- 5
- Posts
- 11
- Years
- Pallet Town.
- Seen Jun 10, 2017
Hey all! This is my first written nuzlocke!
Nuzlocke Rules
1. If a pokemon faints, it is dead and is permanently boxed.
2. All pokemon must be nicknamed.
3. No duplicate pokemon or evolutionary line duplicates.
4. No legendaries or extra starter pokemon.
5. Gift pokemon, in-game trades, eggs, and fossils cannot be used.
6. No using the Pokemon Amie, Super Training, Experience Share, or O-Powers.
7. No grinding in grind spots such as Restaurant Le Nah or the Battle Chateau.
8. No Lucky Egg.
9. No buying items; no abusing portable pokemon center people like Nurses. (Theoretically, I might have one use of them because they automatically heal your pokemon when you beat them. I think. Basically I'm trying not to use those perfectly convenient little nurses scattered everywhere.)
This is a Randomizer Nuzlocke run, slightly modified since I'm not using a rom. I used randompokemon.com/ to generate a pokemon for each region (with my brothers or friends as witnesses to the pokemon I got so I wouldn't cheat. And yes, I used an Action Replay to generate them, which was a pain in the ass because Hidden Power). My only restriction with the random generator was no legendaries or extra starters. If I got the second or third evolution of a pokemon, I defaulted it to the base form (aka, if I got Charizard, I defaulted it back to Charmander) just to make things a little more difficult.
For this written run, trainers can only understand their own pokemon and not others.
Here we go!
He hated this forest. If he could, this would be the first place he would wipe off the map of Kalos.
It was pointless to use an umbrella when the rain poured through the patchy forest canopy, and Lysandre cursed whoever had called Laverre's forest a nature trail. The manmade trail every pokemon trainer took hardly counted. Until you were slogging knee deep through the muddy swamp with the naked branches clawing at your clothes, you never truly understood the bane of the dense woods.
"Sir!" Lysander didn't even turn his head from the tracker in his hands, watching the needle flipping erratically to the side. One of his admins, his white suit stained hopelessly brown from the mud, struggled forward. "Sir, are we still heading the right way?"
Lysandre's lips pressed in annoyance, and he flicked the idle contraption. The needle began responding again. Its reception seemed spotty at best, as if the dark wood was trying to keep him from his prize.
Could he have left his underlings to do this for him? Of course, but Lysandre was no man's fool. If he wanted this done right, he had to do it himself, whether or not his suit was so wet it clung like a second skin. In retrospect, boots would have been a better choice of footwear, but Lysandre was far from caring. He just couldn't believe how . . . disappointing the world was. He couldn't believe he'd been pushed to this.
"Sir? Maybe it's not here. Maybe we should turn back!"
He ignored them. His Murkrow darted overhead in the trees, cawing every few minutes or so. After sloughing through the muck and thunderstorm for several pregnant minutes, the Murkrow flitted back down and landed on his shoulder. He gave a delicate shudder of his wings.
"It is here," he croaked lowly, his faint Russian accent a near purr. His eyes gleamed beneath the brim of his crest. "Your technology will pick it up shortly."
"Where?" Lysander asked, his heart straining with pained hope.
The dark bird cocked his head, and his wings rustled nervously again. "Everywhere," he breathed. "Can you not feel it? It is . . . like living thing, yet not. Like death breathes into the trees. There are no wild pokemon here. Only darkness, and an end that devours all."
A chill ran up Lysandre's spin that had nothing to do with the bitter air. He looked behind him to see his men struggling forward with him, their faces overshadowed with fear and doubt. Even through a sheet of relentless rain, it was apparent they felt the presence of death. He shifted uncomfortably when his crow took flight again, but he steeled his wavering heart.
It was here.
Ignoring all else, Lysandre trudged forward with near obsessive purpose. Lightning flashed overhead, and thunder cracked and rolled in the night. This was it. Here, he could finally put this world out of its slow-burning misery. He'd seen enough torment in his lifetime and had tried to combat it the way he was taught. He had tried to bring so much good into the world, and yet it was always outstripped by evil and hardship. Too many suffered. And if he had to look to extreme ends to stop this suffering, he would.
His mind was set, but his heart shook when he looked up at his Murkrow flying lithely through the trees. He was always so beautiful in the night, agile and free, livened and joyous. The darkness suited him in a comely way, bringing out his best and leaving his checkered and lamentable past where it belonged—in the past.
Lysander looked ahead into the darkness, refusing to think where his Murkrow's future lied.
Soon, he finally found the results he was searching for. The needle sprang to life, picking up on an ancient energy that webbed through the dead trees, their raw limbs cutting into the rainy sky. Lightning flashed and illuminated the skeletal forest briefly, like an ebbing heartbeat. The needle waved erratically—it finally dipped and rested at nothing.
Lifting his head, Lysandre peered into the opaque darkness that their flashlights couldn't penetrate. It was here. They were so close he could practically taste it. The fruits of his labor would not be wasted. Deep in the heart of Laverre's ominous forest, Lysandre threw away the tracking mechanism and bore ahead, feeling the weight of oblivion pressing on his shoulders. The foreboding stillness of the forest grew more and more vacant, devoid of life between gnarled wooden trunks. His Murkrow returned to his shoulder, this time firmly planting there as the forsaken wood stirred, like an uncomfortable slither in the dark.
When he saw it, his heart leapt. Lysandre stumbled over the knotted roots burrowed in the mud, and he seized his triumph with a glint of madness in his eyes. The larvae state was unmistakable. The black egg was so bleak it swallowed the area around it, and by shining his flashlight against its hide, Lysandre could see the distinctive diamond markings lining it. Claws clamped tightly shut, refusing to unleash oblivion until prodded from its sleep.
A feral smile lit Lysandre's face. He reached out his hand, placing it against the surprisingly soft down of the cocoon. He had done it. He had finally found the legendary destruction pokemon.
Thunder cracked and lightning whipped. A man whimpered.
Under Lysandre's hand, death rolled in its grave.
CHAPTER 1
"I don't need you to hold my hand! I have Vaska. I can handle this on my own."
Ivanna set her jaw stubbornly at the man across from her who merely gave one small laugh. His lips turned up arrogantly, and he replied in perfect Russian, "Tush, Ivanna. I'm here to protect you when things get out of hand."
"Yuliy sent you, didn't he?" she snapped angrily, blue eyes spitting fire in the small hotel room. Behind her, every crease on the bed was immaculate and nothing had been moved one inch from where it had originally stood. The room seemed as if no one had lived in it. Their Russian mother-tongue fired back and forth, Ivanna responding with, "He's always underestimated me. And you know it's because I'm a girl! He's too old-fashioned to see that I can take care of myself!"
Stormy grey eyes pinned to her. "Actually, it was Madam Klava who sent me."
Ivanna's angry flush ebbed a little. "Babushka?" she whispered.
He nodded, the morning sunshine leaking between the blinds and falling across his sharp features. "Actually, she sent both me and Yuliy," he told her. "Don't take it too hard. She's just worried. You're the last Klava once she's gone, and no one wants to see that name die." He paused, and his dark brows met in thought. "She said not to underestimate Lysandre."
"I know not to," Ivanna replied, looking away from him. Unease clenched at her stomach, but her back was made of steel. "I know exactly what he's capable of."
