Gemma's Sapphire Nuzlocke

[OpallapO]

Firstly here are the rules:
~Any Pokémon that faints is considered dead, and must be released.
~I may only catch the first Pokémon encountered in each area, and none else, unless I already have the Pokemon that I encounter first, in which case I can catch the second Pokemon encountered. If the first Pokémon encountered faints or flees, there are no second chances. If the first encounter in the area is a Double Battle in dark grass, the player may choose which of the two Pokémon they would like to catch. It is not classed as an encounter unless I have passed the point at which I get Poke Balls.
~All Pokemon must be nicknamed to form closer bonds.
~If my Starter dies, it is a game over.
~I can only make in-game trades.
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Today has been an eventful day! I was sat amongst the boxes in the back of a removal van, all on my own. It wasn't a long journey, but it was so boring. The only thing I could do was think. Or talk to myself. But I just thought, because my dad once said that talking to yourself is the first sign of madness. So I just thought. It was a relief when I arrived and was able to get out if the stuffy old van. Is it even legal to be able to sit in the back of a van? There weren't exactly any seatbelts... or even seat for that matter. But nevertheless, I arrived in my new town, and my mum came out of the house to welcome me. I can't say I'm too impressed with Littleroot - it just seems small. Nothing else, just small and uninteresting.

The house is ok, I guess. Small, like everything else in this place, but at least I get my own room. There were some massive Pokemon moving all the furniture into place when I arrived, but I was kinda scared of them, so I went upstairs to get out of their way. They looked like they could throw me across the room with ease! My room is pretty neat, actually. All my stuffs up there, my bed, desk and computer, TV and a GameCube. There's also a map of Hoenn and the new clock dad bought me. I looked at the map and it turns out that the closest place to here is Oldale, and then there's Petalburg, where my dad's Gym is. I remembered that I had stored a Potion on my computer so I took that out as well.

The Pokemon had gone by the time I went back downstairs. Mum and I managed to catch the last few seconds of some kind of report about Petalburg Gym. Dad might have been in it, but if he was, we didn't see him. Mum told me I should go introduce myself to the townspeople. Apparently one of dad's friends lived next door, so I should go talk to him. I did as I was told and looked around. There was a sign that said 'Littleroot Town - a town that can't be shaded any hue'. Huh. Wonder what that means? I went next door and this woman asked me who I was, and then told me to go upstairs and see her son. Apparently he was excited about making a new friend, but when I went upstairs he just seemed to be annoyed that I was a girl. According to him, being a Gym Leader's child should mean that you are a boy. Pfftt. He told me his name was Brendan and then he offered to catch me a Pokemon, but then changed his mind and said that he had to help his dad. I don't need help anyway.

Well, since he kinda left me standing there in his room I figured that I should leave. His mum didn't even say goodbye. How rude. When I left there was this little kid stood near the edge of the town and he said he could hear shouting coming from down the road. I'm not stupid and I knew that because I don't have a Pokemon I shouldn't leave town. So I went to look for someone else who had a Pokemon and could help, but I couldn't find anyone and Brendan had disappeared. But when I got back the kid was still stood there and he didn't look like he was gonna go help so I did the only thing I could. I went to see what was happening!

Turns out this dude was getting chased by a Pokemon. When he saw me he was screaming and yelling something about Poke Balls and bags, so I went over to his bag and there were three Poke Balls inside. I chose the first one I saw and the Pokemon that was chasing the old guy, glared at me and started chasing me, so I just threw the Poke Ball at it, like I've seen dad too countless times. Well the little thing that popped out was a really cute orange chick called Torchic, and I fell in love with it almost straight away! But the little thing was pretty fierce because it started scratching the Poochyena's eyes out and the evil dog fainted! Woohoo! I'd won my first Pokemon battle - with a Pokemon that wasn't even mine!

