Chapter 4
AN- Meh. Here's the next chapter. Enjoy and stuff.
Disclaimer: No ownership here. At all. Its pretty damn unsatisfying.
Last time on You've Been NUZLOCKED, Jim gained his first Gym Badge and received an extra addition to his party, a monkey. How will this new member of the group adapt and grow as a character, and what other new friends will Jim make now that he has got past that annoying old man who was blocking off the way to Route 3? find out now, as the adventure continues!
"Look, guys! Ahead!" Jim pointed out two buildings in the distance. His Pokemon trotted alongside him, feeling content. They had the first badge in their possession and they all felt invincible. Even the dim witted, non vocal Roy was pleased, although you could only tell this by the frequency with which he broke wind. The group had grown used to making sure to stay at least two meters away from the fire monkey.
"W-what is it?" Asked Ron.
"I think I know those buildings." Commented Jim. "If I'm not mistaken, the one on the right is the Pokemon daycare centre. You leave someone there and if you come back later they'll be stronger, so its an easy way to power up your 'Mons."
"You aren't gonna abwandon us there, are you~" Simon gave his trainer his best puppy dog expression. Pup gave an actual puppy dog look, so Jim was more impressed with the latter.
"No." Jim shook his head. "Its not abandoning, since I'll be back for you later. Its a help tool."
"So you ARE leaving one of us there!" Pup accused.
"Hey Pup, a Purrloin!" Jim pointed behind the excitable mutt.
"What! Where!?" he began to run around in a circle, looking for the mysterious invisible cat.
"Guys, I've heard that the next gym is harder. If I leave someone there, then the EXP on the road can be shared out more equally. You won't be left behind, your training will just be slow but active, while the others will be quick but infrequent." Informed the trainer. He didn't want any of the group to feel bad if he left them there, its just that training more than three Pokemon to a higher than average level was difficult. Normally Jim wouldn't mind being underlevelled, but this was a Nuzlocke Run. He could take no chances...
"I v-volunteer as tribute!" Ron shouted. "Actually, no idea why I said that." He admitted. "S-seemed like a g-good idea at the time. But yeah, I'll take the hit."
"Thanks again, Ron." Jim gave another smile. First he took the hit for the Cut HM, and now this. Ron was a real damned team player.
After leaving the Patrat in the Daycare...
"We're in a pwayschool, aren't we?~" Asked Simon. "I wuuuvvv pwayschools~"
"Shoulda known..." Grumbled Pup.
"They wuuvvvv to hug and cwuddle me, not like mwaster..." Simon wasn't even hiding his sourness.
"Look, we're MEN!" Insisted Jim. "We're MANLY! No hugs and stuff... we give each other fist bumps and the occasional Bro Hug in very rare situations!"
"Oh..." Again, Simon fwowned... Sorry, I mean Simon frowned. With an R. Look, don't judge me! Those W's are contagious!
"So now we're going to go and beat up these children's Pokemons, because that's just the way we roll! Any problems?"
Pup raised a paw. "Ain't that cruel and mean on so many levels? Ya not gonna take their money too are ya?"
"Maaayyybbbbbeeeee?"
Pup sighed. "I'm partnered with a sociopath..."
XXXXXXXXXX
"See? That wasn't so bad." The sole human remarked as the now trio sat on their arses after having been thrown over the fence to the playground by a concerned minder. "Sure, they kicked us out after that little girl cried when I took all her pocket money, but it would have been more cruel to single them out by not taking the money!"
"Yer still a real terrible person." Remarked Pup. "But I guess yer our terrible person."
"Thanks. I guess." He scratched his head.
"Heeeeyyyyy! Best Friend!" Cried an enthusiastic voice.
"Well damn." Cursed the boy. There were only two... no, three, people who this could be. One of them wanted to liberate his Pokemon, and he would rather the figure be her.
