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A Reason to Carry On | A Pokemon Black 2 Nuzlocke, Chapter 1

by Shocari

Shocari Allen is a fresh young trainer with a desire to see all that Unova has to offer. In a region rich in history and myth, what has yet to be discovered? What challenges must be overcome? What lessons must be learned?
Aspertia City just after sunrise was probably one of the most gorgeous views in all of Unova. From the lookout at the north of the city, one could see the new up-and-coming metropolis begin to slowly spring to life in the morning, the soft blues and oranges of daylight starting to reflect off of the buildings. Aspertia was situated at the foot of a local mountain range, with lush woods surrounding the city, save for the port at the southern end - it in turn enclosed by the sparkling blues of the ocean. Turning around, one could see most of this side of Unova: far larger mountains to the north, Virbank City to the east, and on a clear day such as this, the faintest view of the massive skyscrapers that belonged to Castelia City, separated from Virbank by a large bay.

As it was, Allen was rather early in coming to the lookout on this particular day. His warm brown hair fluffed up and over the red visor he wore in lieu of, in his opinion, restrictive and uncomfortable hats. Knowing what was to come, he had prepared by wearing compression gear under his short-sleeve blue jacket and grey shorts - his upcoming journey to provide a strenuous physical strain.

Having taken in the tranquility long enough, Allen slowly began to fill with anxious excitement. It was finally the day, the moment, that he had dreamed about for so long it felt like a lifetime, and quite possibly was. Today, he would become a Pokémon Trainer. From there, his path was relatively straightforward: take on the Unovan Gym Challenge, catch a ton of Pokémon along the way, and eventually become the new Champion of Unova. Okay, maybe that was an oversimplification, but nevertheless, Allen was determined to make that dream a reality.

In the midst of his wistful thinking, Allen noticed a large green hat coming up over the stairway to the lookout. Curious. In actuality, that hat was attached to a girl just a few years older than him, with a short bob of blonde hair and glasses, with a fluffy orange jacket over a simple white t-shirt and green capris, holding an odd-looking capsule of some sort.

“Hellooooooo!” she called out in an almost sing-song voice. “Are you- wo-o-o-o-owwwww!” she was immediately taken in by the view, her eyes bright and wide in awe. Allen stared at her, slightly puzzled. It took a few moments for her to snap back to reality. “Oh, sorryyyyy! I was told that the view here was amazing but just, wow! I’m Bianca! I’m supposed to be meeting someone named Allen here, would you know who that is?”

“Me, actually,” he chuckled, extending his hand to Bianca. She made a slight move to take it, but both of her hands were still firmly holding the large capsule. Bianca took a moment, almost as if to decide which hand to extend, but then quickly realized she would need both to hold the capsule, resulting in her just nodding excitedly.

“Wo-o-o-owww! You’re exactly like Professor Juniper described! Hehe, guess I just wasn’t really thinking about it!” She walked over to the railing and set the capsule down on it, then pressed a button on one side, causing the lid to open and slide back, revealing three PokéBalls nestled snugly inside. “Are you ready to meet your new partner? You can choose whichever you like between the three! There’s Snivy - a Grass-type, Tepig - a Fire-type, and Oshawott - a Water-type! Take as much time as you need!”

Allen could barely hold his excitement at the offer. He hadn’t anticipated rare Pokémon such as these, but he guessed nothing was really off the table when there’s a Pokémon Professor trying to recruit you. He thought back to his studies of the Unova region: the histories, the Gym challenge, the native species…

“Alright! I’ve made my decision!” With no deliberation left, he reached for the leftmost PokéBall and pulled it out. Pressing the center button to enlarge it, he pointed it slightly to the side away from himself and Bianca, a crimson beam of light shining from the now slightly open ball to reveal a small bipedal snake-like creature with a leaf-like tail. “Snivy, I want you to be my first partner!”

The green Pokémon looked at its surroundings, seemingly analyzing every detail around it. Snivy turned its attention towards Allen, looking him up and down, before tilting its head slightly. Allen wasn’t sure what to make of that.

“Ooooohhhh! Excellent choice, Allen! Snivy is a highly intelligent Pokémon, but can be a little stubborn at times as a result. Once you’ve earned its respect, however, it’ll be an amazing ally to have! I have a friend that also chose Snivy, so I picked up a thing or two about them, hehe! If you had picked Oshawott, then you’d be more like me!” Bianca seemed pretty thrilled at the turn of events regardless. “Would you like to give your Snivy a nickname? I think nicknames are su-u-per cute! But you don’t have to, of course!”