Afterwards the guy told me that he was studying when the Poochyena jumped out. I thought it was kinda stupid since everyone knows you shouldn't go in tall grass without a Pokemon, yet he'd just left his bag on the ground. Serves him right really. Anyway, he took me back to his lab, which is a really cool place with a load of books and computers and stuff. He said his name was Prof. Birch and then he told me that my father had told him loads about me, which made me blush a bit! He also said I have my father's battling blood in my veins (more blushing) and that I battled well earlier (my cheeks were burning red by this point). And then he gave me the cute little Torchic I picked! I was so happy and almost hugged the old man right there. Then he asked me to nickname it and I decided to call him Brandy. Then Prof. Birch said that he thought I could be an awesome trainer if I worked hard enough! He said that Brendan was out studying on Route 103 and I should go see him. I said yes just because I didn't want to come across as rude. To be honest though, I didn't really fancy going to see him again. I was still kinda annoyed that he thought I should be a boy. And then, the Prof. said that Brendan could teach me what it means to be a trainer! I already know what it means to be a trainer, my dad's a Gym Leader.

I agreed anyway, even though inside I was a little angry. I got into my first proper battle with Brandy on Route 101, which was exciting. A Wurmple appeared, and it looked really ugly, but ugly things can sometimes become beautiful, and you shouldn't judge a book by it's cover, right? Anyway, I got it's HP down really low and I was going to catch it... but then I remembered that I didn't have Poke Balls. So then I just had to take it out. I felt kinda bad, but that's Pokemon for you. I got to Oldale and I went to heal at the Pokemon Centre (PC from now on). The nurse behind the counter fixed up Brandy for me all for free, which was pretty nice. Then a woman who said she worked at the Poke Mart (PM) and took me to the PM and gave me a free potion. I went inside to buy some Poke Balls but they were all out! I tried to head West out of the town but this weird guy told me that there were rare Pokemon footprints there and he wanted to sketch them. I was annoyed - who was he to tell me where I could and couldn't go? But then I remembered the Prof's request for me to talk to Brendan. I went North, and after battling a Wingull, found Brendan. He was studying Pokemon, but wanted to have a battle with me to 'teach me what being a trainer is about'. I agreed, just to show him I could beat him.

Brendan had this little blue thing called Mudkip who kept tackling Brandy so I had to use a potion. But I won, and then Brendan said that he thought he'd figured out why his dad had his eye on me. Then Brendan said he thought I could befriend any Pokemon with ease, but I figured this was just to make up for the whole 'you-should-be-a-boy' thing earlier. Anyway, I hopped down some ledges to Oldale to heal up and Brendan was waiting for me on the entrance to Route 101. Doesn't he think I can do anything myself? I went back to Prof. Birch's lab and he congratulated me on beating Brendan. Ha! But then he went and ruined it by saying how good Brendan was. But then he made it better again by giving me this thing called a Pokedex! But then he ruined it again by telling me about how many rare Pokemon Brendan has found. Brendan, Brendan, Brendan, blah, blah, blah. Then Brendan gave me some Poke Balls, which was nice of him, I guess. I still don't trust him though.

Mum was waiting for me outside the house and she said the Brandy was adorable (aww!) and gave me some running shoes to use. They're pretty neat actually. I headed on to Route 101 again to try and catch a Pokemon to back Brandy up. I caught myself a little Zigzagoon who I've now named Bristle. I went back to the lab to show Prof. Birch that I could catch a Pokemon and he was pleased with what I'd done. Then I went home to show mum and she healed both of them up for me. Bristle and Brandy seem to be getting on really well but I'm hoping that they will work together in battle as well! I left my house and headed out to Route 101 to do some much-needed training. I'm hoping to prove myself to Brendan and get my first gym badge in Petalburg! The battle would be against my dad, but I know I can do it if I believe in myself and my Pokemon!

