Disclaimer: I own every Pokémon game that has been released in the USA, but sadly I do not own any of the copyrights to the franchise; the only things that are mine are: 1) the thoughts and personality of the main character, 2) any nicknames given to others by the main character, 3) the creative descriptions of battles, and 4) any narration of actions that are impossible within the game. That's it. Nothing else. I consider this fic SU (Skewed Universe) because, while it has a foundation of canon, I have changed some aspect of it here.
A/N: This fic is a Nuzlocke Challenge, and therefore follows the basic rules of the Nuzlocke Challenge:
*Any Pokémon that faints is considered dead, and must be released or permanently boxed.
*The player may only catch the first Pokémon encountered in each area, and none else. If the first Pokémon encountered faints or flees, there are no second chances.
*While not exactly a definite rule, the general consensus is that players must also nickname all of their Pokémon, for the sake of forming stronger emotional bonds.
That being said, I understand that Pokémon do not normally die from battle. I agree. This is a special case. Now that you understand, let's begin…
I am a drifter; a nameless wanderer; shrouded in mystery, secrets, and lies. My identity is none of your concern. I shall refer to myself as a boy – a boy by the name of Nuzlocke.
This story begins in my hometown, when some lady drops off a box in my room that contains three Poké Balls; one each for my two neighbors and myself. Immediately after I open it, my eyes light upon one in particular; the one on the far left.
I'm eager to start my journey, but my flighty next-door neighbor insists on battling right away… without even going outside! What a ditz! Of course, her little water otter doesn't stand a chance against my super-duper grass snake! She has her Pokémon to use Tackle twice, then Tail Whip. I mean, seriously? If you're gonna use status moves, you do that first, and then go on the offensive – which is exactly my strategy. A couple of Leers right off the bat, and then two Tackles finish the job. It's only once our battle subsides that we notice my bedroom is now in shambles.
At this point, my other neighbor – he's the smart one, mind you – decides that he will battle me inside as well, to prove that he won't make as much of a mess as we did. Yeah, right. So, the little long-eared fire pig thinks he can beat me? We'll see about that. This battle seems to be going the same way, but… WAIT! A critical hit?‼ Argh! My poor Pokémon is on the ropes after two Tackles, and we only got one in after our Leer attack! …Wha–? He's using Tail Whip now? Feh, you deserve to lose if you'd use Tail Whip on an opponent who is one light tap away from fainting. And… boom! My awesome starter pulls out another win with a couple of swift Tackle attacks!
So we go downstairs (finally) and my mom says she'll clean my room so us kids can leave for our journeys, then she hands me a portable videophone thingy as my neighbors beckon me to come outside with them. Yeah, yeah, I'm coming, guys, I'm coming… Sheesh, I hope they don't wind up following me around everywhere. I didn't sign up for a group tour; I wanted to become a Pokémon Trainer. On. My. Own.
…Why is Miss Ditz going south? Route 1 is north of my house! So I decide to follow her, and what do I find? Her father is shouting about how he doesn't want her to go. I roll my eyes; surprise, surprise. If she was my daughter, I wouldn't want her going anywhere either. But, whatever. She tells him she's going on her journey anyway, saying she'll meet me at the Lab as she walks out the door. Great. Off we go to the Lab then, and hopefully I'll never have to see her after that.
…Man, do I wish I had a pair of running shoes! It really bites having to walk this slow everywhere I go.
Okay, so now that everyone's there, the Professor is blabbing about how 'this is a day to remember' and all that jazz. …Seriously? She's asking to see our Pokémon? It's not as if she's never seen them; I mean, she is the one who gave them to us. So we bring them out and she says: "It feels as though your Pokémon have already begun to trust you!" Really? Gee, how'd you figure that out? I roll my eyes as she tells us we can nickname our Pokémon now if we want to.
As I look down at my Pokémon, he crosses his arms and sticks his nose in the air, waving his leafy tail impatiently; obviously he wants to start this journey as much as I do, so I say the first thing that comes to my mind: "Smugleaf." To my surprise, he winks at me, so I smile back at him. I guess he likes the name. I return my newly-christened Smugleaf to his Poké Ball, but the Professor is still talking so I can't leave yet.
Blah, blah, blah… Is this lady ever going to shut up? I start nodding my head like I'm taking in everything she's saying, but now it seems I've inadvertently agreed to do something for her. Oh, brother. She hands each of us a compact computerized device for… something to do with Pokémon. Whatever, can we just please get out of here?
