With mounting pressure from older Trainers, the Pokémon League Association has decided to test the Nuzlocke challenge format with a teenager, Lapis Eurig. However, Lapis only cares about getting out of his latest stint in juvenile hall and accepts the terms without much thought. Now his unusual journey will now begin in Littleroot Town. What starter will he choose and what rules will be different than the typical Gym challenge?

Chapter 1: The First Gem

The next morning, Lapis was rudely awakened by a Taillow pecking his forehead.

"WHAT THE HELL!" he screamed, leaping upright on the white queen-sized bed.

This caused the Flying type to jump and land on top of his lap. The teen sat up and glared at the unwelcome alarm clock. The Taillow, who returned the stare, had a brown collar with a rolled up pieced of paper. The teen took it and read the contents.

Mr. Lapis Eurig,

We accept and approve your forms for the Nuzlocke challenge. A sanctioned bag filled with essential items will be sent to your location shortly. Further instructions will be in the informational brochure within your bag.

Sincerely,

Kyushi Hōfu

The Pokémon League Association: Hoenn Region Representative

"That was quick."

Relieved of his duty, the Tiny Swallow Pokémon gave a curt bow and flew out through a small window. A few minutes later, a Pelipper flew back and rapped on the glass with his beak. Sighing, Lapis allowed the visitor inside. The Water type opened his bill and removed a PLA-sanctioned dark blue backpack. The teenager gagged but quickly hid his disgust once the Pelipper closed his mouth. After another round of curt nods, the Water Bird Pokémon exited the hotel room.

Lapis then rummaged through the new bag, not expecting much. He found a colorful informational brochure, a set of portable cooking equipment, a small foldable tent, a foldable green sleeping bag, an empty CD case with sixty slots, and a small wooden box made of oak. It had carvings of three large Pokémon: one on land, one in the sea, and one in the sky.

"What's this?"

He picked up the box and carefully ran his fingers through the indents. He opened it to find an impressive collection of gold and silver necklaces, bracelets, and hair accessories. All of them had a different gemstone strewn through them. His head slightly throbbed. It...It can't be related to my past, can it? Whatever, I could make a buck if I need it...

He then strapped on the bag, ate the prepackaged cereal in the hotel dining room area, and gave the hotel owner the rudest checkout ever. Once he left the Littleroot Town Lodge, he grumpily removed the brochure from his backpack and skimmed its contents.

"So," he muttered to himself. "I gotta get my starter Pokémon from a quack named Professor Birch. Hope the Pokémon here are better than back...wherever I came from." He clenched his jaw. Why does that hurt so much?! Whatever, I'd better go find this lab...

Suddenly, he bumped into someone, and the two fell onto the grass. Lapis rubbed his head and was about to yell at the stranger until he saw it was a girl about his age. She had long, light brown hair that was held back by two light green hair clips. Her red skin-tight shirt and green shorts highlighted her slightly built physique.

The boy, remembering what he should be doing, immediately stood up and shouted, "Watch where ya going!"

The girl looked up at him fiercely with her large brown eyes. Lapis couldn't see it, but his cheeks slowly turned red. She stood up and brushed off the dirt from her clothes. Throwing her fist forward, she growled, "Thanks a lot, you jerk! And I thought I was being nice by telling you where my uncle's lab is."

Lapis was slightly taken aback. "How do you know? And the professor's your uncle?"

She smirked with her eyes closed. "You really show have quieter monologues. And, yeah! I'm helping him with his research over the summer. His lab is just down the block. It's a large two-story white building, you can't miss it. Now if you'll excuse me, I have to go find some Wingull over in Route 103. I hope I never have to see you again!"

As she stormed north towards fields of grass, Lapis placed his hands in his vest pockets. "What a nerd! A pretty nerd..." He caught himself and followed her directions to the place where he'd finally receive his first Pokémon.

Lapis swung the front door open, making a dramatic entrance. Inside, a slightly obese man in a lab coat and a brown raccoon-like Pokémon were arranging three Pokéballs on a small table and didn't notice the stranger enter. A Zigzagoon... How lame...hopefully I don't get one on MY journey...

Once the door closed, the man looked around and waved at the newcomer. "Oh, sorry about that. I was so busy putting things after from the New Trainer Festival, I didn't hear you come in."

The teen rolled his eyes. Of course you didn't...

Ignoring the annoyed expression, the man continued, "I'm Professor Birch, and this is my partner, Ziggy." The Zigzagoon happily nodded while the teen returned a curt nod.