I trained Bristle for a while on Route 101 and then remembered the Wingull I battled earlier on Route 103. I decided to catch one and quickly healed at the PC in Oldale before going North to Route 103. The first Pokemon I came across was, thankfully, a Wingull, which I caught and have named Splish, because of his Water Gun attack. I went back to show Prof. Birch my latest member of my team after stopping at the PC. Brendan was still stood next to his dad. I wondered why he didn't go out and train, or catch some more Pokemon to fill up the Pokedex.

Current team:
Torchic/Brandy Lv. 7
Zigzagoon/Bristle Lv. 5
Wingull/Splish Lv. 4

[OpallapO]

I left Littleroot and headed straight for Oldale to see if that really annoying guy blocking Route 102 had finished sketching. He was wandering around outside the PC so I went right up to him to see if he'd found some kind of new Pokemon. I figured that if he had, I could show Prof. Birch. I was really angry when he admitted that they were actually his footprints, so he'd been blocking my path for absolutely no reason whatsoever. Because I was so annoyed at him, I nicked his notebook and threw it in the river on Route 102. He was almost crying about that and this guy in the tall grass was giving me a weird look. But I'm not going to apologise. Ever.

I caught a Lotad on Route 102, and named her Foamy. She doesn't really get involved with Brandy, Splish or Bristle to be honest. She won't even go near Brandy; I think she is scared of her. She's pretty frightened of Splish as well I think. Bristle has tried to interact with her, but she just backs away. Maybe she's just snobbish and feels she's too good for them? Brandy and Splish are being a lot nicer to each other now, which is good. Also, I have discovered that Bristle has a really neat ability called Pick Up and he randomly picks up items! The only one I've had so far is a Rare Candy, but I'm saving that for sometime later.

After the fiasco with the nerdy guy and his notebook, I trained on Route 102. I'm not going anywhere near the trainers yet, until I'm completely sure that my team will win easily. I really, really want to go straight to dad's Gym in Petalburg but I know that this training will pay off. Dad's never done thing's by halves and he won't go easy on me, even though I'm his daughter! Actually, he'll probably be harder on me!

Well, I finally made it to Petalburg after beating all the trainers on Route 102. They were all really arrogant, especially the girl. She asked me to battle her so I could 'further her career'. I was like 'no way sista!' and then she was left with two fainted Pokemon. Ouch. I also picked up a potion along the way as well. Petalburg is a nice enough place, quite a bit bigger than both Littleroot and Oldale though. There's a river/lake as well which would be cool except I can't fish because I don't have a rod. I healed my Pokemon straight away and then went off to find the Gym. I asked a woman for directions but she just asked me where someone called Wally had gone. I don't even know anyone called Wally! I went to the Gym to see how strong the Trainers there were and also to find my dad. Well, dad was stood right in the entrance when I walked in and he said that he was surprised I'd gotten here by myself, but when I told him I had Pokemon with me he was less surprised.

Then this kid called Wally (the guy the woman was talking about) came in and interrupted us. It was kinda rude of him. Anyway, he wanted my dad to give him a Pokemon because he was moving away. Then dad asked me to go with the little wimp to catch a Pokemon! I wasn't about to say no to my dad but this was the second time in a day that I'd had to go with an annoying boy when I didn't even want to! So then dad gave him a Zigzagoon and a Poke Ball and Wally and I marched off to Route 102 to catch him a Pokemon. He was really annoying me by this point so I decided not to help him. He caught a Ralts on the first try, and I was laughing to myself because the only thing a Ralts can do is Growl and Teleport, so how was he going to train the thing?

We went back to the Gym and Wally was really pleased. He gave the Zigzagoon back to dad and then ran off. Then dad gave me some advice on becoming stronger. He said I should go to Rustboro and challenge the Gym Leader there, Roxanne. He said I should collect the 8 Gym Badges as well. He also told me he would battle me someday too. I was kinda disappointed that I didn't get to battle him but I'm positive about the battle with Roxanne. She's a Rock type user, so I'll be able to beat her with Grass and Water type moves, which Foamy and Splish have! I left the Gym and decided to go back to Littleroot and see mum. She'd want to know how dad was, and plus, I could talk to Prof. Birch as well. He'd be pleased that I'd caught some more Pokemon. Hopefully I wouldn't have to talk to Brendan though...