The silence pressed, heavy and pregnant, but Ivanna shook it off by situating her hat and skirt again. "So, how do I look?" she asked in partially broken English this time, flaring her red skirt out and holding the pink purse under her arm. "Innocent enough? Do I look like tourist and trainer?"
He just smirked at her, saying in much better English, "Of course. You look beautiful in everything you wear."
Ivanna rolled her eyes in exasperation, saying, "Flattery vill only get you so far vith me, Dimitri."
She pushed past him, and he followed her closely, saying, "You should hope everyone you talk to speaks English. Your English might be passable at best, but your French is horrible."
"Thank you for informing me of vhat I already know," Ivanna said, hiking her chin up and not allowing him to get under her skin. Him and his I'm-so-fluent-in-three-languages attitude.
They piled into the elevator together, and Dimitri was prompted to encourage her with, "Vaska will take care of you."
"I know," she replied crisply again. The elevator dinged for the bottom floor. "Now I am going to receive my beginner pokemon, so do not follow me. You vill attract too much attention."
Ivanna brushed out of the elevator with her head held high and strode out of the hotel and into the late summer's day. Aquacorde Town was far too warm for her taste, and she took her shades off her hat and put them on, shielding her eyes from the sun. She headed off down the street, looking for the café she was supposed to meet the other kids at. Her pink heels clicked on the pavement.
"Ivanna? Ivanna Moisey?"
If not for her first name, Ivanna might not have responded to the sound of her fake name. At a table outside of said coffee shop, a girl in pink was waving, surrounded by three other boys. Ivanna approached, and she barely had managed to sit before the boy with black hair said, "Здравствуйте," in surprisingly good Russian.
"Доброе утро," Ivanna replied. Just to test how much he knew, she asked, "Как Вас зовут?"
He seemed to be concentrating hard, but he nodded, responding clearly, "Меня зовут Салем. Вы говорите по-английски? Я плохо говорю по-русски."
Giving a laugh, actually amused, she responded in English, "No, your Russian is very good. My English is only acceptable."
The girl across from her dropped her jaw, gasping, "Whoa, that was so cool! I didn't know you knew Russian, Calem!"
Calem shook his head, saying, "I don't. But when I heard Professor Sycamore had given the last sponsorship to her, I decided to see if I could learn some."
The girl put her hand across the table, saying, "Hi! My name's Shauna! Nice to meet you!"
Ivanna took her hand, and before she could properly introduce herself, Shauna continued by pointing to the other two boys, saying, "This is Tierno and Trevor! Tierno's the best dancer on this side of the ocean, and Trevor already has a scholarship to study in the Professor's lab!"
Ivanna nodded at the two boys, the younger of the two slouching under her look since she didn't smile at them. Shauna leaned on the table, saying, "Well, we're all here now! Come on, Tierno! Let's see the pokemon!"
The bigger boy grinned, and he said, "It was the best feeling when Trevor and I first met our pokemon, so I hope it's the same for you guys!"
As he pulled the pokeballs out, Calem piped in, "I think Ivanna should get the first pick."
Surprised, Ivanna shook her head, declining politely with, "You two can pick first. I do not care vhich pokemon I get."
Tierno released the pokemon, and it was a good thing Ivanna had said that. The first thing that happened was the Chespin took one look at Shauna, squealed, and launched himself at her.
Shauna laughed in delight, saying, "Aw, it looks like the starter chose me! You can come with me!"
Clearly, Calem had in mind which pokemon he had wanted, because he immediately looked at Froakie and said, "How about it? Will you be my pokemon?" The frog's answer must have been positive, because Calem smiled and said, "Thank you. Because of you, I can be a real pokemon trainer."
That left the Fennekin. "I guess that makes you stuck vith me," Ivanna said, picking him up by the scruff of his neck and putting him in the crook of her arm.
"I guess so," he said to her, looking up with young, sparkling eyes. He practically wiggled in her arms he was so excited. "We're going to have loads of fun, aren't we?"
Ivanna hiked a brow up at the little fox, saying evasively, "Ve vill see," and stood from the table, taking his pokeball.
"Hey—Wait, where are you going?" Shauna exclaimed.
"I am heading out now," Ivanna told her, not wanting to dawdle any longer.
"Wait," Trevor piped up suddenly, frantically reaching into his pack. "You can't leave without this! It's the Pokedex. Professor Sycamore wanted you to fill the pages, remember?"
"Right," Ivanna said, pocketing the device in her purse.
"Wait!" Shauna cried, hopping up from her seat when Ivanna began to walk off. "Let's at least have a pokemon battle! Right?"
Ivanna looked down at the Fennekin in her arms, and his ears flattened nervously. "Already?" he practically squeaked.
Huh. Scardy cat. "Yes, already," she said, and she picked him up by his scruff and dropped him on the ground. Shauna brightened a little, taking her position with her Chespin across from them. "Use Ember!"
Her Fennekin's tail frizzed up, from aggression or fear, Ivanna wasn't sure, but his Ember hit cleanly. Shauna cried, "Oh no! Chespin, use Tackle!"
The pokemon ran up and threw its shoulder into the small red fox. Ivanna's Fennekin yelped and backed away, tail between his legs, and she frowned, saying, "Calm down and use Ember again!"
He responded but missed wildly and suffered another Tackle. He tumbled on the cobblestone, shaking, and Ivanna wrinkled her nose. "One more Ember, and hit this time!"
This time, her Fennekin slowed down enough to aim and hit his mark. The Chespin collapsed back with a low groan, refusing to move. One of his quills was smoking a little alarmingly, and Shauna rushed up to him, bursting, "Oh, I'm so sorry we lost, Chespin!" She scooped up the pokemon, saying, "Wow, Ivanna, you're really good at this!"
"It vas mostly type matching," Ivanna told her, and she picked the Fennekin up by the scruff of his neck again. He sat demurely in her arm as Ivanna again excused herself, saying, "I vill be on my way now."
"Well, okay then," Shauna said, a put-off tone coloring her voice. "Bye!"
Ivanna left the teenagers, sighing in relief. She was going to be twenty in less than a month, though her trainer ID said she was seventeen, as per the rules of Sycamore's trainer sponsorship. He only gave them to kids, so even if Ivanna lied about being a legal adult, just as long as no one found out, she would be fine.
Ivanna mostly ignored the people in town that waved and called out first journey encouragement, telling her to have a good trip and wishing her luck. The children and/or teenagers Sycamore sponsored typically started in Aquacorde Town, so it was natural for them to see kids heading out on journeys every fall and spring. Ivanna walked out into route 2 and headed for some time before finding a quiet spot and depositing her Fennekin on the ground again.
She stared at him critically for a moment before asking, "So? Do you have name?"
He shook his head, telling her, "No. Starter pokemon are bred for new trainers, and we aren't given names so our trainer can name us."
"Hm. Okay, I vill call you Vinko." She pulled out her other ball, a dusk ball, and tossed it up. From its light, a Murkrow formed. "Vinko, this is Vaska. Vaska, this is first recruit."
Vaska looked at him even more critically than Ivanna had, and he eventually sniffed his beak up, saying with an equally deep Russian accent, "He does not look like much."
Vinko's large ears dipped down, prompting Ivanna to defend him a little with, "He von his first battle. He is promising enough."
