Pokemon: Nuzlocke
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Chapter 3: Expectations...
East Celadon Forest
I didn't do much for another week, alternating between laying in bed all day and scouring the internet for interesting information. Odin spent much of this time lounging around, never really leaving my side. It wasn't till day five that I realized just how far I had fallen. Mom had just finished putting dinner out and called me to eat.
"You know…" She started, quietly. "Billy, you don't have to continue your journey. There are other paths that don't require badges. I could enter you in Rancher school? Breeding and raising Pokemon is just as fulfilling as going the gym route..."
I was startled, really. I hadn't realized that my moping around had her thinking I wanted to quit.
"No mom...Thank you for the offer, but I just needed a bit to get over everything." I told her as we started to eat. "I'll be ready to leave tomorrow."
"What? No, Billy, I wasn't worried. Everyone has a Pokemon die at some point. I'm just sorry that yours was on day one, and I knew that it would really affect you. Many people much older than you quit shortly after." She replies.
"Well, no worries. I know what I did wrong, and I'll be much more careful this time."
"You have everything, right?" She asks as I finish packing my backpack.
I nod, before making my way to the door.
"Is there anything else you need? Anything I can do to help?" She asks. "You could stay a few more days if you need?"
I stop at the door, my hand on the knob. Something had been bugging me for the past two days, and she might know the answer. The answer could be common knowledge, which would give away my lack of knowledge. Throwing caution to the wind, I turn back to my mom.
"How did my Weedle get poisoned?" I ask.
"What do you mean?" She asks, startled. "He was poisoned while fighting your Nidoran, right?"
"Yes, but Weedle is Poison type and I thought they couldn't be poisoned?" I reply, looking down.
"Oh! No, that's a common misconception. Poison types are immune to poison, but only their specific type of poison. Nidoran and their family produce a different type from what Weedles are immune too. Even then though, types don't give the entire picture, because the Bug Poison-type Pokemon Ariados and Spinarak hunt other Bug types. There is a lot of background on the different types of Poison, and which Pokemon produces what type. I thought they would go over that in school though…" She tells me, looking thoughtful.
"They did, I must have just forgotten," I reply lamely. 'Shit! This is way more complicated than I expected.'
She comes over to me, pulling me in for another hug. "If you need me, call me Billy. I know this has been a rough start, but you can do it."
I hug her back, thanking her for the vote of confidence. I quickly make my way out of the house and start heading east. As horrible as it was to see the first Pokemon I've ever caught die, I know I need to keep moving forward. The fact that everyone in the center seemed to feel for me was actually pretty uplifting. I was here in the world of Pokemon for the time being, and all I could do was keep moving forward. Giving up wasn't an option, considering I was in this world till I die again.
I pull up my map and see the northwest forest outside of Celedon still flashing red. From the previous experience, I knew that meant I would be unable to catch anything there. I use the touchscreen to zoom in and explore the maps functions better. The area around Celedon is divided into four sections, only one of which is flashing red. It seemed that the areas around each city were divided into sections, and were associated with the city close by till about two miles out. That meant I could still catch Pokemon in NE, SE, and SW Celedon Forest without having an issue from this 'Nuzlocke' thing. Further south of Celedon was a large ocean and more forest, but both were unnamed. I assumed that I could catch there as well.
"Time to make the best of this…" I tell myself, before setting out.
Half an hour later I was in SW Celedon Forest going through the paces with Odin again. Fighting low leveled Rattata and Pidgey wasn't giving him much in the way of experience, but he was only twenty away when I started out anyway.
"Odin, Peck!" I order as he dodges a gust.
He lands and spins quickly, throwing himself at the Pidgey's back, slamming into it with a nice thud and knocking it to the ground. It's HP drops into the red, and it passes out.
Battle Over!
Billy Lvl 2 +16 exp (698 till level 3)
Odin(Nidoran) Lvl 8 + 16 exp
Level up! Odin is now Lvl 9 and needs 75 exp to level up again.
Odin has learned Double Kick.
I swipe away the alert and return Odin to his Pokeball. He's only down about ten percent of his HP, which is safe enough. He's rapidly out leveling the Pokemon in this area, so I don't see there being much chance of him getting seriously hurt. Reclipping his ball to my belt, I look around the area checking each of the info bars and names I can see.