Finally we can head out, but upon exiting the Lab we find my mom standing there looking excited. Am I ever going to make it out of this town? …Oh, great; it seems my mom put the Professor up to this. How did I not know she had something to do with it? Hmm… a map. Why thank you, Mom, how thoughtful of you! Now this is something I can use… Not! Can't I leave yet? I'm going stir-crazy here! I know, I know, 'go out and find all kinds of Pokémon and people and places everywhere'; I'd love to, but you people keep getting in my way! Smugleaf is so lucky he gets to stay in his Poké Ball; he doesn't have to deal with listening to all of this.
As I approach Route 1… Ugh, I should've expected this. Apparently Miss Ditz "wants us all to take our first step at the same time." Gee-whiz, I'm not five years old! No wonder her father didn't want her to go out on a journey by herself.
Wait, why is Prof. Lady standing out here too? You're kidding me, right? More meaningless blabbing… then, "I'm going to demonstrate how to catch a Pokémon!" Okay, right, attack the meerkat with your chinchilla, then throw the Ball when the wild Pokémon takes enough damage. How is that so difficult to understand? Just because Miss Ditz has the mentality of a toddler doesn't mean we all do. Yes, I saw what you did! I don't need a step-by-step analysis! Gosh, this lady doesn't get it, does she? All I want is to be left alone so I can start becoming a Trainer; is that too much to ask?
Hey, finally something useful; she's giving us some Poké Balls! But, of course, before I can go anywhere I have to listen to a commentary by Miss Ditz and Mr. Smarts about what Prof. Lady didn't say. Just when I think I can finally get started, Miss Ditz comes up with another brilliant idea: "Why don't we see who can catch the most Pokémon?"
This kinda rubs me the wrong way. I don't need hundreds of Pokémon; in fact, I feel I shouldn't catch more than one Pokémon per area. Therefore, I already know I won't have more than two when I reach the next town, since the only thing between my hometown and the next one is Route 1. One area, one catch; it's that simple.
Regardless, I couldn't care less who wins her stupid little game – that's not what I'm here for. But hey, if she needs to set a bunch of puny pathetic goals for each step of the way in order to get anywhere, more power to her. All I ask is that she not expect me to appreciate her ADD-driven foolishness.
So I walk into the grass, and… almost get to the next town without finding any wild Pokémon. Of course, at that point I turn around to keep searching; after all, I do need to catch something. I run into a girl in the middle of a patch of grass who gives me a potion, which is great, but I still need to find a Pokémon here. I finally run into one as I'm heading southward again; it's a meerkat, like the one Prof. Lady caught in her demonstration.
I call out Smugleaf to battle; he and the wild Pokémon exchange a couple of Tackle attacks until I think the meerkat is sufficiently weakened, then I throw a Poké Ball. Just like in Prof. Lady's example, the Ball shakes three times before it dings, signifying a successful catch. Suddenly, the hand-held electronic device I was given back in the Lab beeps, and I check it to see what's going on. There's a picture of the Pokémon I just caught, plus some writing I think, but I can't be bothered. I close the thing up and put it away again, realizing it's going to get really annoying if it goes off like that every time I catch a Pokémon.
I call out my new Pokémon in order to welcome her to the team and give her a nickname. I ask if I can call her "Flower," to which she nods and chatters happily. Smiling warmly, I return her to her Poké Ball; now that that's been decided, I head toward home so she can rest awhile before starting her training.
After a quick stop at my house, Flower and Smugleaf are both raring to go. Heading out onto Route 1 again, I decide to stay close to home for a while in case we get into a tight spot and need emergency care.
Flower's first opponent battling for me is a little brown puppy. As per my usual strategy, I use Leer first, but the wild Pokémon uses Tackle and it turns out to be a really hard hit. I tell Flower to hang in there and use Tackle right back, after which the puppy looks ready to drop; she's a tenacious little thing, though, and refuses to back down. She Leers at Flower, but it only takes one more Tackle before she's down and out.
We seem to be on a roll, so I wander in the grass some more before happening across another meerkat. Much to my dismay, however, the first round goes just like Flower's previous battle; after one Leer from Flower, the other Pokémon gets a critical hit with Tackle! Either Flower has really bad luck, or we just happened to find the two strongest wild Pokémon in the area. I know Flower's in trouble just by the way she looks at me right then, and there's no question in my mind what I have to do now.