Vaska fluffed his dark feathers and turned his head away from the bright sun. "Fine. But he better carry own veight. Ve can't coddle anyone."
"I take it this isn't going to be much fun, is it?" Vinko finally muttered, swiping his paw through the dirt.
Ivanna hesitated. How much could she trust him with? Hm, likely not much, but she could at least give him enough so he wouldn't pout. She squatted down carefully so she wouldn't flash anyone and said, "I have mission, Vinko. I need you to be strong to fight for me."
He looked warily up at her. "A mission? What is it?"
She pursed her lips. "I'm righting a wrong," she struggled to say, staying as evasive as possible. "It vill be dangerous, so I have to have strong pokemon vith me."
Vinko's tail swished nervously behind him, and he pawed at the dirt a little more. "So," he finally asked, "are we not doing the gym challenge?"
"Ve are," she told him. "It is part of agreement with Professor and HDP." And, it was the best and fastest way to get strong.
His ears flicked up. "What's HDP?"
Ivanna pursed her lips up, and she stood back up, commenting with a small amount of annoyance, "You ask lots of questions."
"Should I not?"
Ivanna's gaze searched the distance. She could see the Santalune Forest ahead. She took a deep breath and released it through her nose, saying, "Probably not. Just do as I say. Now come. Ve need to train."
*
It was a forest full of bug types and grass types, she told him. It should be easy for you, she told him. How then, was her Fennekin making this hard?
Using a Potion on him and combining it with an Antidote, Ivanna pressed her lips together against any negative words. Vinko was nervous and ashamed as it was with the amount of tongue-lashings he got from Vaska who was a far more experienced battler. From words like, "Stop running away! Fire vill kill them!" and "You are absolutely incompetent!" and "I vill not help you this time. Fight or die," and Ivanna was having a hard time keeping her Fennekin's spirits up enough to even fight.
She scratched under Vinko's chin, noting the fox's dejected posture even though he had improved greatly from where they started. "Ve are almost through," Ivanna told him in what she hoped was a supportive voice. She looked up at her Murkrow flying above and told Vinko, "Maybe only few battles more before ve find city."
She nudged his butt forward with her foot so he would take the lead and repel the wild pokemon away with his Ember. Vinko slinked along unwillingly, and when he was a little distance away, Ivanna motioned for Vaska. The dark bird landed on her shoulder, and Ivanna said lowly, "Ve need to talk."
"Ve do," he agreed. "Quite frankly, I don't understand how you vill fight Lysandre when you have HIM," and he gestured to the fox yelping when a pokemon hopped out at him, "and that ridiculous agreement vith HDP."
"I had to get into region somehow," Ivanna muttered. "And that little fox is exactly vhat I vant to talk about. I'm sure you mean vell to coach him, but I need you to stop."
She watched as his Ember took down the territorial bug, leaving it charred for a bird to eat later. Vinko didn't even look back for encouragement, he just carefully kept picking his way along, large ears perked for the sound of danger and his back fur frizzed up with stress.
"Vhat for?" Vaska said with a sniff. "He is veak."
"He is CHILD," Ivanna stressed to him. "He takes vhat you say, but he has no confidence. And vithout it, he vill stay like this," and she gestured to him skittering away from a rustling bush that didn't attack him.
Vaska fluffed his feathers. "I learned, so I don't see vhy he von't."
Ivanna smirked and knuckled his beak, saying, "That's because you are hard ass."
He pecked playfully at her, but he sobered almost immediately, saying, "Vinko aside, this vill be uphill battle, Ivanna. I dislike agreeing vith Yuliy after he has been ass, but you should have bided time. You don't even know if you vill get pokemon able to battle from HDP."
"I'll take my chances, Vaska," she said to him. "Vorst that happens is I illegally catch pokemon."
"And get kicked out of region even faster," Vaska muttered. He lifted his head, saying, "Forest's edge." Then, he gave a dark chuckle at Vinko, saying, "I bet kid is relieved. City is close."
Despite several trainers milling about the edge of Santalune Forest, no one stopped Ivanna and her team for a battle. Perhaps all the new trainers and their pokemon were tuckered out after the forest—except for Vaska, of course. He was raring to go and challenging people with glares. Still, after picking a bit of turf from her heels, Ivanna strode her way proudly into Santalune City, apparently the first of her group of trainers. She was sure Shauna or Calem would have tried to talk to her had they been in the city.
Ivanna entered the Pokemon Center and dropped off Vinko with the nurse. Vinko collapsed tiredly, huffing as he finally got to relax after she had used him so heavily in the forest. Vaska denied the chance, preferring to stay perched on her shoulder as she approached the corner where a man stood behind a counter. Curiously, the mailroom was vacant of trainers getting care packages from their mothers.
"Hello," the man said, "how can I help you?"
She put her trainer ID down on the counter with a click. "My name is Ivanna Moisey. I am here to pick up package."
He smiled broadly then, saying, "Ah, Miss Moisey! Your package came in just this morning!" He hurried into the back, and Ivanna could see several shelves lined with packages for the pokemon center and the passing trainers. "I think it's just great what you're doing," he called out to her as he searched. "I used to battle once upon a time, and I had a Hitmonlee that I had to give up when he got a leg injury. Sadly, I didn't make it that far through the league, I crashed and burned at the fourth gym," and he was suddenly back with a square box, "which was a real shame. If I had been thinking ahead, I would have kept my Hitmonlee regardless of his injury. I still wonder whatever happened to him. Anyways, if you'll just sign right here."
Ivanna could only blink uncomfortably at his torrent of words, and she shifted under his undeserved praise of her. She signed for the package and said, "Thank you," intending on beating a hasty retreat, but his voice followed her with, "We need more trainers like you in the world! Thank you!"
Ivanna did her best to ignore him as well as Vaska's sideways glance. Instead, she walked to the back of the Pokemon Center and found a vacant table. Sitting down, Ivanna took out a pocket knife and cut the tape on the cardboard. Vaska hopped onto the table, cocking his head curiously as she revealed two pokeballs, two folders, and an extensive note on top complete with a card attached to it. She unfolded the paper first, and it said:
Dear Ivanna Moisey,
Thank you for choosing to participate with Homes for Disabled Pokemon! HDP is a program devoted to finding homes for unwanted or disadvantaged pokemon that have been handicapped through birth, trainer battling or other causes.
Enclosed are your HDP associate card and the pokeballs of the first two pokemon of your new journey. Clear information and instructions are provided for the history and future care of your pokemon. If any pokemon require medication, HDP will provide the cost as sponsorship. If there are further questions, please call 75-388-67 or contact us at [email protected] for more information.
Sincerely,
Homes for Disabled Pokemon
President Dashi
Peeling the HDP ID from the page, Ivanna added it to her billfold without a word and picked up the two folders. She flipped them open, and her eyes skimmed past the Snubbull and instead landed greedily on the other pokemon.
"And Axew?" she breathed in shock. Who in the world wouldn't want an Axew? Knowing her luck, it would be brain dead or incompetent. Flipping the folder open, Vaska leaning over with interest in the dragon type, she began to read.
Her blue eyes widened like planets. It was a SHINY Axew! Why in the world wouldn't someone want this pokemon? Even if it couldn't battle, shinies were known to be able to hop into the world of acting with nothing more than a flash of their abnormal color. People PAID for shinies, and they paid very well for shinies.