Current team:
Torchic/Brandy Lv. 8
Wingull/Splish Lv. 8
Lotad/Foamy Lv. 7
Zigzagoon/Bristle Lv. 7

[OpallapO]

Well, I finally made it to Petalburg after beating all the trainers on Route 102. They were all really arrogant, especially the girl. She asked me to battle her so I could 'further her career'. I was like 'no way sista!' and then she was left with two fainted Pokemon. Ouch. I also picked up a potion along the way as well. Petalburg is a nice enough place, quite a bit bigger than both Littleroot and Oldale though. There's a river/lake as well which would be cool except I can't fish because I don't have a rod. I healed my Pokemon straight away and then went off to find the Gym. I asked a woman for directions but she just asked me where someone called Wally had gone. I don't even know anyone called Wally! I went to the Gym to see how strong the Trainers there were and also to find my dad. Well, dad was stood right in the entrance when I walked in and he said that he was surprised I'd gotten here by myself, but when I told him I had Pokemon with me he was less surprised.

Then this kid called Wally (the guy the woman was talking about) came in and interrupted us. It was kinda rude of him. Anyway, he wanted my dad to give him a Pokemon because he was moving away. Then dad asked me to go with the little wimp to catch a Pokemon! I wasn't about to say no to my dad but this was the second time in a day that I'd had to go with an annoying boy when I didn't even want to! So then dad gave him a Zigzagoon and a Poke Ball and Wally and I marched off to Route 102 to catch him a Pokemon. He was really annoying me by this point so I decided not to help him. He caught a Ralts on the first try, and I was laughing to myself because the only thing a Ralts can do is Growl and Teleport, so how was he going to train the thing?

We went back to the Gym and Wally was really pleased. He gave the Zigzagoon back to dad and then ran off. Then dad gave me some advice on becoming stronger. He said I should go to Rustboro and challenge the Gym Leader there, Roxanne. He said I should collect the 8 Gym Badges as well. He also told me he would battle me someday too. I was kinda disappointed that I didn't get to battle him but I'm positive about the battle with Roxanne. She's a Rock type user, so I'll be able to beat her with Grass and Water type moves, which Foamy and Splish have! I left the Gym and decided to go back to Littleroot and see mum. She'd want to know how dad was, and plus, I could talk to Prof. Birch as well. He'd be pleased that I'd caught some more Pokemon. Hopefully I wouldn't have to talk to Brendan though...

Current team:
Torchic/Brandy Lv. 8
Wingull/Splish Lv. 8
Lotad/Foamy Lv. 7
Zigzagoon/Bristle Lv. 7

[PurplePurrloin]

Oh, this is pretty cool. No losses yet, but we'll have to see what happens Good luck to you

[OpallapO]

Thanks PurplePurrloin
---------------------------

I went back to Littleroot to see my mum and the Professor. Brendan has left on his own journey now, though I have no idea where he's going. He might be taking on the Gym Challenge, like me, but I doubt it since all he seems to be focused on his helping his dad. I'm hoping I won't bump into him on my journey. It will be a lot easier for both of us if I don't. Trust me.