Jackie
My eyes narrow at a name I can see floating in the distance through the trees and brush. I hadn't seen a person's name before out here, so this was new to me. The fact that it was moving around erratically definitely counted as weird. I considered for a moment not heading that way, and instead just skirting the area, but curiosity got the better of me. I work my way in that direction. It wasn't easy to go quietly, tripping over a few hidden branches in the brush, but I did eventually make it close enough to hear some of what was going on.
"Ahhh!" A high pitched screech.
I picked up the pace, forcing my way through the brush until I had managed to break into the opening. A girl perhaps a few years older than my current age was running in a circle, her backpack covering her head, and black, brown, and red blur attacking the bag in her hands.
Spearow
Lvl 13 36/36 HP
'Spearow…' I thought, my hand snatching at Odin's ball.
"Go, Odin! Focus Energy, and then Double Kick!" I yelled, as I through his Pokeball as high into the air as I could.
The red beam of light erupts from the ball, Odin forming in mid-air. He instantly adjusts, his form glowing slightly as he begins to fall downwards, Focus Energy kicking in. With almost perfect timing, the girl runs in her little circle, the Spearow lining up perfectly for Odin to slam into it, his little feet crashing into it.
Critical Hit!
I remembered from the games that for Double Kick if the first is a critical hit, the second does the same damage. Odin seemed to bounce off the Spearow back into the air, the force of blow slamming the small bird into the ground from the hit. Odin adjusts his angle, slamming down onto it again for the second kick.
Spearow
Lvl 13 10/36 HP
It's HP hasn't hit red, so it's not knocked out.
"Odin, Double Kick again!" I yell, pointing at the murderous bird, my eyes glazing with rage.
"No, stop!" The girl, Jackie, yells from behind me.
As Odin flies at the Spearow, preparing to end it's life, a beam of red light flashes by me hitting the Spearow, absorbing it, and sucking it back. I turn, following the beam of energy to where it ends at a red and white Pokeball in the girl's hand.
Battle Over!
Odin(Nidoran) Lvl 9 +277 exp
Level up! Odin is now Lvl 11 and needs 211 exp to level 12.
Two Weeks Prior
A girl carefully steps out of the forest, surveying the battleground in front of her. A young boy lays on his back, a Pokeball clutched in one hand, his other hand resting on a Weedle. She bent down, moving the Weedle slightly before looking away sadly. She grabs her phone from her pocket, quickly typing in a number before it begins to ring. Two short chirps later, a voice asks what her emergency is.
"Hi, Yes, I'm outside of Celedon, and a boy has been attacked by a Spearow. His Weedle is...d-dead...Yes...No, he's young. Maybe a new trainer?" She replies to the unheard questions.
"Spearow!" She hears and quickly turns around.
The Spearow is back on its feet, obviously wobbly from the poisoning.
"The Spearow is back up...Okay, I can try." She says.
She reaches down, grabbing one of her spare Pokeballs, and throws it at the Spearow. It thunks off, a direct hit, the Spearow turning into energy before being absorbed. She puts the phone back to her ear, letting them know the Pokemon has been captured.
"Okay, yes, I'll stay here." She replies, before ending the call.
She waits a few moments before a slight shhhhee sound from behind alerts her to a new arrival. The Ranger returns his Kadabra, quickly making his way over to the injured boy. After checking on him for a minute, he enters some info into a pad, and two more Rangers appear and quickly get to work. The girl hands over the captured Spearow, before bowing, and running off back into the woods.
Present
"I see…" I said, after hearing her story. "So I have you to thank for saving my life?"
"N-no! I mean, all I did was call the Rangers. It's like, the thing you do when someone needs help?" She seems to ask.
"Well, thank you anyway," I replied. "How did you end up with the Spearow, and why was it attacking you?"
"Oh…After the Ranger's finished investigating, they returned him to me since he was now registered to me. I let it out and was trying to work out how best to be friends. He wasn't quite up for it...I don't know if he will be now." She answers.
"Makes sense...Well, I'll get going now. Be careful with him, okay?" I say, before turning to walk away.
I make it about ten feet before she calls my name, rushing to me.
"Hmm?" I ask.
"Billy...will you take the Spearow?" She asks, "He's too strong for me, and you did all the damage that weakened him to make him capturable..."
I stared down at the shrunken Pokeball clutched in her hand for several moments, before shaking my head.
"I can't, I'm sorry. I would if I could, but I've got too many issues with that Spearow." I tell her.
"O-oh, right, of course. I'm sorry! I'm dumb for asking, I-" She starts stammering.
"It's fine, really. In any other circumstances, I would take him. He seems powerful…" I reply.