Ivanna read quickly. Mischievous and unable to be controlled . . . she could handle whatever bad personality it had. And, ah, she was a wild pokemon that had been presumably mauled by the mother. Shinies never lasted long in the wild because of the instinct for mothers to kill the falsely colored child. A shiny color meant they couldn't hide from predators. Shinies brought danger upon themselves in the wild.
Mauled . . . The Axew was lopsided. One of her tusks had been ripped out completely. Her right tusk had been clawed off as well as her right hand, and a substantial amount of her scales. Ivanna considered this. Even if she was lopsided and theoretically had a blind spot on her right, the Axew was absolutely capable of battling.
"I can't believe ve lucked up like this," Ivanna said to Vaska, pushing the folder his way. She glanced over the Snubbull in the meantime. Mildred the Snubbull, used to have a family that couldn't deal with her and gave her up to HDP . . . Extreme social anxiety and panic attacks. Lovely.
Vaska hummed lowly in appreciation. "Dragon is perfect. She'll have to vatch right side, but dragon is dragon. Vhat is other?"
"Snubbull," she told him. She arched a brow. "Anxiety and panic attacks. Try not to look at her."
Vaska reared his head back in amusement at her jibe, but offered up nothing in his defense. Releasing both pokemon so she could see them, they formed from the red light in drastically different postures—the Axew looked her right in the eye while the Snubbull shrank as small as possible.
The Axew didn't look good. It was easy to see why no one wanted her. The larges claw mark started at the crown of her head, roped over her right eye—that seemed to have no sight impairment—and clawed down her neck and shoulder and over her back. It was so deep it had ripped most of her pale green scales out, and they hadn't grown back. She was missing her right tusk and a chunk of her lip, and her right arm ended in a stump, but the second she saw Ivanna, her purple eyes widened.
She gaped. "Are you a trainer?" she asked.
Ivanna nodded, saying, "Yes—" and before anything else could be said, the Axew roared in triumph, pumping both arms into the air.
"Yes! Yes! That's right! Who said I wouldn't make it? Eat that, Samuel!"
The Snubbull shied away, seeming to flush a weird shade of pink, and she crossed her arms, taking deep breaths. Ivanna cast her a glance before going one at a time. "I take it you are excited to battle?"
"Of course I am!" she burst. "I've been wanting this all my life! Who cares about acting? Besides, if I wasn't pretty enough for them, then I'd definitely rather be able to beat people up who talk shit about me."
Ivanna's lips twitched. Pleased at what luck had served up to her on a silver platter, she said, "At least I can see vhere your bad behavior comes from."
"What? No," and the shiny Axew waved both hand and stump at her. "I just did that because they kept wanting to push me onto rich people that wanted to buy me for my hide! That, and if those prissy people think I can't act, of course I was going to break a few things." She tossed her head and paused thoughtfully. "Actually, that one little old lady was very nice, but I was afraid she was going to try to adopt me, so I peed on her."
Ivanna leaned forward and lifted a brow at her. "So how are you going to behave for me?" she asked.
"Oh, I'll be an absolute dear," the Axew told her with a nod. "I caused a ruckus so they couldn't give me to anyone other than a trainer, see? And now I've got one! What's your name? Do you have any badges yet? I've got Dual Chop, so I can ruin a few pokemon for you!"
At that, she finally laughed, saying, "Don't vorry, there vill be plenty of pokemon for you to fight. My name is Ivanna, and I am your new trainer. Do you have name?"
The Axew paused in thought before she admitted, "Not officially. A lot of people called me menace, firecracker, and Satan, but that's just rude. You can call me Roxana. That little lady was very nice, but I just couldn't handle being a lap pet for the rest of my life." She looked up at Vaska, and she wiggled her brows, asking, "So who's dark and handsome?"
Vaska hopped off the table, sending the quiet Snubbull skittering far to the side when he approached Roxana. He lifted one claw and took her hand, dipping his head. "My name is Vaska," he told her courteously, clearly having taken a shine to the scrappy Axew.
"Ooh, you both have that Russian accent; that's so attractive!"
Ivanna rolled her eyes at Roxana's antics, and she turned towards the forgotten Snubbull who was almost hiding behind her chair at this point. "Hello," she said carefully, "I am Ivanna, and I'm your new trainer." The Snubbull peeked up at her, took a deep breath, and trembled a bit more. Ivanna cocked her head much like Vaska would, and asked, "Vhat's your name?"
"M-M-Mildred," she stuttered out, and she closed her eyes taking one deep breath. She looked nervously up at Ivanna, asking, "A-Are you going to battle with me too?"
"That is plan," Ivanna told her. Mildred shuddered visibly and her ears flattened to her skull. "I need strong battlers, and Snubbull are strong. You have very good attacking strength."
She trembled like a leaf in the wind. "I-I don't know," she rasped. "It sounds scary. Pokemon die in battle, don't they?"
Ivanna crossed a leg, telling her, "Not always," while Roxana made herself a general menace to Vaska who looked to have had enough of her already. "I vill take care of you. I am good battler."
Mildred looked her in the eye, and she seemed to like something there because her trembling stopped even though she was still an off shade of pink. Wondering how in the world she was going to get the anxious pokemon to battle competently, she looked up in surprise to see Vinko already scampering out of the back of the center doors. He paused shortly in surprise, and he approached, little feet pattering on the floor.
"Hello? We have new teammates already?"
Ivanna nodded as Vinko padded up, and she said, "Mildred, Roxana, this is Vinko and Vaska. You two, Mildred and Roxana."
Vinko looked warily at them, and he said, "Hello," and tried not to stare at Roxana's scars.
Roxana waved, chipper. "Hi, kid. Fire starter. Those always grow up strong."
"He is only starter in name," Vaska cut in haughtily, puffing out his chest.
Ivanna let Vaska defend his right as starter pokemon. He technically was even though it said Vinko on her ID.
An idea struck her as she looked at tiny Vinko, and she got up, picking him up by his scruff. "Vinko, this is Mildred," she told him, plopping him in front of her. They both shrank instinctively from each other. "She has social anxiety and panics little, so I'm putting you in charge of her."
Vinko gaped, his large ears pressing back. "Me? Why me?"
Ivanna smirked. "Because if Vaska is in charge of you two, you'll both give up before ve start."
"Vaska can be in charge of me," Roxana said suggestively, sidling up to him. Vaska didn't bat an eye, but batted his wings and flew up and landed on Ivanna's shoulder. Roxana just laughed, and Vinko swished his tail nervously.
"Um, hi. I'm Vinko."
As Ivanna and Vaska dealt with Roxana to get some space, Mildred waved a little back at him. "H-Hi," she stuttered. "I'm, um, I'm Mildred." She looked frightfully up at Vaska, and she lowered her voice to a whisper, admitting, "I . . . I'm really afraid of that Murkrow."
Vinko's nose lifted as he found a kindred spirit, and he moved a little closer, whispering back, "It's okay. I'm a little scared of him too." He giggled, and Mildred hid a smile behind her hands.
Ivanna discreetly looked over her shoulder at them. That's right. Now hopefully those two weaklings would bond and toughen each other up. Still, now that she had a decent team behind her, the real work was about to begin. They would rest tonight, and in the morning they would get down to business.
