A/N: There are a few things you need to know about this fic. Firstly, I will be taking elements from the game, Pokémon Pearl, itself with few, if any, additions from the anime. Secondly, it is loosely based upon my second and harder Nuzlocke play-through of this game. Thirdly, while I've tried to utilize more realistic commands in terms of moves and less pointed descriptions for abilities and the like, it is far easier to just make a character say "Water Gun," instead of saying "shoot water at the enemy," or some other, similar, thing. Finally, I'm notorious for starting projects that I can't finish… but we'll see.
The rules for the Nuzlocke I did were the standard ones, first, with fainting equating to death and only the first meet on the route being caught. I am engaging Dupes Clause here, so whenever a third Pokémon that isn't a new one on a new route shows up, I can no longer catch any Pokémon on that route. In addition, I'm not allowed to catch legendaries, except for one, for plot reasons. All others must be defeated. I cannot grind beyond two levels of the Gym Leader's strongest Pokémon to keep things at least moderately tense. The battles are on a "Set" setting, naturally, to make things harder. There is no bullshit clause here. Items may not be used in battle except for during the E4, because that would be too cruel. Trade evolutions are allowed so that Machoke, Haunter, Graveler, and the like don't become totally useless later on.
Without further ado, let's begin.
It was a cold and cloudy day when the world as Lucas knew it fell apart. A fairly normal one in the sleepy world of his hometown.
Twinleaf Town was a quiet place. There was little excitement except for the occasional festival, but that was how many of the residents liked it. That's how Lucas liked it. Despite Barry's constant attempts to create some sort of upheaval that would bring some of the rush of the big cities into their lives, the town remained stubborn in its ways.
The black-haired child believed that if anything was permanent in this world, it was the calm of Twinleaf Town.
He couldn't have been more wrong.
"Lucas, c'moooon! Wake up!" an indignant voice whined above the child's bed. "I'm giving you ten-no, five minutes to get dressed and get going! It's already six in the morning!"
Rolling over while trying to bat away his friend, Lucas desperately tried to stay within the warm confines of the dream-world. 'We barely slept last night. All Barry wanted to do was play Super Smash Bros on the Wii…'
"Ugh," the impatient blond grunted. "If you don't get up, I'll eat your breakfast! Do you hear me? Your breakfast!"
Sitting up sleepily, the boy with closely cut black hair grumbled in response, rubbing his eyes sluggishly. "W-ah's goin' on?" he muttered? "Breakfast is ready at six in the morning? Mom's up?
Realizing his small blunder, Barry scratched the back of his head in embarrassment. "Not quite what I meant by that, but at least you're up. C'mon. I have something I want to do." The blond, and extremely thin, child bounced up, grabbing his belongings while his best friend ever so slowly dressed in reasonable clothes for an early morning in the summer. Tapping his foot impatiently, Barry glanced over the all too familiar room.
While fairly plain, there were a smattering of posters lining the wall depicting various famous Trainers such as the current Champion of the Sinnoh region, the acclaimed Cynthia. So as not to offend his best friend, Lucas had noticeably left out the Tower Tycoon Palmer from these. A sizeable television was set up near one of the walls, with a well-used Wii attached, and a small desk with an even smaller computer was set up in the corner. Less busy than he would've liked, but there was nothing for it.
"Alright," the black-haired boy finally said, pulling on his cap. "I'm ready. What was it you wanted to do so early?"
Grinning in delight, Barry grabbed Lucas and thrust him into a headlock with the crook of his elbow. "C'mon! Put a bit more enthusiasm into it!" he shouted, totally oblivious of the racket he was making. "You know that show we watched last night before cracking into the Wii? Yeah… the Mystery of the Lake of something-or-other? Rave? Rouge?"
"It's the Lake of Rage," Lucas responded uncomfortably, pulling himself out of the lock. "The show's garbage, though. They didn't even find a Gyarados that whole time. Mom told me they over-hype stuff like that on purpose."