"Flower, switch out! Come back! Go! Smugleaf!" Smugleaf takes to the field, and with one Tackle attack he puts the wild meerkat out of commission; he won't be bothering us again any time soon. I rush home, despite the fact that Smugleaf is still fit for battle, and whisper words of comfort to an exhausted Flower until she's fully healed again.
The next wild Pokémon we come across is another meerkat. I send Smugleaf out to battle, and at first they just Leer at each other. My decision to use Tackle next catches her off guard, and we get in a second one so fast she's knocked out before she can even struggle to her feet. Smugleaf looks particularly proud of himself at that point, and for a moment I wonder why… until I see him spin in place and fire off a Vine Whip into the grass, frightening out yet another meerkat. That explains it; he's happy that he learned a new move (as am I).
Because this meerkat looks more timid than the others we've been fighting, I decide to go with Flower now. I figure this Pokémon is either a lower level than previous ones or she already took some damage from the Vine Whip that flushed her out, so I forgo Leer and go straight to Tackle. It looks like I made the right choice, because she only gets in one Tackle before she's taken out. Flower is heartened after this victory, so I keep her out for the next battle as well.
A few steps later we come across a wild puppy – the same kind of Pokémon Flower was up against just after joining my team. Remembering that leading with Leer had been less than helpful that time, I tell her to start with Tackle – the puppy then Leers at us angrily, but after another Tackle he faints. I go back home for a pit stop, then head off once more.
This time around I've barely taken one step into the grass before a particularly powerful-looking meerkat runs toward me, chattering angrily. I have no idea what she's going on about, so I call Flower out; as soon as she sees this other Pokémon, she immediately uses Leer. The wild meerkat then screams and Tackles her, sending her flying. I only just manage to grab her before she hits the ground, but after that attack Flower is so enraged that she leaps out of my arms and, without a word being said, Tackles her opponent mercilessly. The wild Pokémon quickly gets her bearings and charges forward to Tackle Flower as she prepares to do the same again. While they seem to be evenly matched, Flower's grit and determination soon overwhelm the wild Pokémon and she goes down. It's obvious that my girl's gotten a bit stronger since I caught her, but I notice she is panting heavily after that match, so I take her home for another rest before we go all the way to the next town.
I am pleasantly surprised that I make it through to the other end of Route 1 without coming across any more Pokémon, but I become aggravated when I see my path blocked by my neighbors. Unfortunately for me, they're still hanging around; they couldn't wait to figure out "which one of us has the most Pokémon with them?" Wait a minute, even after all this time they both still only have two Pokémon? That's quite a surprise… and here I thought they said they were going to catch as many as they could…
Suddenly, the portable videophone thingy my mom gave me before I left starts ringing. I take it out and see that it's Prof. Lady, checking on our progress and telling us to meet up with her in front of the Pokémon Center in the next town. Yeah, that's right; the very town that we are a mere seven steps away from. Hoping to get this over with as soon as possible, I head over to where she is standing in front of a red-roofed building and follow her inside.
We walk inside together and cross to the other side of the room, Miss Ditz joining us halfway there, and Prof. Lady tells me to talk to the young woman with reddish-pink hair behind the counter to get my Pokémon healed. I do as she says and hand my Poké Balls to the girl, who takes them and puts them on a large machine behind her; it makes a strange dinging noise, and then she turns around and gives them back to me a few seconds later. Next, Prof. Lady drags me over to a PC next to a set of stairs and starts talking about how extra Pokémon can be stored in there when they're not in my party. I tone her out after that, wishing she would hurry up and finish her spiel so I can get on with my journey. Come to find out she's got one more thing to show me: a Poké Mart in the corner by the door, where I can buy and sell items. Cool. Before she goes she says I should head for such-and-such city and talk to so-and-so. Yup. Sure thing. Adios.
I head for the exit, leaving Miss Ditz muttering about what she should buy besides Potions and Poké Balls, when a man in blue addresses me by name, says, "I've received a Mystery Gift for you," and passes me a Pokémon Egg with no other explanation whatsoever. Okeydokey. Bye then.
Just as I get outside, though, I am waylaid again, this time by a stranger. "Sounds like something's going on in the plaza!" he tells his pal. This piques my interest, so I follow them to figure out what's up, when who should I see but Mr. Smarts! He calls me over to stand near him as a curiously-dressed green-haired man walks up in front of the crowd, flanked by a row of people wearing silver uniforms and two flags colored black and white with an unusual blue insignia in the center.