Nuzlocke Rules
1. If a pokemon faints, it is dead and is permanently boxed.
2. All pokemon must be nicknamed.
3. No duplicate pokemon or evolutionary line duplicates.
4. No legendaries or extra starter pokemon.
5. Gift pokemon, in-game trades, eggs, and fossils cannot be used.
6. No using the Pokemon Amie, Super Training, Experience Share, or O-Powers.
7. No grinding in grind spots such as Restaurant Le Nah or the Battle Chateau.
8. No Lucky Egg.
9. No buying items; no abusing portable pokemon center people like Nurses. (Theoretically, I might have one use of them because they automatically heal your pokemon when you beat them. I think. Basically I'm trying not to use those perfectly convenient little nurses scattered everywhere.)
This is a Randomizer Nuzlocke run, slightly modified since I'm not using a rom. I used randompokemon.com/ to generate a pokemon for each region (with my brothers or friends as witnesses to the pokemon I got so I wouldn't cheat. And yes, I used an Action Replay to generate them, which was a pain in the ass because Hidden Power). My only restriction with the random generator was no legendaries or extra starters. If I got the second or third evolution of a pokemon, I defaulted it to the base form (aka, if I got Charizard, I defaulted it back to Charmander) just to make things a little more difficult.
For this written run, trainers can only understand their own pokemon and not others.
Here we go!
PROLOGUE
Spoiler:
He hated this forest. If he could, this would be the first place he would wipe off the map of Kalos.
It was pointless to use an umbrella when the rain poured through the patchy forest canopy, and Lysandre cursed whoever had called Laverre's forest a nature trail. The manmade trail every pokemon trainer took hardly counted. Until you were slogging knee deep through the muddy swamp with the naked branches clawing at your clothes, you never truly understood the bane of the dense woods.
"Sir!" Lysander didn't even turn his head from the tracker in his hands, watching the needle flipping erratically to the side. One of his admins, his white suit stained hopelessly brown from the mud, struggled forward. "Sir, are we still heading the right way?"
Lysandre's lips pressed in annoyance, and he flicked the idle contraption. The needle began responding again. Its reception seemed spotty at best, as if the dark wood was trying to keep him from his prize.
Could he have left his underlings to do this for him? Of course, but Lysandre was no man's fool. If he wanted this done right, he had to do it himself, whether or not his suit was so wet it clung like a second skin. In retrospect, boots would have been a better choice of footwear, but Lysandre was far from caring. He just couldn't believe how . . . disappointing the world was. He couldn't believe he'd been pushed to this.
"Sir? Maybe it's not here. Maybe we should turn back!"
He ignored them. His Murkrow darted overhead in the trees, cawing every few minutes or so. After sloughing through the muck and thunderstorm for several pregnant minutes, the Murkrow flitted back down and landed on his shoulder. He gave a delicate shudder of his wings.
"It is here," he croaked lowly, his faint Russian accent a near purr. His eyes gleamed beneath the brim of his crest. "Your technology will pick it up shortly."
"Where?" Lysander asked, his heart straining with pained hope.
The dark bird cocked his head, and his wings rustled nervously again. "Everywhere," he breathed. "Can you not feel it? It is . . . like living thing, yet not. Like death breathes into the trees. There are no wild pokemon here. Only darkness, and an end that devours all."
A chill ran up Lysandre's spin that had nothing to do with the bitter air. He looked behind him to see his men struggling forward with him, their faces overshadowed with fear and doubt. Even through a sheet of relentless rain, it was apparent they felt the presence of death. He shifted uncomfortably when his crow took flight again, but he steeled his wavering heart.
It was here.
Ignoring all else, Lysandre trudged forward with near obsessive purpose. Lightning flashed overhead, and thunder cracked and rolled in the night. This was it. Here, he could finally put this world out of its slow-burning misery. He'd seen enough torment in his lifetime and had tried to combat it the way he was taught. He had tried to bring so much good into the world, and yet it was always outstripped by evil and hardship. Too many suffered. And if he had to look to extreme ends to stop this suffering, he would.
His mind was set, but his heart shook when he looked up at his Murkrow flying lithely through the trees. He was always so beautiful in the night, agile and free, livened and joyous. The darkness suited him in a comely way, bringing out his best and leaving his checkered and lamentable past where it belonged—in the past.
Lysander looked ahead into the darkness, refusing to think where his Murkrow's future lied.
Soon, he finally found the results he was searching for. The needle sprang to life, picking up on an ancient energy that webbed through the dead trees, their raw limbs cutting into the rainy sky. Lightning flashed and illuminated the skeletal forest briefly, like an ebbing heartbeat. The needle waved erratically—it finally dipped and rested at nothing.
Lifting his head, Lysandre peered into the opaque darkness that their flashlights couldn't penetrate. It was here. They were so close he could practically taste it. The fruits of his labor would not be wasted. Deep in the heart of Laverre's ominous forest, Lysandre threw away the tracking mechanism and bore ahead, feeling the weight of oblivion pressing on his shoulders. The foreboding stillness of the forest grew more and more vacant, devoid of life between gnarled wooden trunks. His Murkrow returned to his shoulder, this time firmly planting there as the forsaken wood stirred, like an uncomfortable slither in the dark.
When he saw it, his heart leapt. Lysandre stumbled over the knotted roots burrowed in the mud, and he seized his triumph with a glint of madness in his eyes. The larvae state was unmistakable. The black egg was so bleak it swallowed the area around it, and by shining his flashlight against its hide, Lysandre could see the distinctive diamond markings lining it. Claws clamped tightly shut, refusing to unleash oblivion until prodded from its sleep.
A feral smile lit Lysandre's face. He reached out his hand, placing it against the surprisingly soft down of the cocoon. He had done it. He had finally found the legendary destruction pokemon.
Thunder cracked and lightning whipped. A man whimpered.
Under Lysandre's hand, death rolled in its grave.
CHAPTER 1
Spoiler:
"I don't need you to hold my hand! I have Vaska. I can handle this on my own."
Ivanna set her jaw stubbornly at the man across from her who merely gave one small laugh. His lips turned up arrogantly, and he replied in perfect Russian, "Tush, Ivanna. I'm here to protect you when things get out of hand."
"Yuliy sent you, didn't he?" she snapped angrily, blue eyes spitting fire in the small hotel room. Behind her, every crease on the bed was immaculate and nothing had been moved one inch from where it had originally stood. The room seemed as if no one had lived in it. Their Russian mother-tongue fired back and forth, Ivanna responding with, "He's always underestimated me. And you know it's because I'm a girl! He's too old-fashioned to see that I can take care of myself!"
Stormy grey eyes pinned to her. "Actually, it was Madam Klava who sent me."
Ivanna's angry flush ebbed a little. "Babushka?" she whispered.
He nodded, the morning sunshine leaking between the blinds and falling across his sharp features. "Actually, she sent both me and Yuliy," he told her. "Don't take it too hard. She's just worried. You're the last Klava once she's gone, and no one wants to see that name die." He paused, and his dark brows met in thought. "She said not to underestimate Lysandre."
"I know not to," Ivanna replied, looking away from him. Unease clenched at her stomach, but her back was made of steel. "I know exactly what he's capable of."