"Its me, Asswipe! Gonna give your bro a Man Hug?" Cheren asked as he threw an unwanted arm round the other trainers shoulders. Then began to poke him in the face, just because he could. "Because, y'know, the two of us are one of a kind. Even if since there's two of us we can't really be one of a kind, but we're cool, right? I mean, we're dudes and Bianca's a chick, so we should totally stick together, and do MAN stuff, right?" He continued to poke Jim, reaffirming Jim's irrational hatred for index fingers which he associated with Cheren.
Jim screamed in terror.
"Didn't Mwaster say that Man stwuff was good?" Commented Simon.
"Yeah, but the boss is just 's hypocritic'l as that N chick or those Plasma Goons. He just has better justification than most."
"BATTLE! BATTLE!" Shouted Jim, throwing the arm off. "Lets get this out the way, then continue as we were, not doing Bro stuff with each other!"
"I don't know..." Cheren was not to be dissuaded, considering he was so content poking Jim's forehead. "You're my first guy friend, so I sort of want to take advantage of it."
"Yes. By BATTLING!" Jim pointed out. A fight he could deal with. Spending large amounts of time doing other stuff he could not.
"I suppose we could do that, Asswipe."
"Name'sn'tAsswipe..." Jim muttered as he gestured for Roy to take the field against Cheren's Snivy. Like the previous fight, it was an imbalanced fight from the start, with Roy's type advantage giving way too much leverage despite Snivy's higher level. It ended how you would expect it to, with a snake suffering from Incinerate attacks.
"Come on out, Purrloin!"
"Why does everyone have one of those things?" Questioned Jim. "Aren't there any other damned Pokemon this early in?" The trainer shrugged. "Who really cares? Pup, take over."
"It'll be a pleasure." He growled as he leapt at the panic stricken feline. Several tackles later (because the new Bite was ineffective against a dark type) and again Pup was victorious.
"We really are on a roll." Grinned Jim. He couldn't see how his team could ever loose against such low level Pokemon.
"Well, you got me." Conceded the rival. "Now, where were we..."
"Out of the wayyyyy!" Shrieked a rocket grunt, followed by a second carrying a small, struggling sack, as they dashed past the duo.
"Well, that was weird." Admitted Cheren. "Back to male bonding!"
"Quick!" Shouted a familiar girl's voice. "After those men!"
"Hey Bianca! I'm bonding with our Best Friend! Any ideas?"
"Try hugging him." Suggested Bianca as she reached them, along with a random little girl. "It always leaves him breathless."
"Sure!" Cheren leapt for the other male, whom took evasive action, throwing himself into a nearby patch of grass and accidentally knocking out a passing Blitzle. Jim, realising this was the first wild Pokemon he had seen for the route, decided to take advantage of the situation and catch the unconscious electric type, even if it hadn't been a proper Pokemon battle.
"Sparky." He named as the Pokeball captured the male specimen.
"Hug!" Shouted Cheren, going in for a second attempt.
"No hugs!" Insisted Jim.
"Poke?"
"NO POKES!"
"Anyway, bad people stole this little girl's Pokemon!" Claimed Bianca, at which Cheren responded in a large 'GASP!'. "So we need to get it back from Team Plasma!"
"Why do we need to do it?" Asked the boy, placing emphasis on the 'we'. He still fully intended to stay away from the duo with at least a long pointed stick between them.
"Because we're the good guys!" Stated Cheren. "Now come, Asswipe, let us march together and get that girl's Pokemon back!"
"Hang on, that guy beat up the other preschooler's Pokemon and took their money!" The random little girl finally caught on.
"Don't wanna..." Moaned Jim. Cheren grabbed him around the neck and began to drag him off.
"We'll stay here!" Shouted Bianca cheerfully. "Don't know why, because if all of us went there then we'd totally overpower them, but I suppose that we can watch the clouds!"
"That one wooks like a wude thing~" Giggled Simon as he and the rest of Jim's team trailed behind Cheren as he dragged a cursing trainer behind him into Wellspring Cave.
XXXXXXXXXX
"That was far too simple." Decided Jim, leaving the cave reluctantly alongside Cheren, who was wrapped tighter around his chest than an Arbok. Luckily the glasses wearing youth didn't have a grip half as tough as his female counterpart did, so he irritably accepted it.