Nicknames weren’t anything that had crossed Allen’s mind before. Thinking about it now, though, it would make more sense to do so since that would help boost camaraderie between them. If he didn’t, it would be like calling a fish “Fish” or a bird “Bird”, which was just silly. But what name to give? It would need to be something that Snivy would also like, but also reflective of its own personality. He locked eyes with his new Pokémon, trying to read it as much as it was reading him, trying to lock on to something that would give him a spark of inspiration…

“Bianca?” he asked, not breaking eye contact. “Is this Snivy male or female?”

“Uhhhhh, if I remember her correctly, I believe Professor Juniper said it was male.”

“Thanks. In that case,” he finally broke the contact, stood fully upright and closed his eyes, concentrating. “The name that comes to mind is… Tarkin.”

Snivy didn’t have discernible ears, but if he did, Allen was sure that they twitched at the name. The Pokémon snapped his attention up towards Allen, an almost wondrous expression played across the eyes. Allen didn’t have a lot of experience with Pokémon, but he was sure that the sound Snivy made was a positive one. He looked rather pleased with it, at least.

“Tarkin, that’s a wonderful name!” Bianca beamed. “Oh! Before I forget, I’m supposed to give this to you!” She reached into her bag and pulled out what looked like a cell phone. “This is a PokéDex! It’ll automatically record data on Pokémon you catch and encounter! This is a must-have for any Trainer!”

Allen took the PokéDex and looked through it quickly. It was almost like a digital encyclopedia, at least as far as its entry on Snivy was concerned. It had pages and pages of info on things like diet, habitat, abilities, and so much more than what he’d be able to read at the moment. He made a mental note to devote time to just delve through everything at some point.

As he put the PokéDex in his pocket, Bianca handed him some more stuff. “And here are a few PokéBalls to get you started! You can always buy more from the PokéMarts inside any Pokémon Center!”

“Thank you very much, Bianca,” Allen said, bowing his head. “I can’t thank you enough for helping me start my very own Pokémon journey!”

“You’re ve-e-e-e-ry welcome, Allen! I was just about your age when I started my own journey with my friends! Pokémon are such fantastic creatures, and as long as you stay true to them and yourself, I think you’re going to have an amazing adventure!”

He adjusted the bag slung over his shoulder and motioned for Tarkin to join him, thanking Bianca several more times before he began his descent back into Aspertia City. He turned around to get one more view of the landscape, but was shocked to find the stairway blocked when he turned around, finding none other than the poofy blue hair of his old friend, Hugh.

“Hey, did you get your Pokemon yet? Am I too late?” he panted, apparently having sprinted all the way up here. Hugh glanced down as he tried to catch his breath, taking notice of Tarkin beside Allen. “Oh sweet, a Snivy! Yeah, that feels like the choice you’d make, man.”

Allen grabbed Hugh’s hand as if to shake it, then pulled him in close as the two patted each other on the back, separating shortly after. Hugh looked ready to travel as well, sporting a flashy white-and-red jacket and some navy athletic legwear.

“Tarkin here is making it feel more and more like the right choice. Just look at how cool he looks! Straight styling.”

Hugh grinned, his hand twitching ever so slightly as he pulled out a PokéBall of his own. “Well I hope you know what’s coming, bro. Since you’ve got your own Pokémon now, it’s about time that we have our first ever battle!” With a flourish, his own Pokémon shimmered to life from a crimson beam, an orange-colored pig that Allen already knew to be a Tepig. “I don’t think I need to remind you of how I hatched this guy from an egg, but let’s see how good you are against me!”

“We both know brain beats brawn every time, so Tarkin and I are a little overqualified to win here!” Allen replied. The two backed up a good distance from each other, taking sides on opposite ends of the lookout area.

“Alright Tarkin, let’s hit ‘em with a Tackle!” Allen called.

“Tepig, give them a taste of your own!”

The two Pokémon rushed at each other, but Snivy was faster to act, slapping Hugh’s Tepig away with a mighty swing from its tail and knocking it a short distance away. Tepig recovered faster than Tarkin anticipated, hitting with a firm headbutt that Snivy barely managed to land upright from.

“Tackle again, Tepig! You’ve got this!” Hugh cheered.


“Show him what you’re made of, Tarkin!”

This time, both Pokémon collided together, throwing both back to the ground. At this point, it was rather unclear who would come out on top. Once more, the Trainers called for Tackle, each Pokemon grunting out an affirmative response, determination in their eyes. Both Hugh and Allen watched on, unsure of the outcome.

But ultimately, the speed of Snivy won out, the hit from its tail sending Tepig to land almost perfectly back at Hugh’s feet. Tarkin turned his head back to face his Trainer, and gave him a knowing wink and nod. Allen would accept that as a good sign. The Trainers returned their Pokémon to their respective PokéBalls, and firmly shook the others hand.

