Author's Notes: This piece was inspired by my Pokémon Ruby game cart. If you've played Ruby or Sapphire, you'll probably agree that the animation for a Pokémon evolving looks like it's giving off some kind of energy. Knowing this/having seen it will probably help in understanding this story.
Disclaimer: I do not own Pokémon.
Edit: As of August 3 2006, what is presented here is a revised version of this story. Again, nothing but slight changes here and there.
Evolution
Evolution. It is a natural part of almost every Pokémon's life cycle. By evolving, a Pokémon gains great strength, new abilities, and new attributes to help him or her in battle. Or in contest, a concept created by the Humans. Either way, for all of the planet's time, evolution occurred and was accepted by all.
But what even the Pokémon themselves, let alone the Humans, didn't know, was the great importance of evolution, not to the individual Pokémon or the Human who possessed the creature, but to the planet itself. Every time one of these creatures evolved, they emitted a special energy. This energy quickly seeped back into the core of the planet once it was made; it was what kept it alive and thriving. Without this energy, the planet would become unlivable.
But again, the Humans did not know this.
So it was no surprise what chain of events they would soon set into motion. The governments from all of the countries of the planet began to insist that evolution never happened again.
"Evolution makes a Pokémon stronger, yes! But it changes their minds, makes them too aggressive! Too many times has a Pokémon gone out of control because of the strength and aggression it gains with evolution!" cried many politicians.
"They are a threat to us and their own kind!" cried others.
"Do not evolve your Pokémon! Instead, embrace the power they already have!" shouted supporters of the idea.
Some Pokémon trainers protested. Others did not care. And still others thought that the governments had the right idea. Why did they have to evolve? Were they not strong or good enough already? Could they not achieve greatness by being what they were now? The Humans debated over and over again on the issue. But eventually, they agreed.
No more evolution.
But how to prevent it? "Simple," said some. Those who owned the creatures could simply give their Pokémon Everstones; the one item known so far that could stop a Pokémon from evolving.
"But surely there aren't enough of those stones to give to everyone. And what about the Pokémon who have already evolved?" asked others. Simple, those few replied again. Let them live out their days; the goal was to prevent any more Pokémon evolutions from ever occurring again. Though the lack of enough Everstones proved to be a concern.
"What about those in the wild?" Those others asked. This could not be answered, at least not immediately. Funding soon went into finding a more practical way to ensure that wild or tamed Pokémon did not evolve. Ideas were brought up and ideas were rejected. Eventually, the combination of specially developed drugs and microchips were put into use, the microchips being used on the tamed and the drugs being administered to the wild. It was an incredible scientific breakthrough. It would be an incredible endeavor to pull off. But what did the Pokémon think about all this?
Surprisingly, almost none of them protested. Like Humans, they either did not care, were afraid of the so called "aggression and changes" that evolving would cause, or were perfectly fine with who they were. The many people who worked and lived with Pokémon soon accepted it as well. In fact, they saw it as a new challenge, another obstacle to conquer, and another way to prove that "I'm the best".
The evolution laws were only slightly changed to allow the "baby" Pokémon to evolve, so they could reach their adult states. But otherwise, the laws held firm.
And the planet slowly died.
Of course, the problems that arose from denying the planet the energy it needed was not connected to the new evolution laws. The Humans blamed themselves, what with their consumption of oils and other natural resources, not to mention their other destructive behaviors. That was what was made the planet too hot. That was what polluted the air and land and water. That was what killed the forests and oceans and all that lived in them. In their fervor to cope with the symptoms, the possibility that the lack of evolution was the problem was never considered. For once, the Humans, universally, all cared about how they were affecting the planet and about what they could do to help it.
How ironic that when the Humans cared the most, the planet suffered the greatest.
Without enough energy to support it, the planet began to decay. Water dried up and food could no longer be grown; famine occurred all around the world. Fires ravaged homes and cities, striking now that the opportunity was right and the lands were dry. Forests died out. Oceans became huge stretches of sludge. Earthquakes, tsunamis, mudslides, and tornadoes destroyed everything in sight. Death and despair were rampant. Pokémon and Humans alike were left with nowhere to go. Nothing could be done to stop the onslaught of Mother Nature.
Eventually, the Humans' money and remaining resources went towards leaving the planet, in hopes of finding a new world to go to. Spaceships and rockets were built and loaded with Pokémon and Humans. They blasted off; forever leaving the world they once knew and loved, still wondering what had gone wrong.
And with the exodus of all living beings, the planet was left alone. It sat there in space, continuing to waste away. And then…
…nothing more.
The End.