The silence pressed, heavy and pregnant, but Ivanna shook it off by situating her hat and skirt again. "So, how do I look?" she asked in partially broken English this time, flaring her red skirt out and holding the pink purse under her arm. "Innocent enough? Do I look like tourist and trainer?"
He just smirked at her, saying in much better English, "Of course. You look beautiful in everything you wear."
Ivanna rolled her eyes in exasperation, saying, "Flattery vill only get you so far vith me, Dimitri."
She pushed past him, and he followed her closely, saying, "You should hope everyone you talk to speaks English. Your English might be passable at best, but your French is horrible."
"Thank you for informing me of vhat I already know," Ivanna said, hiking her chin up and not allowing him to get under her skin. Him and his I'm-so-fluent-in-three-languages attitude.
They piled into the elevator together, and Dimitri was prompted to encourage her with, "Vaska will take care of you."
"I know," she replied crisply again. The elevator dinged for the bottom floor. "Now I am going to receive my beginner pokemon, so do not follow me. You vill attract too much attention."
Ivanna brushed out of the elevator with her head held high and strode out of the hotel and into the late summer's day. Aquacorde Town was far too warm for her taste, and she took her shades off her hat and put them on, shielding her eyes from the sun. She headed off down the street, looking for the café she was supposed to meet the other kids at. Her pink heels clicked on the pavement.
"Ivanna? Ivanna Moisey?"
If not for her first name, Ivanna might not have responded to the sound of her fake name. At a table outside of said coffee shop, a girl in pink was waving, surrounded by three other boys. Ivanna approached, and she barely had managed to sit before the boy with black hair said, "Здравствуйте," in surprisingly good Russian.
"Доброе утро," Ivanna replied. Just to test how much he knew, she asked, "Как Вас зовут?"
He seemed to be concentrating hard, but he nodded, responding clearly, "Меня зовут Салем. Вы говорите по-английски? Я плохо говорю по-русски."
Giving a laugh, actually amused, she responded in English, "No, your Russian is very good. My English is only acceptable."
The girl across from her dropped her jaw, gasping, "Whoa, that was so cool! I didn't know you knew Russian, Calem!"
Calem shook his head, saying, "I don't. But when I heard Professor Sycamore had given the last sponsorship to her, I decided to see if I could learn some."
The girl put her hand across the table, saying, "Hi! My name's Shauna! Nice to meet you!"
Ivanna took her hand, and before she could properly introduce herself, Shauna continued by pointing to the other two boys, saying, "This is Tierno and Trevor! Tierno's the best dancer on this side of the ocean, and Trevor already has a scholarship to study in the Professor's lab!"
Ivanna nodded at the two boys, the younger of the two slouching under her look since she didn't smile at them. Shauna leaned on the table, saying, "Well, we're all here now! Come on, Tierno! Let's see the pokemon!"
The bigger boy grinned, and he said, "It was the best feeling when Trevor and I first met our pokemon, so I hope it's the same for you guys!"
As he pulled the pokeballs out, Calem piped in, "I think Ivanna should get the first pick."
Surprised, Ivanna shook her head, declining politely with, "You two can pick first. I do not care vhich pokemon I get."
Tierno released the pokemon, and it was a good thing Ivanna had said that. The first thing that happened was the Chespin took one look at Shauna, squealed, and launched himself at her.
Shauna laughed in delight, saying, "Aw, it looks like the starter chose me! You can come with me!"
Clearly, Calem had in mind which pokemon he had wanted, because he immediately looked at Froakie and said, "How about it? Will you be my pokemon?" The frog's answer must have been positive, because Calem smiled and said, "Thank you. Because of you, I can be a real pokemon trainer."
That left the Fennekin. "I guess that makes you stuck vith me," Ivanna said, picking him up by the scruff of his neck and putting him in the crook of her arm.
"I guess so," he said to her, looking up with young, sparkling eyes. He practically wiggled in her arms he was so excited. "We're going to have loads of fun, aren't we?"
Ivanna hiked a brow up at the little fox, saying evasively, "Ve vill see," and stood from the table, taking his pokeball.
"Hey—Wait, where are you going?" Shauna exclaimed.
"I am heading out now," Ivanna told her, not wanting to dawdle any longer.
"Wait," Trevor piped up suddenly, frantically reaching into his pack. "You can't leave without this! It's the Pokedex. Professor Sycamore wanted you to fill the pages, remember?"
"Right," Ivanna said, pocketing the device in her purse.
"Wait!" Shauna cried, hopping up from her seat when Ivanna began to walk off. "Let's at least have a pokemon battle! Right?"
Ivanna looked down at the Fennekin in her arms, and his ears flattened nervously. "Already?" he practically squeaked.
Huh. Scardy cat. "Yes, already," she said, and she picked him up by his scruff and dropped him on the ground. Shauna brightened a little, taking her position with her Chespin across from them. "Use Ember!"
Her Fennekin's tail frizzed up, from aggression or fear, Ivanna wasn't sure, but his Ember hit cleanly. Shauna cried, "Oh no! Chespin, use Tackle!"
The pokemon ran up and threw its shoulder into the small red fox. Ivanna's Fennekin yelped and backed away, tail between his legs, and she frowned, saying, "Calm down and use Ember again!"
He responded but missed wildly and suffered another Tackle. He tumbled on the cobblestone, shaking, and Ivanna wrinkled her nose. "One more Ember, and hit this time!"
This time, her Fennekin slowed down enough to aim and hit his mark. The Chespin collapsed back with a low groan, refusing to move. One of his quills was smoking a little alarmingly, and Shauna rushed up to him, bursting, "Oh, I'm so sorry we lost, Chespin!" She scooped up the pokemon, saying, "Wow, Ivanna, you're really good at this!"
"It vas mostly type matching," Ivanna told her, and she picked the Fennekin up by the scruff of his neck again. He sat demurely in her arm as Ivanna again excused herself, saying, "I vill be on my way now."
"Well, okay then," Shauna said, a put-off tone coloring her voice. "Bye!"
Ivanna left the teenagers, sighing in relief. She was going to be twenty in less than a month, though her trainer ID said she was seventeen, as per the rules of Sycamore's trainer sponsorship. He only gave them to kids, so even if Ivanna lied about being a legal adult, just as long as no one found out, she would be fine.
Ivanna mostly ignored the people in town that waved and called out first journey encouragement, telling her to have a good trip and wishing her luck. The children and/or teenagers Sycamore sponsored typically started in Aquacorde Town, so it was natural for them to see kids heading out on journeys every fall and spring. Ivanna walked out into route 2 and headed for some time before finding a quiet spot and depositing her Fennekin on the ground again.
She stared at him critically for a moment before asking, "So? Do you have name?"
He shook his head, telling her, "No. Starter pokemon are bred for new trainers, and we aren't given names so our trainer can name us."
"Hm. Okay, I vill call you Vinko." She pulled out her other ball, a dusk ball, and tossed it up. From its light, a Murkrow formed. "Vinko, this is Vaska. Vaska, this is first recruit."
Vaska looked at him even more critically than Ivanna had, and he eventually sniffed his beak up, saying with an equally deep Russian accent, "He does not look like much."
Vinko's large ears dipped down, prompting Ivanna to defend him a little with, "He von his first battle. He is promising enough."
