Double-Edge

Arrowfoot's LeafGreen Nuzlocke

Chapter 1: Introduction

I didn't ask to go on a journey. I never wanted this.

Actually, never is a strong word. Maybe there was one time I wanted to go on a journey, and do about a bajillion other things. Because, you know, I was Arrow, the Arrow, the one that everyone in the south side of Saffron knew. I had a new reputation, I was a completely different person from the boring me of before, and you know what? I could do fucking anything. Or, at least, I thought I could.

But I'm eighteen now, and I've been around the block a few times more than the average teenager. I've seen and done things that I sure as hell wish I hadn't seen and done, but there's not much I can do to change that, is there? I just gotta keep living my calm life in Pallet Town, helping out in the Prof's lab and-

Oh, but wait, I'm getting ahead of myself. You'll hear enough about that once we actually get this story started. My real point is, shit's about to go down, and you'd probably like to know the ground rules, wouldn't you?

So here's the deal. I'll have actual reasons for all these shitty rules once we get going with this actual Nuzlocke, but it's nice to have 'em at least mentioned here to start out with.

First of all, I can't take care of a zillion pokémon, and Oak – inspiration though he may be to us all – can't take care of all of them for me, either. So the first pokémon on any route that I see is the only pokémon I'm allowed to catch. Simple as that. Shiny exception, though, since Arceus has gotta be tellin' me something important if he's throwing someone that rare in my face.

If a pokémon 'faints,' well… Let's just say that things aren't as peachy as games would have you think. It doesn't happen often, but pokémon can get carried away, and one pokémon might just end up dead in the heat of battle. And nowadays this seems to be happening more and more often, and no one really knows why. So if a pokémon 'faints,' that actually means it's dead, and I've gotta release it at the soonest opportunity. And shinies and their sparkly special butts are not exempt from this.

HOWEVER, when I say that shit's about to go down, I mean it. And it's not just for my pokémon. Sure, in an ideal world, humans would never possibly be caught up in the fuck that goes down in pokémon battles, and we'd all live forever and blah blah blah. But that's not how it happens, not really. There'll be bad guys who purposefully go after trainers, and I might even try and take a hit to save one of my own pokémon from dying. I know, I'm such a selfless martyr, right? Risking myself and all that jazz.

But that's where this whole 'double-edge' thing comes in, because the benefits of a pokémon journey don't necessarily outweigh its costs. Though I might seem like the great, almighty Arrow to you, truth is I don't take well to scares. I've got heart problems and the like – nothing I bring up in casual conversation, 'cuz in a sleepy town like Pallet, it hardly matters. Not to mention, I'm just a human. If I do get caught in a battle somehow, I'm gonna get screwed over something bad. So here's what's going down.

I'm starting out with 100 HP. If I jump in to help one of my pokémon, it costs a whopping 1/3 of my total HP. And if I don't have a revive on hand to heal them right after the battle is over, then tough luck – they're dead, and even if I'm feeling in a self-sacrificing mood, there's nothing I can do.

If a pokémon dies and I don't save it, I lose 10 HP.

Another 5 HP any time a pokémon goes into the red.

3 HP if a pokémon goes straight from full health to orange.

2 HP any time a pokémon uses self-destruct or explosion against one of my pokémon.

1 HP any time a trainer's pokémon lands a critical hit.

And if I run out of HP… Well, I'm dead. But I'm sure as hell gonna do everything I can to avoid that, 'cuz I don't want to fucking die any time soon.

Additionally, any time something major happens in my journey – maybe because of one of the previously mentioned unfortunate circumstances, or just something in the course of the plot – then additional rules and penalties might be added, such as item restriction or numerous other rules. Yeah, I know, it sucks. But what the fuck am I supposed to do about it, huh? After all, I don't even want to go on this stupid journey. But it doesn't look like I've got much of a choice.

So in that case… Kanto, prepare yourself, 'cuz Arrowfoot is coming.

It's time to do some Nuzlocke, bitches.

Real life Arrowfoot here with a few things to say! Firstly, as you can probably tell, this story will be a first for me in that it not only has cursing, but it's got a lot of it. I hope this doesn't offend any of my dedicated watchers, but it fits well with what I want out of this fic. Although due to this and maybe some other more adult references later on, I'm rating it M... Wish I didn't have to, but I'm pretty sure it definitely falls within it due to all the cursing alone.

Secondly, the rules are listed more plainly on my profile, so check them out there if you're still confused.

Thirdly, I'll only be playing far enough ahead in the actual Nuzlocke in order to write the coming chapter or two, and never more. I want to be as in the dark as you as to who's gonna be a teammate, who's gonna die, etc. On that same note: though I have the plot basically planned out, there is a TON that's gonna depend on the rolls of chance - what temperaments my pokémon get, when pokémon die, how much damage Arrow takes, etc.

(Fourthly) Because of all this uncertainty, I'm more or less just writing this for fun, and not taking it too seriously. The damage to trainer is a rule (or, rather, set of rules) that I came up with myself, and as such is highly experimental. As far as I know, I might find myself without my main character halfway through the fic. But when I say I'm not taking this too seriously, that's not to say I'm not trying to make a good story of it by any means! It just means that the plot won't be quite as complex as some of my past fics, and I'll have to roll with the punches. And if you choose to read on, you'll be there with me as I go through triumph and loss in the course of the journey through Kanto. The main purpose of this fic is that I want to give more life to the pokémon in my Nuzlocke, because Arceus only knows how much I freaking love to do Nuzlocke Challenges. And if you don't know what a Nuzlocke Challenge is, google it - the original Nuzlocke Challenge comic is wonderful, as are a zillion others that are floating around on the Internet.

Lastly, and most importantly, updates will be sporadic, and will in no way interfere with the minimum weekly updates of Defenders of Warmth.