I took dad's advice and headed for Rustboro, and to get there I had to go through Petalburg Woods. People had warned me not to get lost in there but there was really only one way to go anyway. There were a couple of Bug Catchers in there but that was all. I caught a Shroomish and named it Spore as well. Then there was this guy who said he was from the Devon Corporation who was looking for a Shroomish. I wasn't going to help him because I had much more important things on my mind, for example taking on Rustboro Gym, but then this weirdo turned up threatening to take some papers from the Devon guy. Then the thug tried to attack the man so he hid behind me (that's right, put the kids in the line of fire) and I had to battle him. Fortunately, his bark was bigger than his bite and I took out his Poochyena easily. The thug legged it, and, as thanks, the Devon man gave me a Great Ball. Well, after that I was on the lookout for more thugs but I didn't come across any and, sooner than I'd thought, I was out of the Woods. I spoke to this guy who gave me TM Bullet Seed, which I thought I might teach to Shroomish, but then decided against it because the guy told me it would break after one use! Then I had to battle two women before these twins asked me for a Double Battle. It was exciting, but an easy win.

So now I'm resting in Rustboro with a team of five Pokemon... and here they are:

Torchic/Brandy Lv. 10
Zigzagoon/Bristle Lv. 10
Wingull/Splish Lv. 10
Lotad/Foamy Lv. 9
Shroomish/Spore Lv. 9

[Spriter]

Keep it up! You've picked up a very good few pokemon. Doesn't hurt to have Fire/Water/Grass on any team. I hope Splish doesn't die though, it's a nice pokemon...not that I'm saying the others should be lost...XD

[OpallapO]

I decided to explore Rustboro. It's a big, built up city, the biggest city I've ever seen, and to be honest I wish I'd come sooner. There aren't that many people around really, they all seem to be inside they're huge houses. The Trainers' School is there as well, which is where Roxanne trained to become a Gym Leader. The teacher inside gave me a Quick Claw to use in battle. Apparently it makes whichever Pokemon holds it faster. It could be useful, I guess.

I did try and look around the Devon Corporation Building but a man in there said I couldn't go up there because I wasn't authorised. I was kinda annoyed at this because I thought, who isn't more authorised than someone who saved one of your staff and rescued some important papers? I'll have to find a way in. There's a beach just North of Rustboro which is really relaxing and we rested there for a while. Splish really enjoyed himself, gliding over the waves, back and forth, back and forth. Brandy didn't like it as much... I think he's scared of water. I went to explore Route 116 and caught a female Whismur which I have named Murmur. She's so cute! There was this sign as well that said something about a tunnel being made through the rock but it looks like they've cancelled the project because there was a big red 'X' crossing the words out. I wonder where it's meant to go?

After my short trip to Route 116, I went back to Rustboro to look around a bit more. I avoided the Gym because I didn't want to get into any battles or anything... But I found this little house and inside a guy gave me HM Cut. He said I could use it to cut down small trees once I had the Stone Badge from Roxanne. I'm not sure how long that's going to be to tell you the truth. I'm going to write down my Pokemon's moves just so I can keep track of them easily.

Torchic/Brandy Lv. 10
Scratch, Growl, Focus Energy, Ember

Wingull/Splish Lv. 10
Growl, Water Gun, Supersonic

Zigzagoon/Bristle Lv. 10
Tackle, Growl, Tail Whip, Headbutt

Shroomish/Spore Lv. 9
Absorb, Tackle, Stun Spore

Lotad/Foamy Lv. 9
Astonish, Growl, Absorb

Whismur/Murmur Lv. 6
Pound, Uproar

I'm going to focus on training them all on Route 116. Hopefully I will be able to take on the Gym tomorrow, or maybe the day after. It won't be easy, but I'm going to give it my best shot! I want to prove to mum, dad, Prof. Birch and Brendan (but mostly Brendan) that I can do it!

[OpallapO]

I've been ill for the past week! I went into the PC and the nurse told me that I looked quite pale so maybe I should take a rest from training for a while. Turns out I was really ill so I had to stay there for a week! But all my Pokemon were so good, and they stayed inside with me until I got better.

Anyway, today the nurse said that I looked a bit better and I should be okay to train again. I rushed straight out onto Route 116 to start training again. I'd missed the thrill of battling, so getting into my first Trainer battle in what felt like years was amazing! I beat the young boy easily before proceeding to defeat a Bug Catcher, a girl and a hiker. My Pokemon were having so much fun, and they didn't want to stop! We explored the tunnel but there were these big rocks in the way and we couldn't get through. We had to go back to Rustboro because everyone was a bit tired after our short trip.