“Good job, Allen! Looks like you and your Snivy work well together!” Hugh chuckled.

“You and Tepig kept us on the ropes, so don’t count yourself too short!” Allen couldn’t help but wonder how things would have played out if he had chosen a different Pokémon. The natural speed of Snivy gave him a victory here, but how much would it matter down the road?


The two friends made their way back into Aspertia to heal up at the Pokémon Center. Back outside, they were met by a little girl - Hugh’s younger sister.

“Big bro! Big bro! How did your battle go?” she asked, stars in her eyes.

“Between two of the best Trainers in Unova? Oh, it was one for the ages. There have been Championship matches less exciting!” he joked.

“Okay, but who wonnnnnnnnn?”

“It was a hard fight, but ‘ol Allen here ended up winning.”

“Wowwwwww! Oh, mom told me to come see you off before you go!”

“Thanks for doing that, kiddo,” he smiled, ruffling the top of her hair. “Just you wait, next time you see me, I’ll be the strongest there is!” And like a flash, Hugh was gone, far too eager to begin.

His sister longingly watched him go, perhaps a little sad that he wasn’t going to be around for her to play with for a while. “Wait a minute! Allen!” she cried. “I forgot to give this to big bro! Can you make sure you bring it to him?” She handed Allen a rolled up paper. He unfurled it a bit to discover it was a map. “Mom didn’t want him to get lost out there, so please give it to him!”

Allen sank down to level his eyes with her, then gave her a big thumbs up. “Of course I’ll get this to your brother. Friends gotta look out for each other, right?” He gave her a big smile before heading out after Hugh.


The first stop on this quest was Route 19, the wilderness that lay between Aspertia City and Floccesy Town. The perfect area for Allen to capture his first wild Pokemon. He remained vigilant and cautious as he made his way along the worn path, as the further he strayed meant a greater chance to encounter Pokémon far stronger than his Snivy could manage.

It wasn’t long before he encountered a small violet cat-like Pokémon. Excellent. Allen sent out Tarkin, who managed to subdue the Pokémon without hassle. He threw one of the PokéBalls that Bianca had given him towards it, and… success! Allen pulled out his PokéDex to learn about his new companion, a Purrloin, then let her out of her PokéBall so he could decide on a name. She was a little timid around both him and Tarkin, but curious enough to sniff around from a rather close distance.

“Ventress,” he whispered, not wanting to startle her. “Does that sound like a good name for you?” The Purrloin rubbed her head against his outstretched hand, so probably? Putting both members of his party back into their PokéBalls, he ventured onward, Floccesy Town just ahead.


After healing up at the Pokémon Center, Allen spent probably far too long looking around for Hugh, eventually deciding that his friend had gone past the town and into Route 20. As he entered the new route, he was approached by a middle-aged man with a fiery mane of orange hair, some of which was in a ponytail. The man looked almost like a hermit, adorned by a necklace of PokéBalls, with worn and weathered clothes underneath a rather plain-looking poncho. However, this was no hermit.

“Champion Alder?” Allen asked, drenched with disbelief. Now just mere feet from him, it was all too plain to see. Alder had been the Champion of the Unova League for ages, and was well-known for how much and how far he had traveled in his life.

“Former Champion,” the man corrected with a small smile. “Always a pleasure to meet a fan!” He came forward and embraced Allen in a side-hug. “And you are?”

“Oh, sorry. I’m Allen. I’ve just begun my own Pokémon journey.” he replied quietly, still a bit in awe of the legend that stood before him.

“Well, Allen, one of my goals is to tell people about how wonderful it is to walk toward the future together with Pokémon! Why is it that you want to be a Trainer?”

“Well, I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t inspired by you, sir. I want to travel the world together with Pokémon, to become stronger because of it, like you. I want to inspire others to do the same! I’ve listened to a lot of interviews with you and with Professor Juniper, and so many things are possible because of how much we are able to grow alongside Pokémon, and them with us!”

“Hmmm, that’s a good answer! Just don’t try to be too much like me, because then you won’t be enough like yourself!” Alder chuckled. “I won’t hold you up any longer, but always remember to cherish your Pokémon. The bonds that we create together are some of the most wonderful that exist. Treasure each moment for as long as they may last.”


The former Champion left Allen, headed towards Floccesy Town, so the young Trainer continued onward into Route 20, searching for both new Pokémon and his friend. A short way in, he encountered a couple of trainers, both fairly younger than he was. Between Tarkin and Ventress, it was easy to defeat them. And right after that is when Allen encountered a new Pokémon: a wild Sewaddle. It was a caterpillar of sorts, with a large leaf-like appendage that acted as a hood. It was typically better to try and weaken a wild Pokémon before catching it, but as unassuming as it looked, he wondered if just throwing a PokéBall outright would do the trick. It did.

Checking his PokéDex, he learned that his new Sewaddle was female. Sending her out of her PokéBall to size her up better, Sewaddle seemed eager to prove herself. The name that sprang to mind was… “Aayla.”


Another new friend in tow, Allen continued to scour Route 20 in search of Hugh, and near the edge of his field of view managed to see a familiar head of blue hair heading inside what looked like a ranch. Chasing after it, Allen entered the boundaries of the ranch, and saw Hugh talking to two adults, one of whom waved Allen over. On his approach, they introduced themselves as the owners of the ranch.

“So, as we were just telling yer friend here, one of our Herdier has gone missing. We’d really appreciate it if some capable Trainers like yourself would help us find it. We’re a little worried that it’s gotten somewhere that it shouldn’t. There’s quite a few wild Pokémon that like to wander the ranch, so feel free to catch one if you like, as a reward. If it ain’t a Miltank or a Tauros, help yourself.”

Hugh spoke up first, but a little more irate than Allen expected, “You’re a little worried? Your Pokémon could end up lost forever! Allen! Come on, help me out!” and ran off into a large wooded area behind the main building of the ranch.

Allen decided to check the fields first, just in case. After a while, he never did find that Herdier, but he did find - and proceed to catch - a wild Mareep. “Satele” was the name that he decided to give her. Now he had four Pokémon - a solid start, as far as he was concerned - and the makings of a fine team. It was time to chase after Hugh.


Once Allen made some headway into the copse of trees, he could hear Hugh shouting for Herdier. Following the shouts, he eventually found his friend.

“HERDIER! HERDIER, WHERE ARE YOU?!” Allen tapped him on the shoulder from behind. “Oh hey, Allen.”

“Dude, you ran off without a word. Here,” Allen reached into his bag, “your sister asked me to give this to you because you, again, ran off without waiting.”

“Sorry, bro. I just don’t like sitting around and waiting for something to happen. I want to be as proactive as possible. Hearing that those ranchers’ Herdier ran off like that…”

Allen remembered when it had happened, two years ago. Hugh’s sister had had her Purrloin stolen by Team Plasma in the name of “liberating” Pokémon. Even after they had been defeated and disbanded, many of the stolen Pokémon never managed to be returned to their rightful owners, including the Purrloin. Hugh blamed himself for not being able to stop it, not being able to find it.

“Still,” Hugh continued, “Pokémon don’t just run off like that. In a worst-case scenario, it might have gotten into some serious troub-” he stopped short as a howl pierced the air. “That’s gotta be Herdier! Allen, you go after it! I’ll get its Trainers!”

The two sprinted off in opposite directions, Allen, trying his best to navigate through the woods as they grew ever more dense. He eventually came to a small clearing, where there was indeed the lost Herdier. Except it was definitely a stolen Herdier because dragging it along was a person in a tactical-style military outfit, in a monochromatic color scheme. They turned around to face Allen and he noticed a vaguely familiar emblem on their chest.

“Team Plasma?”

“You’ve got that right! I tried taking this stupid Pokémon, but there’s nowhere to go in these dumb woods.”

“Why are you stealing Pokémon from innocent people?!”

“You don’t get it, do you, kid? People like you don’t deserve Pokémon! You force them to battle like it’s sport! That’s no way for Pokémon to live! I’m doing both of you a favor by liberating it from selfish people like you!”

“I remember hearing about how you guys were beaten two years ago. Seems to me like you lot haven’t learned your lesson. How about a battle, and we can see who’s right?” Allen challenged.

“No way, man! Just take this stupid Pokémon back for all I care!” The Team Plasma member ran off, leaving Allen and the Herdier alone. A few minutes later, Hugh and the two ranchers showed up.

“What happened, Allen?” Hugh asked, exasperated.

“It was Team Plasma, they stole the Herdier. But I scared them off, so I think we’re fine.” Hugh looked so furious that he might explode.

“Whatever the case, I can’t thank you enough for finding Herdier for us!” the male rancher said. “I owe the two of you a great debt!”

“It’s okay, really. I’m sure you would’ve done the same had our roles been reversed.” Allen replied. “What’s the plan now, Hugh?”

“Well, that new Gym in Aspertia should open tomorrow. So how about we battle and see if we’re ready to challenge them?"
SleepyReese likes this.
  1. SleepyReese
    SleepyReese
    When chapter 2??
    Jun 8, 2020
    Shocari likes this.