"Oh okay...Well, I'm glad you're healthy again. I'm sorry for your loss." She tells me and starts walking away.
"Hey, Jackie...can I get your number? In case we happen to be near each other again we can hang out or something." I ask, stopping her exit.
"Oh! Sure!" She replies, before entering my number into her phone, and messaging me so I'd have hers as well. "See you again some time, Billy."
Two Days Later
I'd been out in the woods for three days total now, only needing to make a single trip back into Celedon to get Odin healed. We seemed to have cleared out a lot of the Pokemon in this area, as the amount had dropped tremendously.
'Perhaps from the constant battling?' I wondered as we made our way north.
On day two I had defeated a young kid with a Weedle and a Caterpie, winning $45. His two level six Pokemon didn't give much exp, but with a few more wild Pokemon battles, Odin had made it to level 12.
EVENT NOTICE!
A Pokemon Swarm is moving through the area. While not dangerous, this is a good chance to capture multiple of the same pokemon for breeding or trading.
I freeze as I see the Event Notice pop into my vision, my heart thudding in my chest before I relax as I read it. For a moment I had flashed back to being attacked by the Spearow, expecting another dangerous event.
"But wait...How can I catch more than one Pokemon if the area gets locked?" I wondered aloud.
Bing!
Event Pokemon are exceptions to area locking. While one Pokemon can be caught, named, and used in battles, any other event Pokemon will be locked to trading, sale, and breeding only.
"What? How does that make sense!" I exclaimed. "How does that fit with whatever the hell a Nuzlocke is?!"
Again I was greeted by silence. I didn't scream, but it was close. Very, very close. Shaking my head, I look back at the event notice. I look around but don't see anything that indicates where the swarm is at. I open my map and see that there is a flashing white icon about five hundred meters to my northwest. It was within the currently open area for catches, so I figured I might as well check it out. I start off in that direction, ignoring the few Pokemon I spot the names of in favor of this event.
I could see the giant mass of floating names long before I got close enough to actually see them. There were so many that it was actually hard to see them individually, but it only took a few seconds to spot a readable name.
Doduo
Lvl 11
There were literally hundreds of them, milling around, pecking at the ground, plants, each other, themselves. As I got closer and closer, it became a cacophony of noise, almost painful to the ears. I had to cover them, pushing through the forest and grass until I managed to get a good look at them. I was about 40 feet away, a small valley and a pond filling the small open space that the Doduo rested in. A few of them pecked around in the water, pulling out a Magikarp which was quickly devoured.
'I thought Doduo only lived in like plains or open areas?' I wondered, watching them run about.
I had to think back to what else I might know about them. I knew they were skittish, but also highly aware. They took turns sleeping so one head was always awake. They also couldn't fly but were quite fast runners.
'I wish I could remember more…' I think, quietly watching them.
Most of them are between level 8 and 15. I don't want to aim too high, especially with so many of them running around. I doubt they would attack, more likely they will run, but I had to be careful nonetheless. I circle the area, staying hidden in the forest as best I can, watching the group closely. A few had spotted me but didn't seem all that bothered at the moment. About a quarter of the way around, I see something that stops me in my tracks. While most of the Doduo are around my own height, perhaps slightly taller, one near the edge of the swarm is barely half as big. It's also green-tinged, instead of orange.
As I watch, one of the larger Doduo pecks at the smaller one, knocking it down, and several others seem to laugh. I assume that much like albino animals are abandoned in the wild, different colored Pokemon may have the same issues here. At level 13 it was also stronger than most of the Doduo other but still seemed to get picked on. The one being an asshole was only level 9, which made sense in a way. I grabbed Odin's Pokeball from my waist and tossed it high into the air.
"Odin, Focus Energy, and Double Kick!" I called out as he appeared above the Doduo, pointing at the bully.
While it was practically turning into a signature move, I couldn't fault its effectiveness. Odin slammed down onto the Doduo's right head, spinning to catch the left head as well as it collapsed. It wasn't a critical hit but still did enough damage to knock it out in one hit. The other Doduo screeched as one, taking off running in every direction. I had to dodge two of them that came barreling right at me, but it was clear they were simply escaping. A moment later they had cleared the area, only the shiny Doduo, and the knocked out Doduo remaining.
I approached them both, returning Odin as I did. "Are you okay?"
The shiny Doduo studied me for a moment before getting to his feet. "Do Do Du!"