I decided to take on Rustboro Gym! There was a man in there who gave me some advice. He told me that Roxanne used Rock type Pokemon, but he also said that if I used Water and Grass types I might be able to beat her a little easier! The first Trainer I had to battle had three Geodude(s?) but Splish took them all out easily with Water Gun! I was so proud of Splish, and he was obviously pleased with himself as well because he kept squawking! We went back to the PC to heal before taking on the next Trainer in the Gym.

All of my Pokemon were really excited about taking on the Gym... They knew that we could beat Roxanne if we believed in ourselves! The second Trainer was a bit harder than the first. I sent Bristle out first, but she didn't do much damage to the sturdy Geodude that the other Trainer was using. I decided to send Foamy out in the hope that his Absorb would make a dent in the Geodude's HP. Foamy took it out easily! I rushed outside to heal before taking on Roxanne, filled with excitement at the prospect of my first battle against a Gym Leader.

First, Roxanne sent out a Lv. 14 Geodude. Knowing that Bristle's Normal type moves didn't do much to the Geodude we had previously encountered, I pulled him back and sent out Foamy. The Geodude used Rock Tomb, and Foamy's HP fell dramatically. I pulled him back, scared that he would faint, and sent out Spore. Roxanne used a Potion on her Geodude, which was really annoying! She kept using it... maybe she has unlimited access to anything since she's a Gym Leader? Spore took out Geodude and then was faced with a weird Pokemon named Nosepass. Spore's Absorb didn't do much even though it was Super Effective against the Nosepass. Spore took out Nosepass single-handedly!

Roxanne seemed shocked that I had beaten her, but handed over the Stone Badge! I was thrilled, and so were my Pokemon! She also gave me TM39, Rock Tomb. I thanked the Gym Leader, and then rushed outside, destined for the PC. I started to run towards the PC, when a guy ran out in front of me, dressed in strange clothes. The Devon Co man was running behind him, screaming for him to stop. I carried on my way to the PC.

I'm planning on finding out where the strangely-dressed guy was going, but for now, I'm giving my Pokemon a rest after the heated Gym battle. They deserve it!

Current Team:

Zigzagoon/Bristle Lv. 13
Lotad/Foamy Lv. 13
Whismur/Murmur Lv. 13
Torchic/Blaze Lv. 14
Wingull/Splish Lv. 14
Shroomish/Spore Lv. 14

[OpallapO]

Well, I beat the strange guy who was running away from the Devon Co. man... turns out he was the same Team Aqua thug I had defeated in Petalburg Woods! He had legged it into the cave before realising he couldn't get through... and he had stolen a Pokemon as well! I beat him easily and got back the Devon Goods and the Wingull he had stolen. Foamy evolved into Lombre after the battle! Haha, I can't wait to see the look on Brendan's face! Then this old guy called Mr. Briney came to get his Wingull and said I should come and visit him in his cottage.

I went back to Rustboro where the Devon Co. guy took me to the President of the company. The President asked me to deliver a letter to someone called Steven in Dewford... Nice way of saying thanks for getting back the Goods... Pffft. People are so selfish. But he did give me a PokeNav as well I guess Then the guy I had saved earlier asked me to take the Goods to Slateport... seriously? The cheek of it! Brendan was waiting for me near Route 104, but all he did was brag about his Pokedex. He is just so annoying! Ugh...

I went to see Mr. Briney and he took me to Dewford. It's okay, I guess... I tried to explore the cave but it was really dark! I trained for a bit and Brandy evolved into this awesome Pokemon called Combusken! Talk about amazing, two evolutions in one day! Anyway, I'm planning to take on the Gym either tonight or tomorrow morning! So excited!