Vaska fluffed his dark feathers and turned his head away from the bright sun. "Fine. But he better carry own veight. Ve can't coddle anyone."
"I take it this isn't going to be much fun, is it?" Vinko finally muttered, swiping his paw through the dirt.
Ivanna hesitated. How much could she trust him with? Hm, likely not much, but she could at least give him enough so he wouldn't pout. She squatted down carefully so she wouldn't flash anyone and said, "I have mission, Vinko. I need you to be strong to fight for me."
He looked warily up at her. "A mission? What is it?"
She pursed her lips. "I'm righting a wrong," she struggled to say, staying as evasive as possible. "It vill be dangerous, so I have to have strong pokemon vith me."
Vinko's tail swished nervously behind him, and he pawed at the dirt a little more. "So," he finally asked, "are we not doing the gym challenge?"
"Ve are," she told him. "It is part of agreement with Professor and HDP." And, it was the best and fastest way to get strong.
His ears flicked up. "What's HDP?"
Ivanna pursed her lips up, and she stood back up, commenting with a small amount of annoyance, "You ask lots of questions."
"Should I not?"
Ivanna's gaze searched the distance. She could see the Santalune Forest ahead. She took a deep breath and released it through her nose, saying, "Probably not. Just do as I say. Now come. Ve need to train."
*
It was a forest full of bug types and grass types, she told him. It should be easy for you, she told him. How then, was her Fennekin making this hard?
Using a Potion on him and combining it with an Antidote, Ivanna pressed her lips together against any negative words. Vinko was nervous and ashamed as it was with the amount of tongue-lashings he got from Vaska who was a far more experienced battler. From words like, "Stop running away! Fire vill kill them!" and "You are absolutely incompetent!" and "I vill not help you this time. Fight or die," and Ivanna was having a hard time keeping her Fennekin's spirits up enough to even fight.
She scratched under Vinko's chin, noting the fox's dejected posture even though he had improved greatly from where they started. "Ve are almost through," Ivanna told him in what she hoped was a supportive voice. She looked up at her Murkrow flying above and told Vinko, "Maybe only few battles more before ve find city."
She nudged his butt forward with her foot so he would take the lead and repel the wild pokemon away with his Ember. Vinko slinked along unwillingly, and when he was a little distance away, Ivanna motioned for Vaska. The dark bird landed on her shoulder, and Ivanna said lowly, "Ve need to talk."
"Ve do," he agreed. "Quite frankly, I don't understand how you vill fight Lysandre when you have HIM," and he gestured to the fox yelping when a pokemon hopped out at him, "and that ridiculous agreement vith HDP."
"I had to get into region somehow," Ivanna muttered. "And that little fox is exactly vhat I vant to talk about. I'm sure you mean vell to coach him, but I need you to stop."
She watched as his Ember took down the territorial bug, leaving it charred for a bird to eat later. Vinko didn't even look back for encouragement, he just carefully kept picking his way along, large ears perked for the sound of danger and his back fur frizzed up with stress.
"Vhat for?" Vaska said with a sniff. "He is veak."
"He is CHILD," Ivanna stressed to him. "He takes vhat you say, but he has no confidence. And vithout it, he vill stay like this," and she gestured to him skittering away from a rustling bush that didn't attack him.
Vaska fluffed his feathers. "I learned, so I don't see vhy he von't."
Ivanna smirked and knuckled his beak, saying, "That's because you are hard ass."
He pecked playfully at her, but he sobered almost immediately, saying, "Vinko aside, this vill be uphill battle, Ivanna. I dislike agreeing vith Yuliy after he has been ass, but you should have bided time. You don't even know if you vill get pokemon able to battle from HDP."
"I'll take my chances, Vaska," she said to him. "Vorst that happens is I illegally catch pokemon."
"And get kicked out of region even faster," Vaska muttered. He lifted his head, saying, "Forest's edge." Then, he gave a dark chuckle at Vinko, saying, "I bet kid is relieved. City is close."
Despite several trainers milling about the edge of Santalune Forest, no one stopped Ivanna and her team for a battle. Perhaps all the new trainers and their pokemon were tuckered out after the forest—except for Vaska, of course. He was raring to go and challenging people with glares. Still, after picking a bit of turf from her heels, Ivanna strode her way proudly into Santalune City, apparently the first of her group of trainers. She was sure Shauna or Calem would have tried to talk to her had they been in the city.
Ivanna entered the Pokemon Center and dropped off Vinko with the nurse. Vinko collapsed tiredly, huffing as he finally got to relax after she had used him so heavily in the forest. Vaska denied the chance, preferring to stay perched on her shoulder as she approached the corner where a man stood behind a counter. Curiously, the mailroom was vacant of trainers getting care packages from their mothers.
"Hello," the man said, "how can I help you?"
She put her trainer ID down on the counter with a click. "My name is Ivanna Moisey. I am here to pick up package."
He smiled broadly then, saying, "Ah, Miss Moisey! Your package came in just this morning!" He hurried into the back, and Ivanna could see several shelves lined with packages for the pokemon center and the passing trainers. "I think it's just great what you're doing," he called out to her as he searched. "I used to battle once upon a time, and I had a Hitmonlee that I had to give up when he got a leg injury. Sadly, I didn't make it that far through the league, I crashed and burned at the fourth gym," and he was suddenly back with a square box, "which was a real shame. If I had been thinking ahead, I would have kept my Hitmonlee regardless of his injury. I still wonder whatever happened to him. Anyways, if you'll just sign right here."
Ivanna could only blink uncomfortably at his torrent of words, and she shifted under his undeserved praise of her. She signed for the package and said, "Thank you," intending on beating a hasty retreat, but his voice followed her with, "We need more trainers like you in the world! Thank you!"
Ivanna did her best to ignore him as well as Vaska's sideways glance. Instead, she walked to the back of the Pokemon Center and found a vacant table. Sitting down, Ivanna took out a pocket knife and cut the tape on the cardboard. Vaska hopped onto the table, cocking his head curiously as she revealed two pokeballs, two folders, and an extensive note on top complete with a card attached to it. She unfolded the paper first, and it said:
Dear Ivanna Moisey,
Thank you for choosing to participate with Homes for Disabled Pokemon! HDP is a program devoted to finding homes for unwanted or disadvantaged pokemon that have been handicapped through birth, trainer battling or other causes.
Enclosed are your HDP associate card and the pokeballs of the first two pokemon of your new journey. Clear information and instructions are provided for the history and future care of your pokemon. If any pokemon require medication, HDP will provide the cost as sponsorship. If there are further questions, please call 75-388-67 or contact us at [email protected] for more information.
Sincerely,
Homes for Disabled Pokemon
President Dashi
Peeling the HDP ID from the page, Ivanna added it to her billfold without a word and picked up the two folders. She flipped them open, and her eyes skimmed past the Snubbull and instead landed greedily on the other pokemon.
"And Axew?" she breathed in shock. Who in the world wouldn't want an Axew? Knowing her luck, it would be brain dead or incompetent. Flipping the folder open, Vaska leaning over with interest in the dragon type, she began to read.
Her blue eyes widened like planets. It was a SHINY Axew! Why in the world wouldn't someone want this pokemon? Even if it couldn't battle, shinies were known to be able to hop into the world of acting with nothing more than a flash of their abnormal color. People PAID for shinies, and they paid very well for shinies.
