Ves' Crystal Storylocke

[Vestige]

So, I thought I'd start off by telling you all what exactly it is I'll be doing here. I'm going to be going through a Nuzlocke run (if you don't know what a Nuzlocke is, Google is your friend) of a FireRed rom hack called 'Liquid Crystal', which is essentially Pokemon Crystal with GBA generation graphics and some other changes. For example, it has the berry system and uses the Pokemon B/W system of EXP gain. You can read more about it on their website which can be found via Google.

It's not going to be a 'Let's Play' in the sense that I will simply document my journey in small updates. It's a "story" Nuzlocke, meaning, I'll be writing a story loosely based upon what happens in my game as I play. So, I hope you like to read because there will be a lot of that here (it's a shame I can't draw. Otherwise comics all day err' day). The formatting may be a bit wonky at first because I'm still trying to decide how to do it (I'm transferring from Google Docs to here but the forum doesn't retain the original formatting so bleh).

I can't give you a set time on when updates will happen. We'll see what I'm allowed to do with regards to IRL obligations and this.

I'm still working on a title...

[spoiler=Nuzlocke Rules]

Rules of the Locke

1. Only the first Pokemon found in any given route may be captured (does not start until Pokeballs are received).

a. If a duplicate pokemon is encountered, the player can choose not to capture it, and instead may capture the next non-duplicate pokemon that is encountered.

-Dead pokemon reset the 'already caught' status.

b. Different levels of caves do not count as a different routes.

c. Legendaries do not count towards this rule.

d. Gifts and trades are free, and do not conflict with the 'first pokemon' rule.

2. Set battle style will be used.

3. All Pokemon caught must be nicknamed

a. Legendaries will not be nicknamed.

4. When a Pokemon faints, it is considered dead and must be released immediately.

a. The trainer is given a choice of 3 pokemon to box.

5. The game ends when no more Pokemon are available to be used from party and PC.

Special Rules

1. If a legendary is caught, it is allowed to be used in any ONE given battle, and must then be released.

a. No legendaries from Kanto may be caught.

2. Upon the successful acquisition of all 8 Gym badges from the Johto region and the completion of the league, the player is allowed to revive ONE of the three pokemon that he/she boxed.

*Things that are not mentioned here are either allowed, or will be dealt with when I confront them.

Edited October 31, 2013 by Vestige

[Vestige]

And so we begin with the first part of the prologue.
[spoiler=Prologue: Life is Fragile Part One]

Prologue: Life is Fragile PT. 1

---

“G-guys. I...have to tell you something.”

“What’s up Gold? You've been quiet the whole day, even Blue is starting to get worried.”

“Hey shut-up man! He could mope around all day, for all I care. He’s probably still sore about not catching that Pokemon last month. The hell did you think was going to happen when you

throw a net made out of straws? At least use rope or something!”

He cracked a smile at that. Blue was a bit of a hot-head but Gold knew he meant well. Though, he did admit, the straw-net was a pretty stupid idea. Blue was totally against it, but Red managed to convince him, if only to make Gold feel better for at least giving it a shot.

“No it’s not about that...I’m...my mom said we’re moving soon…”

“WHAT?!” the two cried out in unison.

“...Pfft whatever. Not like I’m gunna miss ya. It’ll be a breath of fresh air not having to deal with your lame ass all the time.”

Red fell silent after his initial outburst of shock. He didn't have any words to say. His best friend, the person who he had grown up with, was moving? He stared at the ground for a time. Blue looked off into the sky. And Gold just stared at them both. There was a few minutes of silence until…

“How soon?” said Red.

“Wha-?”

“I said how soon!?”

“Oh...I think like a week? I told her I didn't want to go but she said we had to because of her job and stuff. I’m sorry…”

The rest of the day went by in complete silence. No one said a word.

Blue’s phone started to ring. It was his grandfather, calling him in for dinner.

“Yo, Red. Gramps called. Said to bring you over to my place for dinner…”

They got up, and left without saying a word to Gold. Gold didn't move. And he wouldn't have moved if his mom hadn't come to get him.

Edited November 24, 2013 by Vestige

[Vestige]

Alright, might be talking to no one here but here's part two of the prologue. I guess 80 views is encouraging...sorta?