"Pffffft," his blond friend mocks. "So they didn't find it. Whatever, you know? There have been, like, a ton of reports over there of that red Gyarados. But here's where I got thinking… maybe our lake has something similar? I want you to check it out with me."
Lucas scrunched his forehead in concern. "I don't know… it doesn't sound very safe. And what about the tall grass? A wild Pokémon could attack if we aren't-"
"Tall grass? Are you kidding me? That's gonna stop you? We'll go around or something! C'mon!" Barry hopped towards the stairs, rushing down and towards the door in a flash. Sighing in resignation, the six year-old Lucas followed suit. Just as he was about to leave the house, Barry rushed back inside, slamming into him and knocking them both over. Chuckling in embarrassment, he dusted himself off.
"Forgot my coat. What's up with it being so cold in the summer?" he explained, hopping on his heels all the while. "Here, take yours, too," he said, tossing a jacket over to his buddy. "Now hurry up, already! We need to get going!"
"Fine, fine," Lucas waved off his friend, stepping outside the door. In such a secure and peaceful neighborhood, robbery was unheard of. No one would have the nerve to rob a resident. It was almost considered impolite to lock a door. As if you didn't trust everyone else.
The pair jogged past houses of varying sizes and shapes, but they didn't once stop despite Lucas' protests for a rest every now and then. After about ten minutes, they had reached the edge of Twinleaf Town and were about to enter Route 201 when they were stopped by an elderly, but certainly intimidating looking, man. He gruffly grabbed their shoulders and looked at both of them in the eyes.
"Exactly what are you two doing so early in the morning? Where is your mother, Lucas?" he questioned, a stern gaze fixated on the squirming child.
"Well..." the boy trailed off. "Uh, Barry made me!"
"Wait, what?! Did not!" the other boy protested.
"Did, too! We wouldn't be here if you hadn't-"
The withering gaze shifted. "Neither of you answered my question. Exactly what do you think you're doing here on the outskirts of town at this ungodly hour? Your mother would be ashamed of you both, Lucas. This is deplorable behavior on your parts."
"We're sorry, Professor…" the two apologized, staring at their shoes. Barry quickly recovered from this slump, glancing back up at the aged man excitedly.
"We were going to check out Lake Verity for a rare Pokemon like at the Lake of Rage. If there's something as rare as a red Gyarados in some random lake in Kanto, who knows what could be in ours?" Barry explained hastily.
"Oh?" the Pokémon Professor responded, raising his bushy eyebrows at the child's eager interest. "You were going to seek out Lake Verity's Mesprit? Both of you realize that it has never been seen within my lifetime and will likely remain hidden within yours, if it even exists anymore?"
"Mesprit?" Lucas questioned as the three began to walk in the direction of the lake, Professor Rowan accompanying them. "What's a Mesprit, Professor?"
"Of course the two of you wouldn't know, my apologies. Mesprit is the ancient name of the being that was said to have taken residence within Lake Verity. It is also known as the being of emotion, having supposedly given us sorrow, joy, love, and similar such things. It's one of the few reasons this town is still here, what with the tourist business it receives and all," the elderly man explains. "The other two lake spirits which are referenced in the ancient texts are Uxie, the being of intelligence, and Azelf, the being of willpower, at Lake Acuity and Lake Valor respectively. The three of them balance either the being of space, Palkia, or the being of time, Dialga. Mesprit is even said to guard Sandgem Town, Twinleaf Town, Canalave City, Jublife City, and the surrounding area from disaster. This is all just legend, of course, but it can be rather comforting to know that you're being watched over, I suppose."
"That just sounds creepy," Barry finally speaks up after having sulked for the Professor's whole monologue over his friend's utter betrayal. "And why hasn't it shown up by now? I'm sure there have been plenty of heinous crimes in the bigger cities, right? Isn't it supposed to 'guard' us like you said?"
The Professor simply shrugged. "It's a legend. This doesn't necessarily mean that it's true."
"What about Santa Claus? He's a legend, right? Is he real?" Lucas questioned innocently.