Current team:
Wingull/Splish Lv. 15 - Growl, Water Gun, Supersonic, Wing Attack
Shroomish/Spore Lv. 15 - Absorb, Tackle, Stun Spore, Leech Seed
Zigzagoon/Bristle Lv. 15 - Tackle, Sand Attack, Cut, Headbutt
Lombre/Foamy Lv. 15 - Astonish, Growl, Absorb, Nature Power
Whismur/Murmur Lv. 15 - Pound, Uproar, Astonish, Growl
Combusken/Brandy Lv. 16 - Scratch, Peck, Double Kick, Ember

[PurplePurrloin]

Well done on getting your first Gym Badge! Good luck against Brawly

[OpallapO]

The battle against Brawly started off well.

Spore took out Machop with help from Brandy. Spore, Foamy, Brandy and Splish all worked together to lower Makuhita's HP. I sent out Murmur so that I could heal Brandy to take out the annoying Makuhita. I was just about to use a Super Potion when Makuhita punched Murmur. It wasn't a deadly blow though, so I thought I would be okay. It turned out that I was wrong. The Makuhita struck again, and again before Murmur collapsed. I pulled her back in, and hurriedly sent out Spore, who used Leech Seed. Makuhita responded with Arm Thrust, which didn't do much to Spore's health. I used a Super Potion on Spore to ensure that he did not suffer the same fate that Murmur had. Leech Seed continually sapped Makuhita's health, whilst regaining some of Spore's, but the sturdy yellow Pokemon still stood strong. Spore used Absorb, once, twice, three times, before Makuhita finally collapsed in defeat. Brawly handed me his Badge, congratulating me on my win.

Once outside, I headed for the Pokemon Centre to heal my Pokemon and revive Murmur. Brandy, Bristle, Spore, Foamy and Splish were all healed back to full health, but when she was taken out of the machine, Murmur's condition hadn't changed. Her body lay limp in my arms. "W-what?" I gasped, staring down at the little pink body I held. The nurse looked confused, and took Murmur from me, trying to heal her once more. Nothing happened. I pleaded with the nurse to try again and again, but it made no difference.

As the nurse shook her head in despair, I rocked Murmur in my arms, whispering to her.
"I don't think there's anything I can do," the nurse said. I looked up at her, my eyes wide. "I'm sorry," she apologised. In a moment of complete emotion, I sprinted out of the PokeCentre, tears in my eyes, towards Mr. Briney's boat. I screamed for him to take me home and he immediately set sail for Petalburg. I cradled Murmur in my arms, whispering to her as we crossed the sea. Mr. Briney kept looking back at me worriedly. As soon as we docked, I ran for Petalburg Gym. As soon as I got inside, I shouted for my dad to come. The Gym attendant tapped on my shoulder and told me that the Gym Leader was not here.

"Where has he gone? You have to help me!" I cried, tears now streaming down my cheeks in desperation. The attendant told me she had no idea where my dad had gone, all she had been told was that he would be gone for a long time. I pushed past her and through the door, rushing out of the town and into the grass. In seconds I found myself in Oldale Town. People gave me weird stares as I crashed through the town, and then jumped down the ledges to Littleroot. I ran across the grass to the lab, and flung open the door. Prof. Birch was inside, reading a book. He looked up at me, and his eyes widened when he saw my tear-stained cheeks, the limp body of my fallen Pokemon in my arms.

"What's wrong?" he asked, walking over to me. I sobbed, shaking with emotion, and held out Murmur. He looked down at her. "Well, this shouldn't be too hard to fix," he said. I shook my head, unable to speak. He took Murmur from me, and placed her in a little machine. "This should do the trick," he said. I shook my head again, walking over to the machine.

"It doesn't work, Professor," I said. "Nothing works."

