Nuzlocke rules

1 - If a Pokémon faints in battle it is considered dead and is to be deposited in a death box to never be used again.

2 - As soon as Pokéballs are obtained, only the first Pokémon that spawns or is encountered per area is to be caught.

3 - All usable encounters are to be nicknamed so as to develop even more of a bond.

Wedlocke rules

1 - Pokémon are to be paired in duos of male and female. Each duo can only switch into each other in battle and if one dies the other must finish the fight alone (except in double battles for obvious reasons).

2 - The catching system is reliant on the duo mechanic for the first six obtainable Pokémon. The encounter has to be the opposite gender of the most recent unpaired Pokémon to be considered eligible to catch.

3 - Due to the unaltered wedlocke rules depending on gendered Pokémon pairs, genderless Pokémon encounters are not to be caught or used.

4 - It is forbidden to use the PC to switch an alive Pokémon out for another or to tamper with pairings. Pokémon in the party are meant to stay in the party and cannot be substituted. The only exception is the need to temporarily swap out for HM purposes as long as the HM user doesn't participate in battle.

Additional rules

1 - Dupes clause is active, meaning encounters of a Pokémon that were already caught do not count and can be tried again. A caught Pokémon counts for its entire evolutionary line.

2 - Gift clause is active, meaning Pokémon that are given instead of caught in battle do not count as the area's encounter and can still be used. Basically freebies.

3 - Run ends at Red.

Prologue

All he wanted to do was stay hidden. All he wanted to do was lay low like he always had. Then his Magnemite started acting up.

He just had to follow the signs. Find the source, deal with it, then continue with his life like nothing happened. The trail he followed brought him to some rustic looking town. Sounds of bellowing roars and crashing waves echoed from somewhere nearby, but that was none of his business.

What did the sign say? "Home of the Ninja"? There certainly weren't any ninjas in sight. What there was, however, was an innocuous looking tree by an innocuous looking building. As he stepped closer to it, he felt the buzzing from his Magnemite's Pokéball intensify. This was definitely the cause.

"Just a Souvenir Shop

Nothing Suspicious about It

No Need to Be Alarmed"

Subtle, real subtle there. Whoever ran this place might as well have made a sign for the tree preaching that it wasn't a disruptive piece of tech or something. "Home of the False Advertising" might as well be this town's schtick. The last time he came across a shady coverup this obvious was in…

The coat he wore couldn't stop the chill that ran up his spine. It couldn't be, right…?

His sights were now set elsewhere. He had to check. He had to make sure.

He opened the door and stepped into the dimly lit room, the guise of a gift shop dimly lit by a cheap hanging lightbulb. Nobody was inside, figures. There was a staircase that looked to lead somewhere below, left in plain sight thanks to an improperly pushed closet. That detail spoke for itself. A foreboding detail, but one that he refused to turn away from.

Gripping another Pokéball, he made his way down into the darkness, taking quiet steps before a well-lit corridor stood before him. The metal tiles reeked of familiarity, even moreso with the sight of the Persian statues that lined the hall. If there were anyone around, they must've been somewhere deeper in this underground hideout…

Things were quiet, but that didn't calm his unease. He let his Sneasel out, standing alert alongside him. Then came the voice that buzzed from the intercom.

"... for too long we've lied in wait…"

That voice…!

"... but our preparations have presented us with a wonderful opportunity. We have what we need. Everything is in place."

Just hearing that suckup pride felt like sewage in his stomach. He was already walking, tempted to shut that smug smile up himself.

"With these strengthening signals, Johto will be ours for the taking."

All of a sudden, his Sneasel faltered beside him. Its footing was shaky, head held low in pain, as if taking another step forward chipped away at its strength. In an instant, he recalled the Pokémon into its Pokéball, carrying a more bitter scowl as he tucked it away. His Magnemite couldn't fight, now his Sneasel couldn't fight, if only there was some measly grunt he could give a piece of his mind—

There was a flash of red. It lingered as a blaring siren. The Persian statue to his right bore into him with a glassy gaze, flashing those piercing reds. On its screeching call, distant footsteps were beckoned as a rush. Grunts in black uniforms were quick to spot him.

"Rejoice, Team Rocket! This dormant age will finally come to an end soon enough…"

He couldn't fight them. Not now. Not like this. He had to take the coward's way out. Back the way he came, away from it all.

"... and this time, unlike the first experiment, we will succeed in bringing him back."

Up the staircase, out the souvenir shop, he had to run, he had to run—

The buzzing. He still felt it. The pertinent rumbling by his belt reminded him of his original objective, and he faced the fake tree. Standing his ground, he called his Sneasel out, who was still shaken, but could at least stand. He pointed at the source of the signals, and the Ice type blew its chilling breath towards it. Crystals of ice wore away on the tree's semblance, before a slash of claws shattered it to pieces, metallic interior and all.

Might as well ice the door for good measure. That should slow their big operation down.

With his Pokémon withdrawn and Pokéballs no longer tormented by buzzing, it was time to go. As the distant waves calmed, he heard a whole commotion of yells coming from the inside of the building, banging on the frozen lock. There must've been tons of them…

Another yell, but he was already on the run. Out of this town, out of this mess, but this was far from over. Shaky breaths confirmed as much. Stupid, shaky breaths…

His act of interference could only stall them for so long. He had to get stronger. He had to get stronger to stop this. He had to put a stop to this. All by himself.