"How the hell did I get into this mess?" Asked Sparky rhetorically, now that he was accompanying the group of Pokemon on foot.
"Our trainer accidentally tripped up and knocked yer out." Reminded Pup.
"Well I knew that." Snapped Sparky. "Thanks' for pointing out the obvious, it was really helpful!"
"Can we be bwest fweinds~?" Asked Simon cheerfully.
"Sod off." Rebutted Sparky. "I'm in this purely because I'm obliged to be now that he's got me."
"Don't worry, you can be my friend!" The other newest arrival happily decided. The Woobat that had been caught in the cave after Team Plasma had been beaten was a rather cheerful fellow, which kind of juxtaposed the Pokemon Jim had been hoping for after calling him Bruce, in loving memory of the secret identity of Batman. Alas, he was far too pleasant to be a Dark Knight, especially since Bruce was, quite frankly, pink in some places. What sort of a Dark Knight was pink?
Jim was happy with his capture though, because he was a psychic type, so always welcome.
"Hey brat, we got your Pokemon back." Informed Jim. He managed to finally get Cheren off him by having given him the sack, thus forcing Cheren to let go of his 'Best Friend' in order for him to open the bag. Jim felt it was a brilliant master plan.
"Here it is, little girl!" From inside the bag dropped a Purrloin.
"Hang on, that's not my Pokemon!" Claimed the girl.
"Tough luck." Snapped Jim. "I'm off. Smell ya later!"
"What sort of a line is-"
"Shut. Up. Bianca. It. Is. Totally. Cool. Because. Gary. Friggin'. Oak."
XXXXXXXXXX
Simon hummed 'back on the road again', as Jim led his team through all the random encounters left to fight and all the remaining trainers. Sparky was the main training target, since Bruce had been captured at a decent level, while Sparky had been underleveled. This caused Pup to laugh at the other four legged party member, resulting in the two deciding that they had a firm hatred for each other. Bruce lovingly called it a rivalry. Simon decided it was Hate-Love. Roy farted.
"Lets finish this off!" Called out Jim to Sparky, who gave a snort at the order. The zebra based Pokemon leapt back, letting Pup take over, much to both Pokemon's annoyance. Jim figured that Pup was the closest to levelling up, and that since the opponent was a level 13 Blitzle as well, it would be faster if the puppy took over.
"Its only level thirteen, and you've got full health!" Declared Jim confidently. "Bite the sucker!"
"Oh really?" Asked the opposing trainer with an odd grin. It was a schoolboy called Ali, or Alpha, or Al, or Alphonse of something. The names kinda blur together after awhile. "That so?"
"Yes." Said Jim. "Kick his ass."
"Shockwave." Smirked Al, his face for a moment distorting into that of a troll. The next moment there was a flash of thunder, then Pup was no longer biting the zebra. No, Pup was writhing on the floor as the lightning surged through him.
"STOP!" Insisted Jim, seeing his Pokemon stop struggling. The boy almost heard the words resound in the air around him.
Critical. Hit.
Pup. Fainted.
"Ha!" Laughed Al.
"Shut up!" Jim rushed to his Pokemon's side. "Talk to me, Pup!"
"Did I do good, boss?" Croaked out Pup as he laid in the arms of his shocked trainer. "I do... good?"
"The best." Stated Jim. "The best. Don't worry, you're talking! I'll get a potion, then!"
Alas, Pup was dying.
"N-no!" Struggled Pup. "Ain't that the rules? I'm gone... its too late, boss. I'm dead, boss."
"I didn't know..." Trailed off Jim, moisture starting to drip from his eyes. The boy didn't bother trying to wipe the liquid away, only gripping Pup's shocked body tighter. "What sort of a Pokemon has Shockwave at level 13?"
"Actually, we Blitzle learn it at level 11." Commented Sparky offhandedly.
"Shut up!" Snapped Simon, for once abandoning his cutsey actions. "He's dying! He can't be dying!"
"What sort of a rational Pokemon learns Shockwave at level eleven!" Corrected Jim.
"Not... your fault." Said Pup quietly. "Yer were a good partn'r. Kind... strong. Yer weren't t' know."