"I just finished setting out the Pokémon you'll pick for your journey." The professor then sent out three Pokémon, who softly landed on the wood. The one on the left was a green gecko, the middle an orange chick, and the right a blue mudskipper.

Professor Birch began the lengthy introduction of the Hoenn starters. "The first up is Treecko, the Wood Gecko Pokémon. A little stubborn at first, but a wonderful partner and handy with physical Grass type moves as it evolves. Next is Torchic, the Chick Pokémon. Eager to please and learn, this Pokémon evolves into one of the fiercest Fire type final starters. Last is Mudkip, the Mud Fish Pokémon. Happy-go-lucky and always ready for a battle, its final evolution is quite handy with physical and special moves."

The young man stared at his three options. The Treecko crossed his arms and glanced away while the Torchic cowered behind his Poké Ball. The Mudkip, on the other hand, had a wide grin spread across his face and stared back at the prospective Trainer.

Why's this slimy creature looking at me like that?! Somehow, Lapis felt something behind this slightly creepy smile. Well... I guess it's not so bad...I hope this doesn't become a weird trend.

"Gimme the Mudkip," Lapis replied as he walked closer towards his first Pokémon. The Water type happily jumped into his arms and snuggled his chest. The boy sighed. Great, a nice Pokémon.

"Excellent choice, Lapis," the professor praised. "Now for the rest of your essentials." The man then sweatdropped and muttered, "Now where did they go?!" His Zigzagoon sighed and pointed to his computer desk with his ruffled tail. Professor Birch looked in that direction and laughed. "Thank goodness you're still here, Ziggy!" He removed several items from his desk as Ziggy returned the other two starters with a flick of his tail on the Poké Balls.

Man, what a loose Magnemite screw...

"Here we go," Professor Birch proclaimed as he placed four items on the table. The first was the familiar red dual screen Pokédex. Next to it was a white earpiece which seemed to be part of the device. The next thing over was a purple and white spray bottle with the word "Potion" written on it. Lastly, a small, black flat television screen about the size of a red book booted up and showed, "Welcome to the Pokémon summary chart" on a light blue background.

The man explained, "First, of course, are the Pokédex and its corresponding earpiece. Several junior research assistants have compiled data to allow better and increased functionality of the Pokémon translation app already installed. You don't have to scan Pokémon to hear them, but it is helpful if you want to learn more about them. Next is a special gift from me; this Potion will be helpful for your intensive training sessions. You're going to rely on healing items more often than regular Trainers. Lastly, this is a new device being developed by the Pokémon League Association and the Devon Corporation. It's a tablet that can scan your Pokémon to show their stats, levels, moves, abilities and natures, and so on. This tablet can only be used during Nuzlocke challenges due to the stricter regulations. You can print cards with text in the Pokémon's native language to help them learn about the Nuzlocke challenge; that way, they also know the rules and risks you'll be undertaking. It can also transfer Pokémon you don't want to the PC, or Personal Computer, which can be found at any Pokémon Center. You just need your fingerprint to access it; you can register that when you fill out the challenge options form." He then said, "I do hope you know what you're getting into, Lapis."

"Pfft," Lapis scoffed with a shrug. "It can't be all that bad. After all, Pokémon can't really die."

The professor sighed and shook his head as the new Trainer slipped the last two items into his backpack. He then attached the earpiece to his right ear and turned on the translation app.

Light snickering entered his ear. "I can't believe that smile worked!" the Mudkip proudly whispered with a high-pitched voice. "All the practice was well worth it!"

"What did you say?!" Lapis roared, annoyed by the trickery.

The professor became embarrassed at the blue Pokémon dug deeper into Lapis' arms, trying to hide his sudden outburst.

The teen remembered something. "Oh, yeah. One of the dumb rules of the Nuzlocke challenge is to nickname all of the Pokémon I catch." He then rummaged through his backpack and opened the wooden box. Somehow, this makes sense... The teen found a gold chain with a blue stone flecked with gold. The jewelry felt familiar, but no memories surfaced. He then placed the necklace over his starter and proclaimed, "Well, guess you're Zuli now."

The Mudkip looked at his new accessory and grinned. "I like the sound of that, Loud Lapis."

His new Trainer growled, "You're going to be the death of me, Zuli..."

After Professor Birch awkwardly handed Lapis Zuli's Poké Ball, Ziggy shouted, "Sir, Jade forgot the camera again!"

He groaned. "That girl! She's always forgetting something. She really needs to not be so focused on the analytical parts of research." He then turned to the new Trainer and sheepishly asked, "If it's not too much trouble, Lapis, could you give the camera to my niece, Jade? I can show you what she looks like."