He introduces himself as a representative of team something-or-other and says he wants to tell us about Pokémon liberation. There is some confused murmuring from the crowd, but he commands their attention once again. Then he starts spewing nonsense about how people only assume that it's right for humans and Pokémon to be partners, and that Pokémon are just pushed around when we are supposedly working together. At that point he inquires, "Can anyone say with confidence that there is no truth to what I'm saying?" I'm tempted to shout out my opinion, but I choose instead to wait and see what everyone else says; I am disappointed, however, when all I hear are more murmurs: some doubtful, others unsure, yet none are resolute.
The speaker continues, saying that "Pokémon are different from humans"; that they "contain unknown potential"; and that "we humans have much to learn" from them. He then proceeds to ask the crowd, "what is our responsibility toward these wonderful beings called Pokémon?" From the whispered responses he's getting, it seems he has just about everyone in town swayed to his ridiculous proposition. Here he ends his speech by encouraging us all to "consider the relationship between people and Pokémon…" and urging everyone to consider "the correct way to proceed" because 'only by liberating all Pokémon can we truly be equals.' Then, in a flash, the flags are packed up and the man is escorted out of the town by his team as if he was the president of the entire region.
Once he's gone, the townsfolk discuss the idea briefly, but the consensus is that Pokémon liberation is not even possible. After nearly everyone has dispersed, a boy with green hair and a black baseball cap walks over to where Mr. Smarts and I are still standing and says quickly, "Your Pokémon… Just now, it was saying…"
Before he can finish his thought, Mr. Smarts cuts him off, telling him to speak slower, and that it's odd to say that Pokémon can talk.
The boy insists it's true, but when Mr. Smarts is still not convinced he comments, "Oh. Then, you two can't hear it, either… How sad."
What a thing to say! I, for one, am insulted; first it was Prof. Lady thinking I'm just like Miss Ditz, and now there's this boy who thinks I'm just like Mr. Smarts! I ought to give him a piece of my mind, but I don't get the chance; between his conversation with Mr. Smarts about who they are and why they're on their journeys, I can't get a word in edgewise until he expresses his uncertainty as to whether Pokémon are really happy being caught by Trainers and kept in Poké Balls. I tell him coolly that he should just ask them, so he takes a step toward me, says, "Let me hear your Pokémon's voice again!" and initiates a battle.
I send out Flower against his Pokémon – a purple cat – and instruct her to use Leer; the command is barely out of my mouth before the cat is right up in front of Flower and using Scratch. She recovers quickly and Leers at him in annoyance, to which he responds with a Growl. Flower shakes it off and launches a Tackle attack, at which point the Trainer yells to me, "More! Let me hear the voice of your Pokémon!" The cat leaps forward to use Scratch again as Flower rushes in to intercept with Tackle and they collide in midair. Both Pokémon push on, putting everything they've got into their respective attacks, though in the end it's our opponent who falls short. As the boy returns him to his Poké Ball, Flower flexes her jaw then jumps up and down snapping her teeth together; it seems she's learned Bite. Even still, she's pretty tired now, but it seems that cat was the kid's only Pokémon – which means I can get my girl healed up at the Pokémon Center before she needs to battle again.
Before I return her to her Poké Ball I can hear the green-haired boy whisper faintly, "I never expected Pokémon to say such things…" He's realized now that he was wrong on two counts; the only thing he was right about was Pokémon being able to talk. He has something else to add, however, before going on his way: "As long as Pokémon are confined in Poké Balls… Pokémon will never become perfect beings. I have to change the world for Pokémon, because they're my friends." Boy, is this kid indecisive or what? Yet again only one of his statements is true; Pokémon are our friends.
After Mr. Unsure leaves, Mr. Smarts turns to me and says simply that he was a "strange guy." I try not to let him see me roll my eyes at that, but I think he took it as my way of agreeing with that sentiment. He keeps talking about it (something to the effect of 'whatever; I don't agree with anything that kid said, so I'm just going to go on my way as if I'd never met him') then tells me he plans on challenging all the Gyms so he can enter the Pokémon League. Duh, I knew that already; it's been all he could talk about for years! Finally he walks away and I can get back to the Pokémon Center to heal Flower; I know it's less stressful for her inside her Poké Ball than out of it, but I also know that that alone will not make her better.