"You can't die!" Sobbed Jim. "You're my first catch, we're a team! You haven't even evolved yet!"
"It don't matter." Pup coughed weakly, slipping away. "I did it though, didn't I? I showed 'em all... I helped beat that Gym, and I kicked ass... I showed 'em."
"Save your strength!" He shouted, already grabbing a Potion and slotting it into the dying Pokemon's mouth. "Drink!"
No. It was too late. Jim decided it was time to let Pup slip away into deaths embrace...
"NO!" Roared Jim, refusing to accept such a fate. He had medicine, and Pup wasn't gone yet... "Drink, Pup!"
But Jim faltered. He WAS in a Nuzlocke Run. He knew the risks when he agreed to start the challenge. Should a Pokemon faint, he shall die.
"I don't care about this challenge." Admitted Jim. "I just want you to live. Drink!"
No. That's against the rules.
"Screw the rules!"
Unfortunately, Jim's hand slipped and the bottle fell...
The bottle fell from Pup's mouth, shattering on the floor. Jim went for the next Potion.
Its against the rules, hero. Jim knew that it was a good thing that the bottle fell. He had nearly broken his challenge, broken the rules. Surely you don't want to break the rules?
Jim didn't know where the sudden feeling that he should let Pup die came from, but he ignored it. "To hell with the rules! Live!" He brought the Potion from his bag.
Well then, it appears that our hero is breaking the rules. Why not? Unfortunately there is a punishment; a consequence to every action; an effect for every cause.
Jim froze up, the Potion literally not in his hand anymore. Where? No idea. He was too scared to move...
Jim wanted to do nothing more than pull out a potion.
No, he was TOO SCARED TO MOVE!
The world seemed to freeze as Jim found that he was unable to move in any way whatsoever. All was cold. The next thing he heard was another blast of lightning and a voice crying out. He spun, able to move, seeing that the enemy Blitzle had turned on the next Pokemon on his party, and had nailed the sole Flying type with a Shockwave.
"BRUCE!" Cried Jim.
Rules are there for a reason, Jim. Nobody should break them. In fact, you don't want to know what would happen if they were broken again...
"Jim..."
"Pup, I'm here!" He turned his tear filled eyes back to his dying Pokemon.
"Thanks. Fer everythin'. I was never strong, but yer made me. I'm THE Lilypup of Route 1, ain't I? And I'm YER Lilypup, ain't I?" He whimpered desperately.
"Yes," Sobbed Jim. "You are."
"'M glad." And so Pup passed away, his suffering over with, and Jim was left with one less Pokemon in his party.
"Hahaha!" Laughed Schoolboy Al. "Not so tough now, huh?"
"Incinerate." Declared Jim neutrally as he settled the small body carefully on the floor. "Incinerate. Incinerate!"
Roy followed the commands, burning the offending Blitzle until he could not be burnt anymore.
"What the hell!?"
"Shut up!" Jim walked up to the other boy and punched him right in the face. "You killed Pup, you asshole!"
"And the other one." He smirked.
"Damn! Bruce!" Jim rushed back to the other Pokemon that had taken a Shockwave. "Bruce!" He cried out.
He was dead.
Alas, Bruce too was dead. He had fainted, and would never wake up again... not even able to say any last words. "Bruce! Bruce! PUP!" He cried out to the sky, desperately wishing that the world would suit his damned mood and rain, so his tears would not be so noticeable.
And so our hero, at long last, had his first loss. The price for his arrogance and unreadiness was Pup, his first captured Pokemon, and old friend, and his newest companion, Bruce the Woobat. What will happen next? Will Jim continue his adventure, or would he Break the Rules? Will he succeed, or will he fail miserably? Will he face more loss, or will he learn from this sorrow he has faced and become all the more cautious because of it? Find out in the next chapter of You've Been NUZLOCKED!
AN- Well, I suppose I had to lose a Pokemon eventually. In my defence, how was I supposed to know that a level thirteen Pokemon could have Shockwave? Still, feel free to give feedback if you want. Undying Soul out.