Ivanna read quickly. Mischievous and unable to be controlled . . . she could handle whatever bad personality it had. And, ah, she was a wild pokemon that had been presumably mauled by the mother. Shinies never lasted long in the wild because of the instinct for mothers to kill the falsely colored child. A shiny color meant they couldn't hide from predators. Shinies brought danger upon themselves in the wild.
Mauled . . . The Axew was lopsided. One of her tusks had been ripped out completely. Her right tusk had been clawed off as well as her right hand, and a substantial amount of her scales. Ivanna considered this. Even if she was lopsided and theoretically had a blind spot on her right, the Axew was absolutely capable of battling.
"I can't believe ve lucked up like this," Ivanna said to Vaska, pushing the folder his way. She glanced over the Snubbull in the meantime. Mildred the Snubbull, used to have a family that couldn't deal with her and gave her up to HDP . . . Extreme social anxiety and panic attacks. Lovely.
Vaska hummed lowly in appreciation. "Dragon is perfect. She'll have to vatch right side, but dragon is dragon. Vhat is other?"
"Snubbull," she told him. She arched a brow. "Anxiety and panic attacks. Try not to look at her."
Vaska reared his head back in amusement at her jibe, but offered up nothing in his defense. Releasing both pokemon so she could see them, they formed from the red light in drastically different postures—the Axew looked her right in the eye while the Snubbull shrank as small as possible.
The Axew didn't look good. It was easy to see why no one wanted her. The larges claw mark started at the crown of her head, roped over her right eye—that seemed to have no sight impairment—and clawed down her neck and shoulder and over her back. It was so deep it had ripped most of her pale green scales out, and they hadn't grown back. She was missing her right tusk and a chunk of her lip, and her right arm ended in a stump, but the second she saw Ivanna, her purple eyes widened.
She gaped. "Are you a trainer?" she asked.
Ivanna nodded, saying, "Yes—" and before anything else could be said, the Axew roared in triumph, pumping both arms into the air.
"Yes! Yes! That's right! Who said I wouldn't make it? Eat that, Samuel!"
The Snubbull shied away, seeming to flush a weird shade of pink, and she crossed her arms, taking deep breaths. Ivanna cast her a glance before going one at a time. "I take it you are excited to battle?"
"Of course I am!" she burst. "I've been wanting this all my life! Who cares about acting? Besides, if I wasn't pretty enough for them, then I'd definitely rather be able to beat people up who talk shit about me."
Ivanna's lips twitched. Pleased at what luck had served up to her on a silver platter, she said, "At least I can see vhere your bad behavior comes from."
"What? No," and the shiny Axew waved both hand and stump at her. "I just did that because they kept wanting to push me onto rich people that wanted to buy me for my hide! That, and if those prissy people think I can't act, of course I was going to break a few things." She tossed her head and paused thoughtfully. "Actually, that one little old lady was very nice, but I was afraid she was going to try to adopt me, so I peed on her."
Ivanna leaned forward and lifted a brow at her. "So how are you going to behave for me?" she asked.
"Oh, I'll be an absolute dear," the Axew told her with a nod. "I caused a ruckus so they couldn't give me to anyone other than a trainer, see? And now I've got one! What's your name? Do you have any badges yet? I've got Dual Chop, so I can ruin a few pokemon for you!"
At that, she finally laughed, saying, "Don't vorry, there vill be plenty of pokemon for you to fight. My name is Ivanna, and I am your new trainer. Do you have name?"
The Axew paused in thought before she admitted, "Not officially. A lot of people called me menace, firecracker, and Satan, but that's just rude. You can call me Roxana. That little lady was very nice, but I just couldn't handle being a lap pet for the rest of my life." She looked up at Vaska, and she wiggled her brows, asking, "So who's dark and handsome?"
Vaska hopped off the table, sending the quiet Snubbull skittering far to the side when he approached Roxana. He lifted one claw and took her hand, dipping his head. "My name is Vaska," he told her courteously, clearly having taken a shine to the scrappy Axew.
"Ooh, you both have that Russian accent; that's so attractive!"
Ivanna rolled her eyes at Roxana's antics, and she turned towards the forgotten Snubbull who was almost hiding behind her chair at this point. "Hello," she said carefully, "I am Ivanna, and I'm your new trainer." The Snubbull peeked up at her, took a deep breath, and trembled a bit more. Ivanna cocked her head much like Vaska would, and asked, "Vhat's your name?"
"M-M-Mildred," she stuttered out, and she closed her eyes taking one deep breath. She looked nervously up at Ivanna, asking, "A-Are you going to battle with me too?"
"That is plan," Ivanna told her. Mildred shuddered visibly and her ears flattened to her skull. "I need strong battlers, and Snubbull are strong. You have very good attacking strength."
She trembled like a leaf in the wind. "I-I don't know," she rasped. "It sounds scary. Pokemon die in battle, don't they?"
Ivanna crossed a leg, telling her, "Not always," while Roxana made herself a general menace to Vaska who looked to have had enough of her already. "I vill take care of you. I am good battler."
Mildred looked her in the eye, and she seemed to like something there because her trembling stopped even though she was still an off shade of pink. Wondering how in the world she was going to get the anxious pokemon to battle competently, she looked up in surprise to see Vinko already scampering out of the back of the center doors. He paused shortly in surprise, and he approached, little feet pattering on the floor.
"Hello? We have new teammates already?"
Ivanna nodded as Vinko padded up, and she said, "Mildred, Roxana, this is Vinko and Vaska. You two, Mildred and Roxana."
Vinko looked warily at them, and he said, "Hello," and tried not to stare at Roxana's scars.
Roxana waved, chipper. "Hi, kid. Fire starter. Those always grow up strong."
"He is only starter in name," Vaska cut in haughtily, puffing out his chest.
Ivanna let Vaska defend his right as starter pokemon. He technically was even though it said Vinko on her ID.
An idea struck her as she looked at tiny Vinko, and she got up, picking him up by his scruff. "Vinko, this is Mildred," she told him, plopping him in front of her. They both shrank instinctively from each other. "She has social anxiety and panics little, so I'm putting you in charge of her."
Vinko gaped, his large ears pressing back. "Me? Why me?"
Ivanna smirked. "Because if Vaska is in charge of you two, you'll both give up before ve start."
"Vaska can be in charge of me," Roxana said suggestively, sidling up to him. Vaska didn't bat an eye, but batted his wings and flew up and landed on Ivanna's shoulder. Roxana just laughed, and Vinko swished his tail nervously.
"Um, hi. I'm Vinko."
As Ivanna and Vaska dealt with Roxana to get some space, Mildred waved a little back at him. "H-Hi," she stuttered. "I'm, um, I'm Mildred." She looked frightfully up at Vaska, and she lowered her voice to a whisper, admitting, "I . . . I'm really afraid of that Murkrow."
Vinko's nose lifted as he found a kindred spirit, and he moved a little closer, whispering back, "It's okay. I'm a little scared of him too." He giggled, and Mildred hid a smile behind her hands.
Ivanna discreetly looked over her shoulder at them. That's right. Now hopefully those two weaklings would bond and toughen each other up. Still, now that she had a decent team behind her, the real work was about to begin. They would rest tonight, and in the morning they would get down to business.
Last edited: