Chapter 1: Rules of the Game
Professor Oak looked up as soon as he opened the door.
“Ah, Batman. We have been waiting for you. I was afraid I was going to have to drag you in here,” he said jokingly. Oak smiled and turned back to a young boy wearing a blue shirt and khaki pants. He looked a lot more professional than normal, but the arrogance in his face was the same:
“Hey, Batman, Get a good night’s rest?” Gary smirked.
“Of course,” Batman said, “I had to be ready for today.” Batman hoped the front was enough to ward off Gary’s prodding. Gary was always good at getting under his skin.
“Now that we have the formalities out of the way,” Professor Oak said, “Let’s get down to business. Beside me are three pokéballs; a unique Pokémon is in each one. Each Pokémon has unique strengths and weaknesses, potentially turning almost certain defeat into victory. You must chose wisely if you are to complete this journey. Remember, once you have chosen, you may not choose again: there is no way to go back on this decision. Gary, since you outrank Batman, you may choose first.”
Gary looked slyly at Batman then turned to Professor Oak,
“In the spirit of sportsmanship, I will let Batman choose first.”
Batman was taken by surprise. He had expected that Gary would try and choose first, leaving Batman with whichever Pokémon that Gary felt were the worse two of the three. Still suspicious, Batman went over and looked at the three pokéballs and the note that accompanied each one. He decided on Charmander, as he had always been partial to the Pokémon and the fire type. He grabbed the ball gently and slowly took a step back from the table.
“An excellent choice!” Professor Oak said, “I hope he serves you well.”
“I suppose it’s my turn,” Gary said, in mock sheepishness. He stepped up to the table, and with a smile toward Batman, picked up the pokéball containing Squirtle. Batman glared at Gary, now understanding Gary’s sudden act of kindness. Gary wanted to have Batman pick first so that he could choose the Pokémon that could easily beat his own.
“Another excellent choice!” Oak half-yelled out, “Now, both of you head into the back for your orientation. The Pokédexes are on the table by the door.”
Batman followed Gary through the door behind Professor Oak. As he passed, he saw Professor Oak’s smile turn down a little, making him look more stressed than joyful. Batman grabbed the Pokédex from the table and walked into the back room.
As he moved out from behind Gary to see more clearly, he saw numerous faces, both Pokémon and human, staring at him and Gary. The cameramen were clearly visible over the crowd near the back. As he walked toward the middle of the room, he was just able to see what the cameramen were using to stay above the crowd: Torterras. The Pokémon didn’t look much like a Torterra anymore, though. The shrub on his back had been trimmed down to be a stool for the cameraman and the tripod for the camera was mounted on his shell. Batman could not help but marvel at the strange Pokémon he had only ever seen on television. Before he could get a better look, the crowd pushed Batman forward. He stumbled for a few steps, then, after glancing back in loathing, he continued forward, after a few steps, the crowd parted enough for him to see his destination: a small stage with a small group of Pokémon rangers seated along the back and the leader of Kanto, “Giovanni,” was standing in front of a podium. As he reached the foot of the stage, he saw two small circles on the floor. One of the circles had his name on it. He silently moved onto his circle. As he stood there and waited, he glanced over at Gary, who, noticing he had turned, faced him with an arrogant smile. Batman faced forward as Giovanni started to speak.
“Countrymen, guests, champions, and players,” he began as he gestured briefly around the room,
“Today begins the 45th regional Nuzlocke Games. It is always a great joy to witness the games where it all began. It is magnificent to see that even the humblest of towns in the humblest of regions can perform its duty. Each year the location varies, but no location can ever be as serene or pastoral than Pallet Town.”
As his speech continued, the cameramen on their Torterras slowly moved in front of the stage and around he and Gary. As they passed, he noticed that all of the Torterras bore scars and marks, some fresh. As one passed directly in front of him, the camera focused clearly on his face, he quickly looked down. The wounds looked like they were made by some kind of stick. He quickly glanced back up, his emotions swirling back. He quickly stared back at the speaker, trying to keep his emotions in check. The camera was still passing by him, and he couldn’t afford a show of anger toward the way the Torterra was treated.
“Lastly, nothing can be more important than the rules in this game of valor and patriotism.” Giovanni said, as he looked down at Gary and Batman, “Rule number one, you may only catch the first Pokémon you encounter on a route or in a town, unless you already have two of that species. If you encounter a third of the same species as the first on the route or town, you have a total of two more attempts that may be used to find a different Pokémon. However, the third Pokémon you encounter will have to be the only Pokémon you can capture for that route. Rule two: Your Pokémon, once fainted is dead. To ensure this happens, each Pokémon you capture must be tagged with an implant that will make sure it is cleanly and quickly put to rest upon fainting. Also, once all of the Pokémon in your party faint, your implant will make sure you are put to rest along with them. Rule 3: If you are a member of a designated elite family, such as you, Gary, you and your Pokémon will not receive implants until you face the Pokémon champion. However, this advantage cannot be used too often, therefore, elite members may only challenge normal participants when deemed appropriate. You will be given a notification via your Pokedex once you are able to challenge a normal member, and will receive one a designated time after to ensure the same challenger or challengers are not repeatedly challenged.
Besides those few rules, you only need to remember that the first contender to defeat the Elite 4 will be Champion. There will be no champion to defeat for the first challenger to make it all of the way. This participant will have the advantage of facing the other challengers with a fully healed team, while their opponent’s team will begin with whatever damage the Elite 4 inflicted. Now, go forth: train and rejoice! For you are serving your town, region, and all of Pokedom with your honor, courage, and sacrifice.”
Giovanni stepped down to loud applause. Several cameras were focused on Giovanni, but the rest were focused completely on Batman and Gary. A door behind the stage opened, and Giovanni, as he passed them, ushered them toward the door with a short bow and a smile. Batman headed out the door in front of Gary. As he got through, he was told to stop by several officials. He halted where he stood, and watched as Gary walked past him.
“Enjoy!” he said, with a smirk and walked out the other end of the room. The room was flooded with light as Gary stepped outdoors. As the door closed, he could hear the mass of people start to ask Gary questions. Batman hated Gary’s arrogance in leaving, but didn’t miss the condescension. The officials came over after discussing for a moment and on took his Charmander, while the other asked him questions:
“You received your implant yesterday, correct?”
“Yes,” he responded quietly.
“You are aware of how it works?”
“Yes,” he said, a little agitated.
“Excellent. We will be able to monitor all of your vitals and hear what you can through that implant. Make sure you don’t cover the receiver at the back, as that is where the sound comes from. Also, if you are eliminated, the implant will transmit a signal giving your location. We will use the location to come and collect your body and the bodies of your Pokémon.” He paused, looking down at his clipboard. “Is all of that clear?”
“Yes,” Batman said one more time, trying to stay calm. He didn’t understand how they could treat this so lightly, as if they were asking him how the weather was.
The second official came over and handed Batman Charmander’s pokéball.
“Here you go,” he said, then gave him a pouch of 50 implants.
“Use these on each of the Pokémon you catch. Every time you go to a Pokémon Center to heal your Pokémon or put one in the PC, the machine will make sure there is an implant. If you have not placed an implant in one of your Pokémon, that Pokémon will be eliminated, “ the official also handed Batman a small syringe.
“Ok,” the first official said, “You are ready to begin. You may exit.”