Once I've given my Poké Balls to the nurse behind the counter, I wander over to the Poké Mart to see what I can buy. Nothing but Poké Balls and Potions, huh? It would figure that Miss Ditz was puzzling over nothing; she couldn't buy anything other than that if she wanted to! Regardless, I decide it will be best to stock up while I'm here, so I buy 2 Potions and 10 Poké Balls. The shopkeeper also gives me a pure white Ball with a red line through it, apparently because I'm buying in bulk. Now that I've spent about half of my money and got my Pokémon restored to full strength, I go back outside and head for Route 2; the only thing that lies between me and the next city.
Suddenly, less than ten steps onto the route, my videophone goes off; it's my mom! She asks how things are going, but just when I'm about to tell her that everything is fine, she says she needs to talk to me so she's going to hang up. What's that about? If she wanted to talk, she should've–
Hearing someone behind me, I turn around to see my mom standing there! Did she only call to slow me down so she could catch up? She starts gushing about how far I've come already, and then hands me a pair of running shoes that she apparently bought "a long time ago and stashed them away somewhere" before she found them while cleaning. Next she tells me to remember that I'm never really alone because I have my Pokémon and my friends, and that she's always thinking about me. Then she turns and walks back the way she came, saying, "Enjoy your trip!"
…Alright! Running shoes for the win! I lace them up and tear off into the tall grass, knowing that the first Pokémon I come across here will be the next one I catch… but I'm going so fast that none of them can start a battle before I'm already at the other end! Even after stopping halfway through to pick up a Potion that someone must've dropped there, there are no wild Pokémon to be seen. What a bummer!
I'm just about to turn around and run back into the grass when a boy stops me and challenges me. I roll my eyes and accept; after all, as the boy states, whenever "A Trainer catches another Trainer's eye… is the start of a Pokémon battle!" It's every Trainer's obligation.
Ah. A meerkat. I have one of those too, see? Let's see whose is better, shall we? The boy's meerkat uses Tackle, so I instruct Flower to intercept it with Bite. It seems my opponent's meerkat is stronger than mine (he's faster than Flower, at any rate), so I put Smugleaf in charge. He takes the opponent's second Tackle in stride, then strikes back with a Vine Whip. It goes back and forth for a couple of turns, but just when it looks like Smugleaf is gonna drop, the meerkat goes down. That was a hard-fought battle, to say the least, and I think my Pokémon deserve a good rest before I look again for the one who will be the next member of our team.
…Hey, look at that; a useful application for my running shoes: getting back to the Pokémon Center quickly when my Pokémon are hurt!
We're back on the road again after a surprisingly short break, but again I get through the first stretch of grass with no wild Pokémon encountered. I'm starting to wonder if there are even any Pokémon here at all when what should I see but a cute little brown puppy! He Leers at Flower the moment she's out of her Poké Ball, but he does it so adorably that I can't help but think that he needs to be given a particularly sweet nickname.
I tell Flower to use Bite and he recoils from the hit, but he's back on his feet again right away and starts sniffing around before his ears prick up and he stares intently at Flower as though he only just noticed her. I toss a Poké Ball at him (I kinda feel sorry about the fact that it hits him on the nose) and after it sucks him in and shakes around a couple of times it stops moving and the puppy is now a member of our group.
I give a start as the electronic Pokémon device beeps and shows me a picture of my new puppy Pokémon. This again? I already know what the Pokémon looks like; I just caught one, didn't I? I sigh to myself before calling him out to give him a nickname, and with one look I know he can't be called anything but "Cupcake." He gives a yip and runs around in a neat little circle, so he obviously likes the name I picked out for him. I return him to his Ball and then start walking again, but I've scarcely taken one step in the grass before I am set upon by another puppy.
I send Flower out again and start off with Leer this time, but, unlike Cupcake, this puppy jumps right in and uses Tackle. Just as I tell Flower to come back at him with her Tackle attack, he does the same sniffing thing that my puppy had done before I caught him; it's then that I realize it must be Odor Sleuth. I find this odd, since ordinarily it would only be used in one of two instances – ones that I am as yet unable to create – so I guess wild Pokémon don't completely understand the concept of strategizing and recognizing when to use certain moves for the greatest effect; I suppose that's the kind of thing that they need to learn from humans. My assumption is confirmed when he uses Odor Sleuth a second time; any Trainer would know that that move can only be used once against any given opponent if the battle conditions remain unchanged. Another Tackle attack takes him out, and since Flower only took one hit I figure she can battle one more time before I head back to the Pokémon Center again; after all, I do need to heal Cupcake before I can start training him.