[spoiler=Prologue: Life is Fragile Part Two]

Prologue: Life is Fragile PT. 2

---

Six days went by and there was no sign of Red nor Blue. He thought they hated him. It was foolish to think someone would hate you for things that were out of your control but as a child, he wasn't one to think so deeply into matters. As the seventh day approached, Gold and his mother were furiously packing, checking every last inch of the house for missed items. His father had already left a few weeks prior on a ‘business trip’. Some ‘business’ that turned out to be.

There was a loud thump on the door, followed by many subsequent thumps and then some voices. “No stupid! Just use the doorbell!” And then the doorbell was rung many time after that.

“Those must be your friends dear,” she chuckled. “Go on and play, I’ll finish the packing.” Relieved that his friends had come back, he rushed over to the door and opened it up. And sure enough, his friends were outside grinning as hard as ever.

“Geez man what took you so long? Come on we’ve got something to show you.” said Blue, and he took off without another word.

“Come on, you’ll love it,” and Red took off as well. With no other options, he of course followed after running as hard as could.

They had arrived at their secret-hang-out-place. It was a secret that was well kept amongst the three. Right past the woods, there was a clearing with just grass and a very small little pool of water. It was the perfect spot to observe Pokemon, and just generally play around without people to bother them. “Okay, Red, bring it out!” As commanded, Red reached into his pocket and pulled out a peculiar looking object. A very tiny ball, half red and half white.

“Wait! IS THAT A POKEBALL?!” exclaimed Gold.

“Sure is. One hundred percent real. It’s even got the GRAM Industries logo on the bottom.” said Blue.

“Sorry, it took us so long. Professor Oak hardly leaves his lab, but Blue and I were there every single day, until one day he stepped out for a bit. It took us forever to figure out how to work his PC but we managed to pull a Pokeball out. Apparently...there’s a Pokemon inside already.”

A pokemon?! Gold was ecstatic. He had always wanted to own a real Pokemon but his parents always said it was too much responsibility. They wanted him to focus on his education, not on the ‘dream’ kids have of becoming a ‘Pokemon Champion’. Even becoming a gym leader was good enough to provide an income well above that of a normal job. But with only eight slots available? You had to be the best of the best. With odds like that, being champion was nigh impossible. Still. He didn’t have to battle with it, right? He was totally fine with a normal job, as long as he got to have his own Pokemon. But wait…

“You STOLE it?” Gold cried out.

“Ehhh, it was more like we just ‘found’ it and didn’t know how to put it back,” said Blue. In truth, after the fifth day, Professor Oak knew something was up, and decided to ask the boys about it. They told Professor Oak everything, and he agreed to help. He let them borrow the Pokeball and the two were supposed to bring it back that day. Though, Gold didn’t need to know that, right?

“Oh...well…”

“Ah just shut up and take it will, ya?” Blue walked over to Red and plucked the ball right out of his hand. Pressing the button in the middle so the

ball would enlarge, he tossed it over to Gold who just barely managed to catch it.

“So...what’s inside it?”

“The professo-I mean….” he coughed a little. “We didn’t know how to look that up on the computer so, neither of us know,” replied Red.

There was a moment of silence, before Gold finally spoke. “I’m leaving to Johto tomorrow. And as happy as I am, I think one of you should keep it. You know they don’t allow Pokemon on board the ships, and it’s not like I’ll have a PC for transfer anytime soon.” Part of him wanted to press the button on the ball a second time to find out just exactly what was inside, but another part of him knew if he looked, it would be so much harder to let it go.

“You really think we were unprepared for that?” Blue sneered. “Just come back here before you leave tomorrow. We’ll have something for you to get around that stupid rule, no problem.”

The rest of the day was spent by the trio just reliving old memories. What else was there to do on the last day but to relive every other day? Make the last day count for a hundred other days. That’s what they were doing.

Laughing it up because it was the last day to laugh.

Making vows because it was the last day they would be heard.

Promising to see each other again because promises had to be kept.

Reminding each other to remember each other, because memories might be forgotten.

Saying “see you tomorrow”, because it was the last time they could.

Yeaaaaah. Still kind of annoyed with the formatting but I'll continue trying different things until I find something to standardize. Might like, double space the next post or something. We'll see. It should be readable (if anyone is reading anyway, haha).

Edited November 24, 2013 by Vestige

[Alfred Kamon]

Hey this is beautiful! I've read everything so far and I have to say, I'm enjoying it. Also your style is very interesting. As a writer myself I appreciate it a lot. I love those final sentences of the second chapter, haha!
Keep it up, I'm curious to see how it continues. >.<

[Vestige]

Wow thanks a lot man, I really appreciate you taking the time to shout out a couple words. Just knowing that someone's out there reading your stuff is a pretty big encouragement so seriously, thanks.

I'm still a pretty big novice at writing and the most practice I've gotten is through RPing but I'm glad you think my style is interesting, haha!

I'll have a new part out soon enough. :D

[Alfred Kamon]

:) I'm glad to encourage you, then.

Well I can't judge things like words choice or stuff like that since I'm not a native speaker, but the style is pretty good!

Yay! I'm looking forward to it. ^^

[Vestige]

Two more parts until we actually get to chapter one which actually begins the Nuzlocke itself, haha.

[spoiler=Prologue: Life is Fragile Part Three]

Prologue: Life is Fragile PT. 3

---

The next morning, just like he was told to, he came back to the clearing to retrieve what was apparently supposed to be his saving grace. No one was there, but that was expected considering how early it was. He guessed they had left his ‘object’ the night before. In the middle of the grass, he spotted a box and slowly walked over to it and bent down to open it up. A hat, a bottle, and two notes.

The notes read: “Hey Gold, we left you a hat and a bottle of glue. All you need to do is put the pokeball on your head, and then put all that glue on too and then secure hat on. Once it dries up, the security guards won't even be able to pull it off, so they’ll never know you have anything underneath! See you later man, have fun in Johto. You better train that Pokemon hard, because the next time we meet, I'll have my own Pokemon and it'll totally mop the floor with yours!

~

Gold. I just want you to know, that we’re still friends no matter what, you got that? Just be careful, and try to keep in touch okay? I want you to tell me all about your Pokemon, so that when I get mine, I’ll have lots of tips from you!

P.S don’t use the glue. Blue is just trying to mess up your hair. Check under the box.”

Some of the ink on Red’s half of the note was smeared, and there were lots of discolored spots but Gold payed it no mind. He lifted the box up as instructed and sure enough, there was some money underneath. Not just some, but a lot. It was bribe money. He grabbed the money and stuffed it in his pocket and began the walk home. His mom would be waking up soon, and they had to get ready before the taxi arrived. He wondered if it would be a good idea to go and see Red and Blue one last time, but he thought better of it. It'd probably just make leaving that much harder.

Kind of short, but ah well.

Edited November 24, 2013 by Vestige

[Alfred Kamon]

Dat glue joke

ahah!

Nice chapter as well.

[Vestige]

I had fun writing this one, haha.

[spoiler=Prologue: Life is Fragile Part Four]

Prologue: Life is Fragile PT. 4

The drive to the port was rather uneventful, and Gold spent most of it quietly staring out the window, or listening to his mom go on and on about how their new home would be great and how he’d make lots of new friends at school.

They arrived at the docks by nightfall, and Gold was eager to just get onboard and go to sleep. But there was one thing nagging him in the back of his mind. What if he got caught? Pokemon were quite rare nowadays, and a person would need to get a trainer's license to capture Pokemon. Gone were the days of receiving Pokemon at the young age of ten. It was a long and arduous process to get licensed, and oftentimes you needed connections if you wanted to speed up the process. Additionally, it was illegal to bring a Pokemon with you from one region to another because of border restrictions and environmental preservation laws. He was taught in his science class that an non-native species of Pokemon introduced into a new environment could become invasive and threaten to kill off an entire species.

Judgement would be upon him shortly though. There were many boarding ramps situated alongside the dock, and men and women all dressed in black uniforms were facilitating the arrivals and departures. One of the men walked up to them and addressed the two as if he already knew them. “Ah, you must the two that Professor Oak was talking about. He’s already made reservations for you both. If you’ll follow me,” he said while starting to walk away.

“Oh that Oak! Your father told him not to bother but he went and did it anyway! Ah well, I guess it can't be helped. We’ll just have to thank him later, won't we dear?” Gold wondered if the professor knew that Blue and Red stole one of his Pokemon, but he banished the thought when he arrived to the front of the gate. There was a large metal frame in front of the boarding platform, and it would make a loud sound when some people walked through. Curiously enough, it wouldn’t beep for some others. The people who caused the beeps were promptly searched. Some would get the go ahead to get onto the platform...other’s were pulled aside…

His mother was the first to walk through the gate, and immediately the gate starting to ring. She was immediately pulled back through the gate and given a pat down. They removed her jewelry and when she stepped back through, the gate was silent. Gold breathed a sigh of relief. “Alright kiddo, it’s your turn now.”

And suddenly the world stopped.

If they found out, he didn’t even want to know what would happen. Part of him wanted to just quietly chuck the pokeball into the ocean, and not have to deal with the stress. But he knew what Red and Blue had to go through to get it for him, and he didn’t want to let Red down by saying he had thrown the pokemon away. This was it. Clenching his eyes shut he walked through. Nothing...and then...the air was filled with a loud screech. He had been found out. He was pulled back and patted...and then pulled out of line. His mother tried to turn back, but she was pushed ahead on account of holding up the line. Everyone else just turned away, not wanting to be part of whatever was going to happen.

The man from earlier reached into Gold’s pocket and pulled out the Pokeball. “It’s a shame kid. Didn’t they teach not not to pull this kind of stuff in school?”

“W-w-wait! D-d-don’t take me to jail! H-h-h-here!” He pulled out the sum of cash the was stashed away in his other pocket and thrust it towards the man. His expression changed, and he seemed rather amused. Ignoring Gold’s offer, he pulled out his phone and called someone.

“Yes hello, this is Executive Petrel speaking...Yes...I’d like a connection to line seven please...Okay.” “Hello, this is Executive Petrel speaking...Ah, well we have a situation over here. There’s been a violation of Agreement #04...Yes but, interestingly enough there’s been a breach of Code #0150...Well he’s with Oak an-...Yeah. Okay.” He kneeled down in front of Gold and smiled. “Wow, thanks kiddo. I’ll be sure to buy my...uh...Daughter a nice toy with that money. Maybe I’ll get her something like this toy right here. It must be expensive though, it almost looks like the real thing!” he said as he took one note out of the stack Gold had been holding and returned the Pokeball back into his pocket. “Oh and take your belt off.”

“M-my belt?”

“Yeah. Otherwise it’ll set the machine off again.”

“O-okay.”

He took his belt off and passed through with no problems this time. His mother was no where to be seen, but he imagined she was looking for him. He shuffled around the people at the boarding platform while he looked for his mother. All the while he kept clenching his shirt. His heart had yet to stop it’s furious beating.

Getting real tired of your formatting Serenes.

Edited November 24, 2013 by Vestige

[Vestige]

This post is obsolete.

Edited November 24, 2013 by Vestige

[Vestige]

This post is obsolete.

Edited November 24, 2013 by Vestige

[Vestige]

I've gone back and heavily revamped my writings for both Part 5 of the Prologue, as well as the first Part of Chapter One. So I would ask that you look it over. You'll find some pretty big differences from what you remember. I've given some more insight into things as well as updating the descriptions.

[spoiler=Prologue: Life is Fragile Part Five]

Months had passed by since Gold had left Kanto to reside in the region of Johto, abandoning everything that was familiar to him. However, the unfamiliarity that he gained in return was not without it's merits.

Though he lost both Red and Blue, he gained a new companion, a 'secret friend' of sorts. A solace among solaces.

After his family had completely settled down near the outskirts of Olivine City, Gold would take it upon himself to steal away in the dead of night and play with his Pokemon. Indeed, he was rather apprehensive at first, but quickly warmed to Gold's playful and childlike demeanor.

But it went without saying that Jolteon was no ordinary Pokemon (not that Gold had anything to compare him to).

After being released from his Pokeball he always had this period of restlessness and excessive energy, but would grow calm and composed as soon as Gold began to speak to him.

Noticing this peculiar change in behavior, Gold took it upon himself to speak to Jolteon for as long as he was able to produce coherent sentences. He would recount tales of grandiose adventure that he had shared back in Kanto with his friends, (and some weren't even entirely true) but all the same, Jolteon would listen ever so attentively.

Their sessions usually ended with Jolteon lazily curled alongside Gold, letting out a slight whimper with the rising of the sun. Because he knew this signaled his inevitable fate: returning back to his Pokeball, only to be hidden away until the next time Gold was able to escape from the sight of others.

But this was how those days passed, and with the ending of Summer--and Gold's vacation from school--meetings between the two would become few and far between, but still, neither had the right to complain.

Gold had a new companion, a Pokemon, like he always dreamed of having.

And Jolteon of course was free from the prison that was Professor Oak's laboratory PC.

-:-

The year had come and gone, and Gold had successively completed his education up until the elementary level. This would be his last summer until he would become a 'middle schooler'. Graduation had gone without a hitch, but many sorrows were expressed when it was revealed that some children would be going to different schools due to district divisions. Gold simply thought to himself, I had to leave my friends to go to a completely different region, not just another school...

Earlier that day, Gold's father had left on another business trip--one that was promised not to be cover-up for moving to a completely different region--and his mother had gone to bed early, exhausted from the previous day's celebrations coupled with the packing she had helped her husband do.

Gold naturally took this opportunity to sneak out of the house, as he had done many times before, and made his way into the nearby woods. There, he would be hidden from prying eyes and safe from unwanted attention.

The air outside felt heavy, as if to indicate the coming of a storm, but Gold was no weatherman and he paid this sign no attention.

"Come on out, Jolteon!" he said. It was a phrase he had heard uttered by many a trainer on T.V when they would send out their Pokemon. Though of course, Gold had to keep his volume to a whisper as to not attract unwarranted attention.

Released from his bindings, Jolteon materialized into the world, visible sparks of static were produced wherever he lay his paws. Turning around to greet his trainer, he let out a howl of profound happiness, eager to once again have an opportunity to bond with Gold.

"Shhh! Come on Jolteon, how many time do I have to tell you? If someone finds us here, we're done for! I'm not even joking around! Geez..."

Jolteon let out a cry of embarrassment, circling around Gold's feet, eager to get on with the tale-telling.

"Okay, okay! Excited aren't you? Well, I've told you about my friend Red, right?"

Jolteon grunted in acknowledgement.

"Well, I finally got around to writing him that letter. I know it's been so long and I don't know why I've put it off until now, but I'm kinda scared he may have forgotten me by now...Or, I dunno, maybe he's angry with me because I haven't sent him anything yet?"

Jolteon lifted his paw and brought it right down onto Gold's arm, as if to reprimand him for thinking such things. Gold went quiet for a moment, and Jolteon began to rub his head into Gold's side, urging him to get on with the rest of the discussion.

Pulling out a note from his pocket, he held it close to his eyes so that he might be able to discern the words, but in the apparent darkness, it was futile. He instead began to recount from memory.

"Red! I'm sorry it's taken so long to write you a letter, but I've finally moved and settled down in Johto. They teach you some pretty boring things at school here, though. I really wish I could go back to school with you guys and learn more about pokemon...But guess what? I did some researching and I found out what kind of Pokemon you guys gave me. It's a Jolteon! Isn't that awesome? It's sometimes scary to touch him though, because he always seems to shock me with his static, but he's so cool."

Jolteon cooed quietly at his mention, feeling more drawn into the indecipherable words Gold was speaking. His name being spoken was certainly a sign of good things to come!

"I hope the professor gets you that Pikachu like you wanted. Then we can see who's Pokemon has more electricity! I bet my Jolteon will beat your Pikachu any day! But you know what's even better? My mom said we'll be moving back to Kanto after Dad's done with his--"

Before Gold could finish his sentence, Jolteon stood up and began to growl and hiss.

"Jolteon stop, what are you doing?! What did I tell you about making noise? If someone finds us we-"

"We're in a shit ton of trouble. Is that what you wanted to say?" An unfamiliar voice echoed out from behind the trees.

-:-

Fear gripped at Gold's heart, the nightmare than he had so feverishly avoided had become a reality. His head began to throb in conjunction with each beat of his heart.

He had run through many simulations of this event, because he realized that if it was to happen, he needed a way to deal with it. But at the moment he needed it most, his memory betrayed him. All he could think about--was nothing. His mind was a total blank, and the fear had completely incapacitated him.

