Author note: First apologies, because I did plan to have a new story up much, much earlier than this. Sorry to anyone who has been waiting and thank you everyone for your patience.
This story took a long time to get out, especially since I didn't know exactly what I wanted to write. (I was originally going to write a Nuzlocke-based story but I failed the Nuzlocke - all my poor pokemon were wiped out.) Eventually, I decided to use the Nuzlocke data to write this story - about a 16-year old who gets her chance to travel and be a pokemon trainer.
I'm going to try and update once a week (once a month at the very slowest) and probably on weekends.
Enjoy! And reviews would be lovely!
Chapter 1 – Away from Home
The dry taste of dust in Nessa's mouth made her cough. Her chest rattled as she sat up. Miraculously, she didn't seem to be injured. Her right sleeve was ripped and there were slits in her jeans but that was all.
As she looked around she spotted her bag. It was only the light radiating off the left strap that allowed her to see it. She stumbled to her feet and lurched forward.
It appeared she was hurt after all. Pain shot up her leg, radiating from her ankle. She reached out and pulled her bag close to her, hugging it tightly to her chest.
"I need to thank Eric the next time I see him," she said to herself, trying to calm down. Eric had been the one to give her the small light as a gift.
She unclipped the light; a small, round light like those that were sometimes attached to keys, and moved the beam to look around.
She was surrounded by a condensed rock walls on two sides and the path behind her was blocked by more loose rocks. The path before her was also filled with crumbling rocks, but there appeared to be a path she could climb through. She could hear the tinkling, shuffling and groaning of rocks moving and it made her sick to her stomach.
"I can't believe it," she mumbled, fumbling with the light. Once again, she climbed to her feet, leaning against a pile of rocks to lessen the weight on her injured ankle. "The tunnel collapsed." She kept talking as she found the silence unnerving. "Rusturf Tunnel collapsed."
She shuffled forward, pushing her way through a path of rocks.
"Why now?" she questioned, still talking out loud. "There were no warnings of earthquakes or anything." A small sound interrupted her monologue. She looked around, tracing the light over the grey and brown rocks. "Hello?"
After a few moments of straining her ears in the silence, she heard it again. A small whimper. She dropped her light lower, searching the ground before she found the source.
A small, round and pink Pokémon with large pink ears with yellow tips lay trembling on the ground, encased and almost crushed by rocks.
Nessa quickly stumbled down the rock fall, heading straight for the Pokémon. She had heard that Whismur lived in the cave but she had never seen one before.
"Hey, you okay?" she asked the Pokémon softly. She held out a hand to it, brushing it just above it cross eyes. Its body trembled and it let out another whimper. She pulled her bag into her lap and reached inside.
"This Pokéball was a gift from my sister," she explained as she pulled out the white Premier Ball and held it in her hand. "To tell you the truth, I forgot about it until now. If you get inside it, you won't get hurt and I'll be able to carry you to safety. What do you think?"
She lightly tossed the ball at the Pokémon, nervous energy rushing through her body as it encased the Whismur in bright light and closed. It shuddered for a few moments as the Pokémon moved to get comfortable and then went still.
Nessa breathed a sigh of relief as she picked up the now still ball. She looked at the small Pokémon inside and smiled.
She wouldn't feel silly talking out loud now.
Everyone was in a panic. Dust was still billowing out of the cave entrance, the Pokémon either scrambling away or helping others out. The people were standing around, many with their Pokégear out, checking that everyone was out and safe. One of the hikers, a large man known as Hiker Mike, was barking out orders to others.
"Send for more potions! The injured need to head for that house just there for treatment! If you saw anything suspicious, for goodness sakes, report it! And someone get Roxanne here!"
Nessa stumbled out right into the chaos. She coughed and hacked, the fresh air both fresh and painful. Her grip tightened around the Pokéball as she looked around. The sight of the trees and grass made her heart both soar and sink.
She was out but at the wrong exit. And she knew that she wouldn't be able to go back through the tunnel.
"Did you just come out of the cave?" A booming voice asked, a figure in a green jacket moving into her sight. She flinched at the harshness of the voice and found herself coughing again.