Prof. Birch looked at me, confused, and stuttered, "W-what do you m-mean?" I pulled Murmur's body from the machine. I placed a hand on her chest. Nothing. She didn't breathe. No heartbeat. "Oh my, Gemma," the Professor said, looking straight into my eyes. "I have a lot to explain. Please... just listen?" he glanced at Murmur's body. He directed me to a chair, and I went to sit down. He followed, sitting in a chair directly opposite.

He told me that I was under something called the Nuzlocke Curse. It meant that every Pokemon that I caught would be placed under it as well. Instead of fainting, each Pokemon that was knocked out in battle would... die. I gripped Murmur tightly to me, silent tears sliding down my reddened cheeks. "Every Pokemon that dies will disappear a few hours after death," he explained. I looked down again, and gasped as I saw sparkling pink dust falling towards the polished lab floor.

"Is she going?" I asked. I already knew what the answer was. Murmur was beginning to fade, her body becoming lighter and lighter in my arms. "No," I whispered. The Professor bowed his head. "Why me?" I sobbed. Prof. Birch put his hand on my shoulder to comfort me. But nothing could change what I had done to this poor Pokemon. I was an awful Trainer. How could I let this happen? I stood up, determined never to hurt a Pokemon again. There was only one way I could do that. I headed for the door.

"Gemma," Prof. Birch's voice made me stop. "I know what you think you should do but... don't. You can't give up now. Fight every battle as if you are fighting for Murmur," he said. I shook my head, and pushed open the door. Once outside, I opened Spore's Poke Ball. I then opened Foamy's, Bristle's, Splish's, before finally opening Brandy's.

"You have to go," I told them, as they looked up at me with confused eyes. "I don't want to hurt you," I said. I began to walk towards my house, vowing never to catch another Pokemon again. I heard the sound of footsteps behind me, and turned to see Brandy gazing up at me. "Brandy, you have to go," I told him again. "Stick with the others... make sure that they are safe," I told him. I had always thought of him as the leader of the pack, so it was his duty to look after the others. I turned to walk away again. All my Pokemon cried out in unison, their joint voices making me stop. I sighed. "No," I told myself. "I can't hurt them."

[OpallapO]

I felt Brandy's soft head on my hand. I looked down at him. "Brandy?" I said. Upon hearing his name, he gave a little squawk. "I'm sorry," I told him. He looked up at me, as if he knew what I was saying. I picked him up, and turned to face my other Pokemon. They were stood together, a team; Spore, Foamy, Splish and Bristle all together. As they should be. I placed Brandy on the ground, next to Spore. "See? You are meant to be together," I sighed. I felt a hand on my shoulder, and turned around to see my mum.

"You're back," she said. We stared at each other for a second, before she looked down at the ground. I thought I saw something in her eyes... guilt? "I heard about... about your Whismur," she said and gripped my shoulder tighter. "I'm sorry," she said. I lifted her chin so that she was looking straight at me again.

"You knew," I said. "You knew!" my voice became shrill, angry. "You knew all along yet you didn't tell me! How could you do this to me mum? How?" I screeched. I could hear my Pokemon shuffling backwards, scared at my sudden outburst of anger.

"Yes, I knew. But I wanted you to go on a journey, to have the chance of freedom and adventure. I didn't tell you because I thought that you wouldn't go if I told you... and I see now that I was right. Here you are, abandoning your Pokemon..." she said.

"I'm not... I'm not abandoning them! I'm freeing them! I can't let them get hurt!" I retaliated. I was hurt that my mum could suggest such a thing. She walked over to the Pokemon, stroking each one gently before picking them all up.

"They trust you, Gemma. They have put their faith in you. You can't let them down." She gave me all five of them, and hugged me, enveloping me and my Pokemon in a loving embrace. "You are together for a reason," she said.

[PurplePurrloin]

Murmuuuuuur Nooooo The first loss hurts the most Waaaah

[SirBlaziken]

Please, keep the story going!

[pokeboz1016]

2 months? Come on I want to know what happens! I lost my poor Tweety (Pidgey) in Fire Red so I know what you're going through.