly. "To be honest, most pokemon don't like me, but she...Darla really does, for some reason."

"She is a gentle pokemon." Oak nods, smiling down at Darla, who's giving him a look-over. "All pokemon have different dispositions. In time, you'll learn as a trainer to adapt to each one."

He pauses thoughtfully, and rummages around in his pocket before handing me a red, square device, a pokedex.

"For me?" My eyes widen. The only trainers who got pokedexes were those with high potential, usually handpicked by one of the professors of the region. Oak's dark eyes twinkle against his tan skin.

"You have much potential, Avery, whether you know it or not. I believe the pokedex will help you on your journey to self-discovery." He glances up at the clock on Mr. Pokemon's wall. "Ah! It is quite late. I must be going, I have a show in Goldenrod to record. Good day, Harold. I hope to see you again, Avery."

He walks out the door, and Mr. Pokemon grins. "Well whaddya know! Personally, I think what he thinks – you've got some potential, kid. Your sister had it, and you have it too."

I shake my head. "No way –"

"Ah ah ah!" Mr. Pokemon wags his finger. "The lady doth protest too much! Now, please be careful with that egg on the way back."

"I will." I nod.

The night has grown pitch black, and Darla sticks close to me. She clings to my sock, one end gripped tightly in her small claws.

"You don't like the dark, Darla?"

"Toooooto." She shakes her head, and her jaws clack together with nervousness.

"It's okay, we'll be back home soon."

The egg sits in my bag, covered in thick cloth to keep it warm. I can't run back, so I mince with careful steps through the grass. My pokegear rings just then, and I pick it up only to hear Elm's harried voice on the other side.

"Avery! Oh, it's terrible, just terrible! There was nothing I could do, and he just broke right in –"

"Professor, slow down! What happened?"

"Oh, please, just please come back to the lab as fast as you can!"

The line goes dead. Me with my overactive imagination begins to imagine the worst possible scenario – Elm covered in blood, stabbed by one of his crazy fans. I pick Darla up so she can ride on my shoulder, and I hold the bag close to my chest as I run through the cold, dewy grass.

Please don't be dead, please don't be dead. I chant in my head.

I sprint through Cherrygrove, and am on the edge of the town when I freeze out of sheer terror.

From the darkness strides an imposing figure – tall, with bright red hair. He's dressed in dark clothes that look a little too small for him. The shirt rides up and shows a bit of his stomach. Bright, angry silver eyes cut through the darkness.

"You."

I quell the trembling that's started in my lips. I will not let him know he scares the piss out of me.

"Me." I raise my chin. "Now get out of my way."

He chuckles, eyes locked onto the form of Darla on my shoulder. "Is that your pokemon? It looks weak."

"Shut up!" I snarl. "I don't have time for you!" I try to push past him, but he shoves me back. He's strong. I regain my balance just in the nick of time, I'd almost fallen, and with the egg in my hand that would have been disastrous.

"Bastard." I hiss.

"Battle me, weakling." He sniffs. "Battle me, and I'll let you and your pathetic pokemon through."

I narrow my eyes, and look to Darla. "Can we make this fast?"

"Dile!" Darla nods, determined. She jumps down from my shoulder and cracks her knuckles.

"Go." Red-hair commands, letting his pokeball fly. After the light dies down, a small, Chikorita, skin the color of spring and a supple leaf on his head, appears. His wide, big eyes are so cute, so tender and soft. He looks around like a child, and for a moment I remember what Oak said about personalities. This Chikorita must have a naïve sort of nature.

Darla scratches the Chikorita until the poor thing buckles under his own fatigue. His tackles did nearly nothing against Darla's experience dodging the move, and Red-head sneers down at the pokemon.

"Worthless. Get up, worthless thing."

"Chi...chiko." Chikorita cries weakly, struggling to stand on wobbly legs.

"Stop! I beat you! Go any further and your Chikorita might die!"

"There's the pokemon centers for that." Red-head scoffs. "Now get up, weakling, and defeat that stupid Totodile!"

"Chiiiii!" Chikorita collapses again. With a snort, Red-head recalls his pokemon.

"Fine. You win this time, but that's only because this pokemon was weak. I obviously chose the wrong one."

He strides past me and into Cherrygrove. Something falls out of his pocket as he passes, and I pick it up. It's a trainer card, red like mine. His photo is pasted on, and he has the same angry glare. There's a name on it, too...

"That's mine!" A hand snatches it away abruptly. Red-head growls and starts off again, clutching the card close.

Darla tugs on my sock, and I remember the crisis. I sprint back to New Bark, jumping down the dirt ledges as a shortcut. I burst into the lab only to see a police officer talking to a worried-looking Professor Elm.

"Professor Elm, I –"

"Aha!" The police officer points. "First rule of crime – the criminal always returns to the scene. So, you're the one who stole the pokemon, eh?"

"She's not!"

I glance behind me to see Ethan running up, breathless. His Marill squeaks in indignation at his side.

"Mariri!"

"She's not the one who did it, officer. I saw a red-headed boy sitting outside the lab right before it happened, he's the one who did it! Avery is innocent!"