Eyes watering, she could only nod.
The next thing she knew, there was a rush of air as hands gripped her legs and chest and she was hoisted up.
"When Roxanne gets here, send her to me!" the person holding her shouted before walking off.
"I can walk," she finally coughed out. She tried to sound outraged but her voice croaked and spluttered.
"The name's Mike," the man said, ignoring her. "And you are?"
"Nessa," she responded with another cough, "Nessa Triz." She held up the Pokéball. "And this Whismur needs treatment first, I found it injured in the tunnel."
Mike looked at her, then at the Pokéball and nodded.
"It'll be done," he assured her, "now; do you have any family you need to call?"
She ignored the panic that swelled up in her chest. She was not looking forward to explaining this to any of her family. She zipped open her bag, which was resting on her stomach, and grabbed her Pokégear.
To her dismay, it was broken and the screen cracked. She hadn't noticed that in the tunnel.
"I don't know the numbers," she said to Mike, "but, my sister works in Rustboro, I can find her."
"That might have to wait," he informed her in a serious tone, removing his hand from her side long enough to open the door of a wooden house.
Instantly, Nessa was assaulted by the sharp scent of antibacterial items. She looked out and swallowed. There were cots set up along two of the walls of the house. Except for a long table; which had been turned into a desk, there was no normal furniture in the house. Women in white coats pushed metal trolleys of bandages, medicine and sharp things she preferred not to look at.
Sitting, or lying, on the cots were people being checked over. Nessa spotted a man with a large gash on his right arm, which was bleeding freely. She also noticed a few people with bandaged legs. Everyone was covered in dust and grime and she could see that a lot of people would be sporting bruises in a few hours.
"Give this girl a look over," Mike said, placing her on a cot and addressing a nearby woman in white. "She just came out of the tunnel." The woman gave a sharp gasp. "Yeah, she's also brought out an injured Pokémon, so give it a look over too. And she's got a sister in Rustboro, see if you can contact her." Mike turned to her. "What's your sister's name?"
"Elisa Triz," she responded automatically, running her hands nervously over the Pokéball. She was tired, her eyelids fluttering in exhaustion. It had been a long day.
She opened her eyes to a woman demanding answers and a heavy weight on her chest.
"Good afternoon." She jumped at the sound of her sister's voice.
Long brown hair which was tied up in a flowing ponytail was the first thing she noticed. The seconded was the weak smile she was giving.
"You had us worried," Elisa told her. She then pointed at Nessa's ankle. One of the women, a nurse, had wrapped it tightly in bandages before she went to sleep.
"It's not even broken," she responded, "I only have to be careful to not make it worse."
Her sister frowned in disbelief.
"Have you told Mum and Dad?" Nessa asked.
"Considering the circumstances, they welcomed the news that you're okay. But, the tunnel's going to be closed for months."
"I'm not going to be able to get home, am I?" Nessa's stomach sunk.
Her sister sighed. "If you were a Pokémon trainer, you'd be able to."
Nessa nodded. She had already realised that. Her brother; the Pokémon trainer of the family, was able to fly on Pokémon to any city he knew. It was definitely the best way to travel.
"By the way, what's with that Pokémon? I've been told you rescued it but nothing else."
Nessa looked at the Whismur. It seemed happier now and its wounds were gone. The little round Pokémon, which had been the source of the weight on her chest, was sitting in her lap and tugging at its ears in play.
Unconsciously, Nessa had been petting the Pokémon as they talked. She stilled her hand and looked up at her sister.
"I found it trapped under some rocks and I had the Pokéball you gave me so-"
"You caught it."
Nessa nodded and added, "it was the easiest thing to do."
"Sorry to interrupt." A woman in a navy blue uniform dress walked up to them. "I just want to talk to our survivor here."
Nessa caught the word 'survivor'. Rather than being comforting, it sent a shiver of fear up her spine. It reminded her just how close she had come to being crushed under the rocks.
"I'm Roxanne, the Rustboro City Gym Leader." She held out a hand and Nessa shook it. Roxanne then shook hands with her sister. She even gave Whismur's small arm a little shake. "In light of this disaster, we're working at setting up temporary accommodation for those people stuck in the wrong town. I understand that another Gym Leader has travelled to Verdanturf Town and is in the process of setting up something similar there.