"You talkin' about a girl my age with the green hair clips? Yeah, I just met her earlier." He smirked. Looks like she's not getting her wish... "Where's this Route 103 anyway?"

"Just north of Oldale Town. You can register for your challenge at the Pokémon Center there as well." He then handed Lapis a red digital camera.

"Thanks, I guess."

The man smiled. "Well, good luck, Lapis. And remember, please take this challenge seriously. You're going to get more than you bargained for."

Lapis shrugged once more, and he and Zuli exited the quiet town and into the tall grass of Route 101.

"Now then." He pointed to a stray Poochyena sniffing for food. "Tackle it."

"That's it?!" Zuli complained. "Shouldn't I do something else?"

Lapis took out the tablet and scanned his first Pokémon. "All you know is Tackle and Growl. You're just at Level 5."

"Then at least let me growl at them!" the Mudkip shouted. "Be more strategic, Loud Lapis!"

"Ugh, fine. Growl and Tackle combo."

Zuli gave a soft growl, startling the Dark type. The wild Poochyena growled and tackled the Water type. In retaliation, he tackled his opponent in the right side. The Bite Pokémon ran away, whimpering.

"So, did I get anything?"

Lapis stared at the screen. "You got some experience, but you definitely need more of it."

"Man... Then find me something else!"

"Geez, you're so impatient."

"And you're too slow."

Lapis clenched his fists, but held his temper. As they walked through the route, the Mud Fish Pokémon continued to growl and tackle all the Poochyena and Zigzagoon they encountered. This ended up scaring most of them until the path was quiet.

The teen sighed. "Guess we need to come back here later. Come here, Zuli."

The young Pokémon obliged, panting. "Hey...Loud...Lapis!" the Mudkip exclaimed in between pants. "What is this...'Nuzlocke Challenge'...that...you're doing?"

"How'd you learn about that?"

"I overheard the professor talking about it to his former junior assistant."

"'Former'? You mean that Jade girl replaced someone? Pfft...this junior assistant must be pretty dumb to be replaced with someone so angry."

Zuli countered, "Actually, Summer's a two-time Top 8 Trainer. She's traveled quite a bit."

"Huh. Seems like I should meet this 'Trainer' myself. Anyway, it's this stupid challenge the PLA wants me to do instead of juvie."

"Juvie? Like in juvenile hall? Are you a criminal then?"

"Pfft, no way! I just…" The teen scratched his head. "Well… I don't exactly remember what I did to get this punishment…"

The Water type teased, "Maybe that's the reason why you have to do this."

Did I really choose the right Pokémon for this? This Mudkip is...very...sassy…

"Anyway, go on about the challenge."

"Right. Main rules are that I hafta catch the first Pokémon I see on each route, city, area, whatever. If any of my Pokémon faints, I gotta send it to the PLA."

"I see…and the nicknames?"

"Something to add sentiment to, I guess. Dumb really. I gotta fill out this form for additional rules I gotta follow."

"So there's more to it?"

Lapis shrugged. "Based on what I read in that paper, I'm doing the easiest ones:

Duplicates are allowed within the same evolutionary line but not more than 2. So if I see a third one on the first location, I can beat it to run into more unique Pokémon.

No specialty Pokéballs. If I find any, they gotta be sold.

I ain't immune to 1-hit KO moves.

I can't run from wild Pokémon.

I can catch Pokémon on routes split by another area/water that can be considered two areas on the map.

If, and I mean if, I encounter a Shiny Pokémon, I can catch it.

And no in-game trades."

He then looked up to see Zuli tackle a fleeing Zigzagoon.

The Mudkip was surrounded by a ring of yellow light. Once it faded, he blinked. "Hey, I think I just got more powerful."

Lapis looked at his tablet. The picture of his Pokémon also briefly glowed yellow. "Looks like it. You gained a level."

"What level am I now?"

"6. And you learned Mud Slap too."

The Pokémon's eyes sparkled. "I guess it's cool I can do something else. But darn! I beat up so many Pokémon I thought it'd be higher. Besides, why didn't we catch anyone yet?"

"Because I ain't got any Poké Balls yet."

"Then hurry up and get some! I want some teammates, Loud Lapis."

"Fine…" Lapis groaned. "We better meet Jade then."

They walked into Oldale Town, where, unfortunately, the meet up with Jade was delayed.

Lapis' Pokémon:

Zuli (Lvl. 6 Mudkip, male): Impish Nature, Torrent Ability, moves: Tackle, Growl, Mud Slap

Questions for the Chapter:

What do you think of Lapis so far?

Why does he have a box of gemstones and accessories?

What do you think of Zuli?