Well, I can't believe I'm doing this. But I am, so I'm just going to have to get over it. I'm creating a Hunger Games/Pokémon story.
You see right my friend! After reading the harrowing story by Honeyshine, I decided that there needed to be more for the making.
My story will try to have the same memorable characters, terrifying moments, and intense action. But I'm not the perfect writer. We'll just have to see how this goes.
As I am still working on the other two stories, this is more of a "side-project" for me. Updates will take longer, as I'm going to be working on the other two stories more than this. In estimation, for every two chapters published, one chapter will be published for this one.
The story cover uses images from various artists on Devianart. I claim no ownership except for the actual story image. I used them because I believed that the images really represent the story well. Braviary hunting, Phanpy attacking, and Heracross looking plain murderous.
ALSO! I had already finished the chapter when I realized that I switched the gender with Mandibuzz/Braviary. I'm terribly sorry, but I'm too lazy to fix it and I'm hoping to publish the first chapter by tonight. So please bear with me when I make this Braviary female, and Mandibuzz male.
On a final note: this is a prequel to the original PHG. You'll see which one this is soon enough. Now go ahead and enjoy the story!
Disclaimer: Do I really need to say this?
The Seventy-Third Pokémon Games
A Pokémon Fanficiton by BlackStarZX
Prequel to an original story by Honeyshine
Let the games begin…
Prologue:
Humans are no longer dominant in this world. Pokémon are everywhere…in the old cities, in the oceans, in the forest, everywhere. Overrun by Pokémon, the world has been divided into seventeen separate sections, each one standing for a different type of element. Although Pokémon can have two different types of elements, they are randomly selected to a single district. The Authorities reside in the center of these so-called 'districts'. The humans left…they no longer have freedom of choice. They either bond with a Pokémon to train them for the Pokémon Games, they mate to bring another life, or they die. Simple as that.
Pokémon, more so than humans, are tested. Each year, thirty-four certain trainers are chosen to train and help raise a single Pokémon. For that year, the trainers are responsible for making that Pokémon as strong as they can be. When a year passes, thirty-four Pokémon are put into the Pokémon Games to be tested, to fight to the death. In the end, only one comes out. The Pokémon who is strongest is crowned the winner, to be bathed in fame and glory.
At least, that's what's supposed to happen.
The Seventy-Third Pokémon Games was considered one of the most brutal, one of the most unforgiving games in history. Overseen by Darkrai, a Pokémon who seemed to have a love for pain and suffering, the Pokémon inside were tested to never-before-seen limits. The sole Pokémon who did survive disappeared three years later, assumed to be dead. Those close to him/her said that he/she was never the same after the games – haunted by the nightmares in the arena.
This is the story of the Seventy-Third Pokémon Games. Let us hope that it is the last time to be told.
Chapter One – The Pokemon
Braviary was not a Pokémon to be messed with. With her speed and power, she could've easily been targeted by others. However, she knew these risks, and kept them to herself. A Pokémon with power is a Pokémon targeted. The problem with hiding her abilities was that it kept her from making alliances. Even her egg-mate, Mandibuzz, didn't know her full extent.
"Brave, the strange human girl is coming tomorrow. Ready for a last session?" he asked. Most of the time, Braviary said no. No reason for Mandibuzz to accidently find out Braviary's real skill. The element of surprise was to be held until the last second – until Braviary really needed it.
In a lofty voice, Braviary said, "Naaaaaaah. I'll be fine." She continued to look out the window, taking in the view. It was a pretty good chance she would never see this view again.
Mandibuzz gave her a quivering look, "Alright. Your feathers, not mine." he practiced another Dark Slash against the dummy, cutting the target perfectly from the center. Perfect as always, and extremely dangerous. It could cut a redwood in half.
To be honest, Braviary was scared of her egg-mate. They were half-siblings. Same Dad, different Mom's. The thought that Braviary had to kill him was insanely frightening. He was also an amazing fighter.
"Well, if you change your mind, just let me know. Ok?" he asked. Braviary just nodded her head, and continued to look out the window.
She did her training in the middle of the night. She was the one who her trainer despised for not working hard enough. She was the one who no one liked. Why did her life have to be so hard? The year she got picked for the Games was not her favorite memory. The minute her name was called, her life changed forever. She never wanted this. Now her only objective was to survive.
She did all of this for her own survival. All she hoped was that in the end, it would pay off. Maybe they would even let her win with Mandibuzz. Of course, this all depended on the Head Gamekeeper's mood. Bad moods tended to end with bloody endings.