"Well, ah-"
The trio were thrown forward by the force of a sudden blast within Twinleaf, effectively cutting off Professor Rowan's tentative and awkward explanation of how it was best for his mother to answer that. After a moment, Lucas groggily rises, glancing at his companions. The elderly and white-haired man had been knocked out after hitting his head against a few small rocks and his blond friend had been thrown against a nearby tree. The two were in no position to move.
Looking back to the source of the blast, the child stared at a distant figure supported by some sort of flying Pokémon between the trees leading back to Twinleaf Town. Suddenly seized by panic, Lucas sprints back towards his home as fast as his puny legs can carry him. Bristly branches whipped past him, scraping his exposed skin thoroughly, but he paid this no mind. The only thing in his young mind was the question of just what had happened. A blast so strong that it could toss them around when they had been so far away from the target of whatever it was that caused it scared him-no, it terrified his seven year old mind.
'Please let her be okay! Please, please, please, please-'
When he rounded the corner into Twinleaf Town, he was greeted by smoking rubble, a massive Gyarados in a nearby lake, a Tyranitar waltzing around while searching through the blackened remains of buildings, a Garchomp stomping on the few areas that had been relatively unaffected by the initial attack, and an imposing Pokémon Trainer poised upon a Drifblim.
Crying out in disbelief, the black-haired boy fell to his knees, desperate tears leaking from his eyes. Noticing the noise, the Garchomp lifted its head to its Trainer and roared in alarm.
"Oh? Someone survived the barrage?" a surprisingly feminine voice called from above as the Drifblim lowered her to the ground. After landing lightly, she advanced, her head cocked and blonde locks trailing. "Some kid, huh?" she said to herself, lifting his face roughly to look him in the eye. "Ugh, it couldn't have been Palmer's kid, could it? Of course not. Useless." Shoving him backwards, Lucas was sent tumbling into the dirt as Cynthia drew two Poké Balls from her waist and tossed them forward. "Get out here, Lucario and Roserade." In a flash of light, the two emerged, the former looking enraged while the latter seemed full of what could best be expressed as sorrow. Cynthia glared at the two of them, gray eyes glowing. "Both of you will obey me, do you understand?"
Near immediately, the duo sharpened into attention.
The blonde Champion grinned in satisfaction. "Perfect. Lucario, assist Tyranitar and Garchomp in demolishing the rest of this town and disposing of anyone who managed to make it out alive. If you find Palmer's kid, bring him to me. I may have some use for him. Roserade, feel free to take out this trash over here," she ordered, gesturing to the near comatose child lying on the ground in a fetal position.
The two set out on their tasks without as much as a peep.
The Roserade loomed above Lucas, glaring at him with eyes that seemed glazed over, as if the owner of the body was no longer present. Her two rose bushes came together, slowly forming a massive ball of green energy which roiled within a thin membrane. Raising it above her head, the ball of energy reached its maximum size and power. Bringing the two down in the direction of Lucas, the ball began to rush towards the boy before colliding in a cloud of dust.
Floating before the child was a pink figure with a furious expression. Twin jewels adorned its twin tails and a single, pulsating jewel decorated its creased forehead. Twin intense yellow eyes glared at the black-haired child's former hero. Lucas could practically feel the aura of majesty and power that this being exuded.
Noticing the disturbance, Cynthia turned just in time to avoid the Roserade hurtling at her, knocked out cold. "Finally, you decide to show yourself, Mesprit! Garchomp and Lucario, capture it before it gets away!" she shouts, smiling ferally as she returns her fainted Pokémon to its Poké Ball.
The lake spirit turns briefly to its black-haired charge, lifting him from the ground and setting him on his feet.
'Run,' it whispers in the back of his mind, commanding him to get away. His shaking body complies, forcing his grieving mind to take control and move away from danger. As he streaks down the way he had come, back to his companions, an utter emptiness fills him up, the sounds of battle resounding in the air.
'How could this have ever happened?'
A/N: That's it for now. If you enjoyed, feel free to leave a favorite or review.