"You know, you should really tell your pathetic excuse for a Pokemon to shut the fuck up before I take it upon myself to end it's miserable life."

In response to the threats, Jolteon's fur began to spike up and he started to discharge wave after wave of electricity, enough to illuminate the immediate area with a faint aura of yellow light.

It was then that Gold saw, the face of the boy who had been taunting him. His cover blown, the boy stepped forward.

"Do you not know how to keep your Pokemon in check? My Pokemon don't do shit I don't command them to do. But hey, I guess I can't expect much from a sappy ass kid like you. 'Oh Jolteon, you're my best friend in the whole wide world. Almost as great as my friend Red'. Ugh, makes me want to puke."

Gold had no retort, in fact, he wasn't even aware the man was speaking at all. He was too terrified to even get up from where he had been sitting.

"Tell you what, I'm a fair guy. I'll cut you a deal. You battle me right here, and if you win, you can go home and I won't say a word to anyone. But if you lose..."

"Oh and of course, if you don't battle me, I guess I'll just just have to call the police on you right now," he said mockingly.

"N-n-no please! I-I'll battle you okay? J-just leave me alone after!" Gold blurted out.

"Heh, alright then," said the boy, as he pulled out his pokeball, and released the pokemon inside. By all accounts, Gold would have to say it was either a Zubat or a Golbat, but he was having a hard time remembering.

"I do wonder how a kid like you afforded to buy a thunderstone. Probably stole it, eh? But heck, I'd almost be jealous if he didn't look like he was trained by a worthless piece of shit! Let's get started though, Zubat! Use poison sting!" he said, as his lips curled into a snarl.

"Poison?! That's not fair! What if you hurt my pokemon?"

"It's a battle kid! I'll do whatever the hell I want!"

Gold bit his lip, and ordered Jolteon to dodge. But it was too late, as Jolteon had already been struck by the attack. Not one to go down so easily however, Jolteon quickly recovered and assumed a battle stance once more, awaiting the commands from it's supposed 'trainer'.

"Jolteon use uh...ah...um...use tackle!" Gold's lack of experience was quickly becoming apparent. Sure he enjoyed watching battles between highly skilled trainer that aired on television, but the skills he had gleaned weren't quite translating. And with no license, there was no way he'd be able to train Jolteon the way a real trainer would. He was fighting this battle with a handicap, and a pretty big one at that.

"Too bad kid! Unless your pathetic Jolteon can start to fly, that's going to have no effect. Now, Zubat, use toxic and bite," he commanded. Gold thought he had heard giggling coming from the boy, but he couldn't focus on that right now, he had other matters to attend to.

If Jolteon got hit with that attack, he was sure to get poisoned. Gold wasn't allowed to utilize the services of a Pokemon Center. And though he had the money to buy an antidote, no store would sell him items without a license.

But it was too late anyway. In all the time he had spent thinking of a solution, Zubat had already swooped down and administered the lethal dose, rending away some of Jolteon's flesh in the process.

Jolteon let out a spine chilling howl before collapsing onto the ground, blood pooling around it. "J-JOLTEON!?!" The boy who had challenged him burst out into laughter, "Hahaha! What a joke! That was so fucking pitiful!"

After he had calmed down, he spoke. "Well, looks like I wont be calling the police after all. It's not like they can arrest you for a Pokemon that'll be buried in the ground real soon. Look at it this way, I did you a favor. Now you wont have to deal with getting caught anymore!"

His piece said, he walked away into the darkness just as quickly as he had arrived.

He wasn't a human...

He was a monster.

Stricken with grief, despair, surprise, and agony, Gold barely managed to bring himself to move closer to his fallen friend. He fell to knees, feeling the wetness of the ground as his pants began soaking up the blood beneath him. Jolteon was taking in very faint and quick gasps of air, and blood was still oozing from where he was bitten on his neck. He wasn't just fainting--he was dying.

"W-w-w-wait. Th-this isn't supposed to h-h-appen...right? No...no. No. No. No. NO. NO. NO. NO! SOMEONE. P-PLEASE!! HE'S DYING, HE'S GOING TO DIE! PLEASE SAVE HIM!"

But there was no one around.

No one could save him.

No one would save him.

He was destined to die.

The crashing of thunder. A flash of lightning. The pattering of rain. A cry of loss. The sound of silence. A faint whisper.