Looking out the window, Braviary thought of what she had missed in her life. What she had regret in her life. Her trainer thought she was week, because she refused to train to her full potential. Inside, Braviary really did appreciate her trainer. In the beginning, her trainer really tried to help Braviary. However, Braviary had rejected her trainer in favor of secretive training. This was Braviary's conclusion: she had pushed her trainer away, not the other way around.
Braviary also concluded that staring into windows really helped you think.
xXx
All Heracross was thinking about was the next day.
The next day he would be put into his Pokéball and transported to the Authorities, where true power really lay.
The next day all of his training, power, weakness, and capabilities would be shown to the entire world.
The next day, his life would change into a public contest between life and death.
Putting his claws over his eyes, Heracross brooded over the last year. The day training had started, Galvantula had insisted on single training. The trainers had no reason to disagree, so they obliged. What they hadn't counted on was Heracross gaining feelings of loneliness.
His trainer had been the only person Heracross could really confide to. Truthfully, his trainer had been his only friend. Sure, trainers were supposed to be hard, tough, calculating people. However, most of them were only in their late teens, or early twenties. None of them were really that old. The only thing they had in common were their skills at being a trainer.
Heracross' trainer had been exceptionally kind; the best Heracross could've asked for. He pushed when Heracross needed pushing, gave kind words when Heracross need comfort. He should've despised the weakling of a Pokémon when he was given the job to train Heracross. In the end, however, Heracross could bench over five times his own weight and throw a punch strong enough to kill a Charizard.
Impressive? He didn't think so.
The problem was this whole 'keep your skills secret' crap. Heracross had no idea how to compare his own skills against the others in the competition. For all he knew, Galvantula could rip off his horn and stab it down his mouth. When Heracross came to these conclusions, he just pushed them out of his head. No need to get depressed.
His trainer came in, "C'mon Heracross. Let's get in another session. I want to see the full power of your Focus Punch and Mega Horn. Someone is going to come and collect you tomorrow, so we better get ready." He signaled to Heracross with his hands.
The Single Horn Pokémon sighed. His trainer was right. Time to get another session in.
xXx
While these two Pokémon were thinking of the challenges to come, Phanpy of the Ground district was resting in the sun. His way of thinking was that if you were to spend your last day of life anywhere, where would you spend it?
Bathing in the sun, that's what Phanpy wanted to do.
Being a smaller Pokémon didn't help his case. This thought constantly bugged the Long Nose Pokémon. By now, he assumed that any Pokémon that went through training would have evolved into their final form by now. His trainer was adamant that Phanpy had enough power to evolve.
All he needed was a little push. That's what his trainer had said. Easier said than done, seeing that Phanpy was the one doing all the work.
No matter how hard he tried, Phanpy could not evolve. Pupitar had started as a Larvitar when he was chosen a year ago. He evolved relatively quickly. Did this mean that Phanpy wouldn't survive the Games, with all the hulking Pokémon after his blood? It was easy for Pupitar…he took a while to evolve. Once he did, he was going to be unstoppable. A Tyranitar on a free rein was not something most Pokémon did not look forward too.
Their trainers were rough, cruel people. Pupitar had grown haughty under their tutorship. Phanpy was less than thrilled. His trainer had believed that Phanpy was "not trying his hardest and being a weak, half-ass worker".
The worms of doubt were withering in Phanpy's brain; making him less sure of himself and making him want to just die. It would be easier than going through all the stress that was sure to come the week before the actual Games.
The spot Phanpy was currently resting on was sort of the small miracle in a world of hurt. Every day, Phanpy's trainer would wake him up early in the morning, doing a long run, sprints, and finish off with a training session. After a small lunch, Phanpy would have to swim – yes, swim – through a river upstream.
Phanpy was scared of swimming. He was a ground type, after all. The worst way Phanpy could possibly die, in his mind, was to drown. Water just sucked the life out of him…until he had no strength to breathe, to keep his heart going, to do anything.
He came to this rock when he needed to be alone. Surely, his trainer would be looking for him, make him want to do a "last minute intense-workout session". Tomorrow was the day he would leave the comfort of this rock and face the outside world.
Phanpy relaxed his muscles, and let sleep overtake him.
xXx
Braviary woke up to the sound of Mandibuzz talking…"Wake up Miss Braviary. Time for us to have a last-minute dual."
Braviary groaned. She had just fallen asleep when Mandibuzz woke her up. Last night, she had worked more on her Brave Bird. She was already perfect at it, but every little bit count. She had trained herself to the extreme.