Ah, another puppy. This shouldn't be very difficult; two or three Tackles and he'll be done… especially since he's starting out with Odor Sleuth. Gee Whiz. Flower's Tackle sends him flying, but he lands on his feet and comes right back at her with his own Tackle. Flower falls back and lands just beyond my line of sight, but I'm not worried; I tell her to use Tackle again, certain that one more will finish the Pokémon off.
It's a couple of seconds before I realize something must be wrong. Flower hasn't come forward to attack. I look around, wondering if the opponent's attack had landed a critical hit and she was still trying to catch her breath, only to see Flower still on the ground. I call out to her, thinking that maybe she hadn't heard me call out for another attack, but I don't get a response. I gasp and rush to her side. She gives a feeble moan, and I reach over to hold her paw and help her up. That's when I see the large bruise on her stomach, already black-and-blue and looking like it's getting larger even as I watch.
Oh God, no, I plead desperately, putting my other hand behind her head to raise her up a little. I tell her she's going to be alright, but when I see a trickle of blood leak out of the corner of her mouth I realize it's not true. The wild puppy's last Tackle attack must've ruptured something inside her body, causing internal bleeding. That's when I am hit by the awful realization that Flower isn't going to make it. At this moment I see red; before I'm even aware of having stood up, I'm standing over the wild Pokémon and telling Smugleaf to use Vine Whip on him. The puppy recovers quickly and then has the gall to Leer at me as though that was a cheap shot.
That's it. No mercy. Smugleaf seems to feel exactly the same way, because even though I don't give him any direction other than to use Vine Whip again, he wraps his vine tightly around the puppy's neck and jerks him up into the air. I hear a single sharp, strangled yelp, and then… Nothing. No rustling in the grass. No Pokémon voices. No shaking of leaves in the trees. No footsteps of nearby Trainers. None of the usual ambient noise. I don't hear the thump of the puppy's lifeless body hitting the ground. I don't hear the noise from Smugleaf's vines as he retracts them. I don't hear the sound of Smugleaf's Poké Ball when I return him. It's as though someone has turned the world's volume all the way down as I lift my dead Flower into my arms and hug her close. Rigor mortis has not yet set in, but the chill of death is already upon her; without the warmth of her lifeblood, she feels no different from a rag doll. Indeed, that must be what the townspeople thought as I made my return, carrying her with me back to the Pokémon Center.
After healing my remaining Pokémon, I go outside and lay Flower down in the grass at the base of a nearby tree. I then call Smugleaf and Cupcake out of their Poké Balls and inform them that we're going to have a memorial service for Flower. Smugleaf nods solemnly, but Cupcake confusedly cocks his head to one side. I can't bring myself to explain it, so I let Smugleaf tell him while I bury Flower's body and place a large, smooth rock at the head of the mound of dirt covering her. I don't even realize I'm crying until Smugleaf wipes a tear off my cheek. I rub my eyes, not caring that it will probably leave a smear of dirt across my face, then scoop up him and Cupcake into my arms and give them both a kiss. Cupcake responds by licking my face, and despite my grief I can't help but smile slightly as I put them back on the ground. I say a few parting words as Smugleaf carves a short epitaph into the tombstone with his Vine Whip:
R I P
Flower
Killed on Route 2
Avenged by Smugleaf
Not having known Flower, Cupcake merely sits with his head bowed during this time, but when we finish he stands up and lightly presses one paw into the soft earth of her grave. I pat him on the head before putting him back in his Poké Ball. I turn to Smugleaf and give him somber look, which he returns, and then I return him to his Poké Ball as well.
I have barely stood up when suddenly the egg I received from the man in blue in the Pokémon Center begins to glow. I hastily pull it out and hold it, watching with bated breath as it shakes and cracks, finally bursting open with a bright flash. Now sitting in my hands is a baby bird Pokémon; she blinks and looks intently at me, tilting her head to the side as she takes in my appearance. She shifts her wings and makes a small chirping sound, and all at once the noise from the town and the soft sounds of nature both are suddenly audible to me once more.
In that moment I realize that life must go on. I have lost a dear friend and companion, one that I raised and nurtured and loved with all my heart; but I now have a new Pokémon – not just new to me, but new to the world as well – and she needs me to raise her, and nurture her, and love her… love her with all of my heart, because there is really no other way to love. The loss of Flower left a hole inside me that nothing can replace, but this baby bird will help to lessen the pain slightly by giving me more; more to care about, more to feel for, more reason to live.
A/N: That's it for Chapter 1. Please review and continue on to Chapter 2.