My aura is yours to command.

And then nothing.

[spoiler=Chapter One: The Storm Follows Part One]

Gold awoke with a start, the sound of thunder still ringing in his ears. His heart was pumping furiously, and his entire shirt was drenched in sweat.

Nervously he looked around the dark room. For but a moment, it became illuminated by the a flash of light outside, revealing that he was indeed in his own room. He took a moment to confirm his return to reality, and only then did he move from his bed.

He shuffled along the carpet towards his closet, stumbling a couple times due to the sheer amount of clothes, cans, books, and papers that were strewn across the floor. Pulling out a dry shirt, he took off his damp undershirt and he threw it in a random direction before slipping into the new one. He was living in a cramped single bedroom apartment, with hardly any amenities at all. Though, he couldn’t complain, since he couldn’t afford anything better.

After finishing high school, Gold decided he wanted to leave his home in Olivine City to attend university somewhere on the other side of the region. His chosen location, New Bark, had a quaint feeling that Gold enjoyed. But he had to admit, things here were generally quieter and less busy compared to Olivine.

But the one thing he enjoyed the most was the freedom from the old memories that had plagued him for close to seven years. But this freedom was short lived, as, soon after moving, he began to have habitual nightmares.

Each night became a retelling of the events which had transpired that fateful night.

His nightmares had terrible effects on both his physical and mental health. Things became so bad, that he eventually got kicked out of school on account of repeated poor performance in his classes.

Perhaps it was retribution? Gold couldn’t say.

He sighed.

Gold made his way to his desk and pulled out a chair. He flicked on the table lamp which made a slight buzzing noise before it began to emit light. Gold shielded his unaccustomed eyes, squinting due to the sheer intensity.

When his vision had settled, he reached over and picked up a folder from atop the table. Inside was a packet of papers which he promptly pulled out, and turned over so that he was able to look over at the last. The last page of ten pages.

Ten completed pages out of the hundred and fifty he needed to do.

He was writing a thesis--or perhaps a book, he wasn't entirely sure. He had failed out of school yes, but he appealed to the dean and miraculously had his request heard. He was told that if he could produce a compelling thesis on the subject of his choosing, he would be readmitted into the university. Not only that, but his past grades would be dropped, and his tuition for the year would be waived.

He accepted the proposal and was given a time of three terms, what amounted to a year and a half, to complete his paper. This of course would prolong his graduation, but it was better than nothing. Originally he was relieved at the prospect of being given a second chance. But as time dragged on, he realized what he was trying to do was complete a fool’s errand. The ten pages that he had completed had taken him three entire months to compile.

He just couldn't think of anything to write about for a total of one hundred and fifty pages. Well there was one thing...

Pokemon.

But therein lied the problem.

The idea in and of itself would have been pretty great had he been able to see it through. Research could be completed through actual fieldwork instead of countless books and articles, since he had the luxury of living quite close the laboratory of the renowned Professor Elm.

In fact, Elm had heard of Gold’s predicament and personally invited Gold to his laboratory. Elm himself was running low on staff, and the relationship they could achieve would be mutually beneficial to the both of them. Out of respect, Gold had visited the lab a couple of times, but he generally left within the hour. He simply couldn't bring himself to take Elm up on his offer.

Pokemon were the last thing he wanted to be dealing with.

I’m never going to finish this crap! Damn it!

Overcome by rage, he threw his packet at the wall in front of him, his elbow knocking over the lamp as a result. The glass bulb audibly cracked as the lamp hit the ground.

Well great, guess I’ve got to go buy a new lamp now! Whoopdeefreakingdoo, more stuff to spend cash on!

Getting up from his table, he walked over and placed his head on the window which was fixated adjacent to his bed.

The glass was cold to the touch.

He peered outside the window, and though the darkness of the night impeded his vision he thought he could see something moving around.

Probably just the rain…

So, due to the lack of comments, I'm just going to go ahead and assume no one's reading this here.

No comments, no criticisms=Lol why am I posting.

In the event that there's someone out there who WAS following this, feel free to PM me, there's another website that I'm posting this at (there's currently two more parts of chapter one out over there) and I'll give you the link.

Ciao.

Edited December 10, 2013 by Vestige