Now, Mandibuzz wanted to have a little contest they do to wake each other up: blow wind in each other's faces. They weren't allowed to do real contests – for fear of hurting each other before the actual battle – and wind was pretty harmless. Still, they did it early in the morning so their trainers wouldn't see. For a rare moment, they had both agreed that it would probably not be a good idea to tell their trainers.
"Ready?" Mandibuzz asked. Braviary nodded, "Go!"
As fast as Mandibuzz could, he flapped his wings. For a split second, Braviary thought about resisting. Maybe now would be the time, and somehow…
No. She had been waiting for a whole year, and now was not the time to show her power. Hoping she looked like she was trying, Braviary flapped her wings; quickly getting stuck underneath Mandibuzz's whirlwind.
"Ha! I win again!" he gloated.
"You always win, Mandi…" mumbled Braviary. She knew she could probably win if she tried. That wasn't her objective, though.
"How are you going to win if you can't even beat meeeee…." Mandibuzz trailed off. Someone had knocked on the door.
A second later, their trainers came in. They looked surprise, "Why are you two up so early?" their trainers asked.
Braviary's trainer shook her head, "Never mind, we don't have our Translator's," the trainers walked over to their respective Pokémon, "I'm going to put you in your Pokéball. The time has come. You ready?" her trainer asked. She raised the shining, gold Pokéball.
The Valiant Pokémon nodded. She knew she was ready; she had been training for an entire year.
The last thought Braviary thought of was that she would no longer be playing in small competition with Mandibuzz anymore…this was the real deal.
xXx
Heracross hardly slept that night…
All he could think of was killing…
Murder…
Taking another's life…
The look on their face when they know, they know they are about to die, and there is nothing they can do about it…
"HERACROSS!"
Heracross bolted up, instinctively charging a Hyper Beam between his horns. When he realized that it was only his trainer, he released the energy.
"Good, I'm glad you're still alert. C'mon, it's early in the morning. Time for you to go." his trainer said.
Heracross raised his eyes in surprise. Already?
His trainer cracked a smile, saying "Let's go, pal. Just remember what I've taught you. Stay on your toes. Ok?" Heracross nodded once.
"Alright. In the Pokéball you go. I'll be rooting for you, Heracross. Good luck…"
The smiling face of his trainer was the last thing Heracross saw, before the golden Pokéball engulfed him.
xXx
The only reason Phanpy got up was because he knew he had to sooner or later. His trainer's rough voice was carrying across the area, calling out for his Pokémon, "Phanpy! The girl is here to take you to the games! You need to go now!"
With muscles crying against him, Phanpy got up from his rock. He started jogging over to his trainer, where two other people were there, not counting his trainer. Pupitar's trainer, and a small girl who looked strangely out-of-place in the harsh environment.
Phanpy could hear the girl's voice, "…obedient. Are you sure he will survive even the first night?" The voice made Phanpy's skin crawl.
"Sure enough. If he doesn't evolve during the games, so hang me." Phanpy was surprised to hear his trainer giving him a praise. It was very rare to hear his trainer happy, especially after Phanpy disappeared for some time.
"I'll hold you to that," said the girl. She turned around, suddenly looking Phanpy straight in the eye. She exclaimed, "And here he is now. Come now, Phanpy. It is time to see how skilled you truly are." She raised the golden Pokéball.
The thought that his trainer had hope in him gave Phanpy his own; without it, he would not have had the courage to be at the strange girl's mercy.
So here it is. I strung it out as long as I could, for I know how important first chapters are. Please don't hate me if it doesn't live up to your standards.
My format will be different than Honeyshine's story, as to keep it different and fresh. We will follow the paths of these three Pokémon, and the hardships each one will face.
Remember; two of them will die. There is no happy ending to the Pokémon Games. Don't hate me for who I kill off and who I let live.
Also, this chapter is essentially the most boring. Right now, I'm giving you the three nicest Pokémon in the game. Will they be in an alliance? We shall see. This chapter was mainly to give you the background of the three protagonists. Hope you like them. Phanpy is the hardest to write for, as he is so innocent yet so strong. I love them all equally, though. Don't think I'm pulling favorites.
After this, the Pokémon will go into the "parade" (I don't know what else to call it), the training, and finally the Games themselves. That's when things get interesting. Trust me; this story is not for the over-exaggerate imaginations. There will be some gory stuff.
That's about it! And if you don't like my Mandibuzz/Braviary gender problem…just let it slide. It's not really much of a problem now, is it?
Hopefully I'll have some more luck in updating; but I already told you my updating plan, haven't I? If not, look on my bio. It explains it all.
Cheers!
