Nuzlocke Challenge One:

Don't Let Them Die

Last night I closed my eyes on a world that made sense but since I opened them this morning, it's been anything but.

I didn't even notice at first. What's to notice? On the surface, nothing has changed. Mom wore one of the pastel suits she always did when I came down in the morning, and filled me in on the latest Littleroot gossip while I stuffed bread into the toaster. Moving here from the big city where Dad's last Gym Leader job was, I was once surprised to find out how much everyone new about each other in the small town, but after five years here, I no longer cared. I wish I hadn't tuned her out now – I could have used some warning.

Instead, I swallowed my breakfast, practically whole, and was out the door before I'd buttoned up my jacket. Most of my class had managed to convince their parents to let them take trainer leave, so there was no way to sneak in unnoticed if you were late. I almost knocked for Brendan before I remembered he still wasn't back from field work with his dad, and jogged down the forest path to the schoolhouse to make up some time.

Either I wasn't the only tardy student, or I was faster than I thought; in less than five minutes, Conna's ridiculous blue hair came into view up ahead. I slowed immediately, snuck up until I was close enough to poke her, and took a deep breath.

"HEY CONNA! HOW ARE YOU?"

My friend shrieked and leapt a foot into the air. Her bag hit the ground splurged out a rainbow of pencils, prompting the usual tirade of swears and threats. Conna has the gift of creative cursing so I was laughing as I bent to gather her belongings. I was not, however, laughing as she took that as an opportunity to shove me headfirst into a thornbush off the side of the road.

Now it was my turn to yell, though I was more hurt than angry as I scrambled to my feet and wiping at bloody scratches.

"What the hell, Conna? This definitely counts as 'tangible damage'?"

My bad-tempered friend scowled at me, then at her shoes.

"I'm sorry, Odie. I just…I'm still pissed about my aipom. I didn't mean to hurt you."She glanced up, and I noticed there were bags under his eyes, "You okay?"

"I'm fine. What happened to Loopy?"

Her face tightened. "You know - everyone knows everything in this stupid town – and I don't want to talk about it. Just get out of the bush."

I grabbed the proffered hand but stubbed my toe on something as she tugged me back up the bank to the path. Once up, I turned to see a stubby grey rock, chiselled into a jagged semi-circle sticking out of the ground.

"What is that?"

She glanced over and swallowed, "Looks like a grave. I swear, some people are slower than a confused slowpoke if they think the council won't notice them building this close to the road."

I backed off quickly, "Who would burry a person on the roadside?"

Conna's next words paralysed me as well as any thunder wave.

"Don't be an idiot – it's a pokemon grave." She squatted down, missing my wide-eyed expression, and yanked back a couple thorny branches to read it, "'For Quicky, the best Ninjask ever'. Looks like a kid's etching. Rush job."

I could see that she was aiming for nonchalance, and falling short, but didn't quite know why. I knew the answer was dancing just out of reach, like a pikachu flashing through your peripheral vision, but it wasn't until I raised my gaze to the forest and saw the row of uniform rectangle stones, and the row behind that, and the one behind that, stretching on until eaten up by the leafy gloom, that I caught it.

"Loopy's dead?" I gasped, unthinking, "All of these – they weren't here before – I don't understand." It was fear that brought an angry simmer to my eyes when I fixed them on her, "What's going on, Conna? How could Loopy die? Pokemon don't die!"

"Stop it!" She stood up suddenly, contempt scrawled across her face, "You have right to mock me! I know you're supposed to just get over it, but it's not like breaking a toy, and you have no idea, so just stop!" She whirled around, but not before I saw the tear escape her, "I'm going home."

"Wait!" I reached for her arm, but she dodged, scooped up his bag and set off the way we came with clenched fists. "You have to explain!" I glanced up the path, "And you'll miss school! What shall I tell Clements?"

"Tell her to go blow a tentacruel."

I didn't feel like laughing now. All I could do was dash the rest of the way, slip in just as the bell rang, and try to puzzle out what the hell the deal was with the pokemon graves in the forest during linear algebra.