"Unfortunately, there's little we can do to transport people like Nessa back home. Flying Pokémon won't be able to travel back and forth between the two towns for long. They will tire, not to mention that it's dangerous.
"However, Mr. Briney; a sailor who lives on the other side of Petalburg Woods, is willing to ferry people to Slateport City with a stopover in Dewford Town. He leaves in three days."
"You can walk from Slateport to Mauville back to Verdanturf," Elisa realised.
Roxanne nodded.
"Unfortunately, it is a bit of a dangerous journey. We've received word that the Cycling Road has been forced to close, so people have to walk through Pokémon territory."
"I don't have a bike on me anyway," Nessa pointed out. All she did have was her bag and what it contained.
"Nessa!" her sister barked, sounding scandalised, "you're not seriously thinking about this! You can just stay with me until the tunnel is clear."
"But, Elisa," she whined, "it's less dangerous than travelling normally; after all, other people are going." She looked at Roxanne and the Gym Leader nodded in agreement. "And they're trainers. So, maybe I can find someone to protect me."
"Nessa," her sister sighed, "you know that we don't have the money to travel. What will you do for food? Sleep?"
Nessa fell silent. She knew that money could be an issue when travelling. She also knew that Eric had a tough few weeks when he started out.
But, "I could battle Pokémon," she responded, "that's how Eric made money."
"Nessa, you're not a trainer," Elisa reminded her.
"She already has one Pokémon," Roxanne pointed out, "as for starting money and the trainer licence, well, I can help with that. Come to the gym tomorrow and I can have a licence made up for you."
"Really?" Nessa asked, it sounded unbelievable. Excitement bubbled through her veins. The Pokémon in her lap wriggled and gave a cheer.
Roxanne laughed.
"I think everyone noticed that that Whismur likes you. Train it up a little and we'll see what happens."
"What do you mean, 'see what happens'?" Nessa questioned.
"If a trainer manages to defeat a Gym Leader, they get a cash reward," Elisa told her, "it's not much, at least, not at Rustboro but, it should be enough to get you going."
"That's right," Roxanne said happily, "I'll be in the gym tomorrow morning at 10 for our battle."
Nessa's mouth opened. She dropped her gaze to the Pokémon in her lap, which was glaring up at her with determination, and she knew that she wanted to take this chance.
Her sister wasn't as convinced. Especially when she had to piggyback Nessa half of the way back to Rustboro because the younger girl wasn't supposed to walk.
Rustboro City was just as she remembered it. A bustling city filled with buildings reaching into the sky. The main road was white and paved a path through the city. It also branched off, leading travellers to important buildings; such as the Pokécentre, Pokémart, Pokémon gym and the Devon Corporation building.
Elisa walked down the white path until they stood before a light blue building with a red roof and clouded automatic doors.
"The gym?" Nessa questioned, noticing the sign beside the door. Tapped to the front of the doors was another sign; this one stating 'closed'.
"Now that you know the way, you won't need me to bring you here," Elisa announced, crossing her arms. She still disapproved, even seeing her sister battle wild Pokémon on the way. "And if you're going to do this, you're going to need another Pokémon."
She pulled out a Pokéball and passed it to her.
Nessa stared at her sister in shock, before moving her shocked gaze to the Pokéball. Inside, she could see a small, wriggly red Wurmple; the yellow spike on its head and the two yellow spikes on its tail standing out.
"I caught it a few days ago with the intention of raising it up for contests," Elisa said, "but, I haven't got the time."
Nessa nodded, although she wasn't really listening. She felt like a little girl, not almost a woman at sixteen.
"If you're going to beat this gym in a day, we'd better get training," Elisa said, taking a step to the side.
As her support suddenly vanished from under her, Nessa stumbled into the air where her sister had been. She hissed in pain as her weight shifted to her injured foot.
She looked up to see Elisa heading down the street and off the white path.
Muttering silent curses, Nessa hobbled after her sister-turned-teacher.