I assumed that meant he was okay. "Do they pick on you often?" I asked as he stretched slightly.
It nodded again, looking down at the bully.
"Well...would you like to join my team? Then you wouldn't need to worry about being picked on…" I ask, studying him.
He seemed to consider it, making clicking noises back and forth between the two heads. I took one of the empty Pokeballs from my waist, the ball expanding as I hit the center button. All four eyes studied the ball, looking back and forth to me as well. The right head leaned forward, inching closer and closer to the ball. The left head snaps forward, hitting the ball out of my hand as it whips around and takes off sprinting. I flinch, before taking off after it.
'Apparently, the nice approach is bullshit. Stupid Anime,', I thought, as I sprinted after it.
I felt slightly bad as it clearly didn't want to be on my team, but this was Pokemon, and that was the point. To fight Pokemon, catch them, and figure it out from there. While normally a Doduo would easily outrun me, this one was injured, much smaller than normal, and was now running through the woods as opposed to wide open plains. It had a slight headstart, but it's inability to run for long stretches was letting me slowly catch up.
"Almost there!" I yelled as it had to sidestep a set of close trees, allowing me to close the distance.
I grabbed Odin's ball from my waist, throwing it in front of the Doduo, releasing Odin in front of it. Stopping in its tracks, I quickly order Odin to use Peck. Odin rushes forward, slamming his little horn into the Doduo, knocking it back towards me. It was down to about 70% of it's HP already.
"Double Kick!" I yell.
The Doduo puffs up, it's body showing great agitation as it pecks Odin out of the air. He lands on his feet, jumping into the air to kick it twice and knocking it back. It seems to puff up even more before screeching as it rushes to Odin, trying to stomp on him. He barely dodges, pecking at the Doduo again, slowly chipping away at it's HP. Again it gets even puffier and angrier, practically screaming at Odin, trying it's best to stomp on him.
"Double Kick Odin!" I order, watching in rapt attention.
Critical Hit!
Decisive Blow!
Odin slams his foot into the Doduos left leg, a loud crack echoing across the woods as the Doduo collapses to the ground, his leg at a horrible angle.
"Oh god!" I gasp, snapping out of what I can only describe as a battle trance.
I rush forward to the Doduo's side, trying to help, but it pecks me away, clearly still under the effects of its Rage. It's HP is down to 25%, and I don't see much of a choice.
"Odin, knock it out so I can capture it and take it to the center," I order.
Odin nods, before launching forward and kicking it twice in the head, sending it's HP into the red, and knocking it out. I grab the empty Pokeball from before, dropping it on to its body. A single shake and the center button flashes red, signaling the successful capture.
Battle Over!
Odin(Nidoran) Lvl 12 +173 exp
Odin needs 107 exp to level 13
Bing!
You caught a Doduo(Shiny)!
Due to event rules, this capture does not trigger the Nuzlocke rules.
+300 exp (421 exp points till level 3!)
Chase Bonus! +100 exp (321 exp points till level 3!)
Rarity Bonus!(Shiny) +1000 (-679 exp points till level 3!)
Event Bonus!(Swarm) +200 (-879 exp points till level 3!)
Bing!
Level Up Alert!
I clipped the newly filled Pokeball to my waist and tapped on the new alert. My eyes were filled with sheets and sheets of information on leveling up.
"Oh, this is going to be complicated."
A/N: And we are back! Billy has some issues to work out after the loss of Needle, but he seems to be on the mend. The game is still fucking with him, but he appears to be getting used to it. Having earned a new level, and with it a new ability, will he find an answer to his most important question?
The fuck is a Nuzlocke?
Find out next time on Pokemon! Nuzlocke!
A/N:
So...it's been 11 months since I last updated. I'd apologize, but I did manage to write one of the most followed stories in the Dragonball Fandom, so I can't call that time wasted. With DBR done, for the time being, I'm writing Naruto and this story again! The updates won't be super well timed, but I doubt it will take me more than a month or two to write each new chapter, for each story. Join my discord if you haven't already! Discord gg/3Kc8pTF . And, if you've read this far, I've got something fun for you. I plan to pull from my discord, and reviews, a few active people to make Trainers and teams for this story. Gym Leaders, random events, Elite 4. If you'd like to see your creation added to my story, review and join the discord. When it comes time for me to need one, I'll reach out to a random reviewer or discord member, and we'll figure it out.
Until next time, this is Klldarkness, and this is Chapter 3 of Pokemon: Nuzlocke