Professor Elm nods when the police officer looks to him for confirmation.

"Alright, sorry."

"I battled him." I say quietly.

"You what?" Elm looks shocked.

"I ran into him on the way back. He forced me to battle him and his...Chikorita." I flinch.

"Did you get his name?" The officer takes out a notepad.

"His trainer card said his name was Z."

"Just Z?"

"Just Z." I nod. The officer writes it down and sighs.

"Thank you. Sorry this happened, Professor. We'll be sure to keep on the lookout of this trainer, and we'll tighten security on the town border."

"Thank you officer." Elm nods. Beside me, Ethan puts his hand on my shoulder and smiles.

"I'm glad you weren't wrongly convicted."

"Thanks to you." I feel the heated blush make its way through my cheeks.

"Yeah, well. That red-head guy will get what's coming to him. Anyway, I gotta split. Later."

"Bye." I wave, trying to still the hard beating of my heart. The police officer leaves, and Elm seats me at a small table with steaming cups of cocoa to counteract the shock of the night. He sips his sugary drink slowly.

"What a terrible thing to happen...and that poor Chikorita."

"The police will find him." I nod. Darla dips one claw into my hot cocoa and sucks on it.

"Ah, of course. I have utmost faith in them. Do you have the egg Mr. Pokemon gave you?"

When I show it to him, he stands so fast his chair falls over.

"This is amazing!" He inspects it for several long moments, then places it gently on a nearby machine that can keep it warm. "We'll have to study it further. It's a very rare pokemon egg."

"And...I got this." I show him the pokedex.

"You met Professor Oak? And he gave you that? Wow, Avery, this is great news! It means he saw some sort of potential in you as a trainer...have you ever thought about challenging the gyms of Johto?"

"No, I would never be good enough. I was thinking more along the lines of being a coordinator –"

"You should!" Elm interrupts. "If not for yourself, then for your pokemon! Professor Oak is rarely wrong about this kind of stuff. He predicted it for Red, and Blue, and even your sister Crys!"

"I, uh..."

"Well, if you decide to, you should visit your mom before you go. I have to run some tests on the egg, but feel free to stay and finish that cocoa." He smiles and claps me on the shoulder before turning ot the machine.

I sip the last of the bitter dregs, and look at Darla. She swings her legs happily on the stool, watching her band-aid with great interest. Could I really do it? Even though pokemon tended to dislike me, could I really take Darla and a team of pokemon and defeat all the gyms? Did Darla want to do that? What was the point of it, even?

"Tototo!" Darla sees my face scrunched up in thought, and stands on her stool. With a gentle touch, she tries to smooth the creases from my brow. I laugh, and she smiles when I do.

"Dile dile! Totodile!"

"You really want to go for it? It'll be hard, and the journey will be long..."

"Dile!" She nods.

I talk to Mom, and she embraces me in a tight hug before stuffing my bag with extra underwear. She offers to save some of my money, but I shake my head. I'll need all the funds I can get on the road, and she's known for her television shopping channel sprees on occasion. She kisses my face, my eyes, and smoothes my hair.

"Don't forget to call sometimes, okay? Crys never called."

I nod. "I'll try."

"Be safe. With Darla at your side, I think you'll be just fine, but remember the basics; no talking to strangers, an apple a day, change your underwear every –"

"I know, Mom!"

She giggles. "I'm just teasing."

She kisses me on the forehead as I stand in the doorway. "You'll do great, honey."

The road is open and inviting. The five pokeballs Mom pressed into my hands before I left jingle in my bag. Darla trots just ahead of me, taking in the smells and sights of the night. If we walk fast, we'll make it to Cherrygrove before the pokecenter closes.

On the way there, we duck into a toll booth and head momentarily north. The route is a dead end bordered by huge ledges of dirt, but our excursion in the grass gives us a moment to train. A Hoothoot with huge orange eyes bounces out of the dark, its face angry. This was how pokemon usually looked around me, and it dives to peck at me with its sharp beak. With a few scratches from Darla I throw the pokeball at it, crossing my fingers and praying it'll stay in.

With a cheery chime, the pokeball freezes.

"Alright!" I punch the air. Even though the Hoothoot looked a little pissed, I let it out. It hops on one leg and tilts its head at me, a defiant expression on its face. Darla smiles and walks up to it, conversing briefly in pokespeak.

My pokedex comes to life, speaking in a mechanical voice. "HOOTHOOT, THE OWL POKEMON. FEMALE."

"A girl, huh?" I muse. I look up the Hoothoot, and she sniffs down at me through her beak, turning away.

"How about...Nocturne? It's a pretty name, isn't it?"

Darla nods, and Hoothoot looks back, expression softening a little.

"It means 'night song'." I grin at her.

When we stop at the Cherrygrove pokecenter and rent a room, Darla and I collapse on the bed, fully clothed. Sleep takes me immediately, but through my drowsy haze I feel Nocturne settle at the end of the bed, soft feathers pressed against my leg as Darl sleeps in my arms.

I smile sleepily. Mom's voice rings in my head.

You'll be great, honey.

Maybe I will be. Maybe I really will be.