Joint Nuzlocke!

[Nuzlocke]

Hello, this is Jessie and Ross' joint Nuzlocke. Jessie will be played on SoulSilver, and Ross will be played on HeartGold. Here are the rules!
-Once the player has got Pokeballs and is able to catch Pokemon, the Nuzlocke rules come into effect.
-Only the first Pokemon encountered in each area may be caught... Unless it is a Shiny, which may be caught but not used due to rarity, or another Pokemon needs to be caught to progess in the game, for example if the player needs cut to continue but does not have any Pokemon that can learn it.
-If a Pokemon faints, it is considered dead, and has to be boxed.
-All Pokemon must be nicknamed.
...On with the Nuzlocke!

Ross
I woke up to the sound of rain splashing on my window, and I immediately remembered what was happening today... I was finally getting my own Pokémon! Actually, me and Jessie would both be getting our starter Pokémon today, from the Professor's lab. We'd seen so many Trainers pass through, each collecting their Pokémon and then going on a journey – of course, some didn't make it very far.

I got changed quickly, hurriedly checking my appearance in the mirror before leaving. My black hair was scruffy from having just woken up, but apart from that, I looked fine. I could hear the faint snores from Jessie's room next door, and decided not to wake her, and went downstairs for breakfast. Mum was already down there, cooking bacon and eggs, and quietly humming to herself. When she heard me come in, she turned around and wished me happy birthday.

"Thanks mum," I said, hugging her. She smelt of flowery perfume and shampoo. "Breakfast looks good," I commented, getting the plates out of the cupboard and placing them on the table. The bacon was sizzling in the pan as I heard Jessie coming down the stairs. She appeared in the doorway, having gotten dressed surprisingly quickly as she had been fast asleep a few minutes before. "Morning Jessie, happy birthday!" I said. Jessie nodded, rubbing her eyes and yawning as she walked into the kitchen.

"Happy birthday," she mumbled, mid-yawn. I grinned, and pulled her in for a hug, although she protested. She's not really one for hugging and stuff, but since it was our birthday, she couldn't push me away.

"Well, here's a special birthday breakfast for my two beautiful children!" mum said, bringing the bacon and eggs over to the table. She dished up, still smiling brightly. We both thanked her, mouths full of food. "I need to go and get the presents!" she exclaimed, her voice high and excited. Jessie and I looked at each other, wondering what mum had decided to get us this year. She shot me a confused look, and I shrugged in reply.

A few seconds later, mum came back in, two large presents in her hands, wrapped in colourful paper. One had a green ribbon and one had a purple ribbon, and each had a name tag. She placed them in the middle of the table, the green-ribboned one nearest me, and the purple-ribboned one near Jessie. I swallowed my mouthful of egg and bacon, and then reached out for the present. Jessie did the same. "Right, open them together!" mum said, clapping her hands.

Jessie and I both undid the ribbons, and then slowly peeled back the wrapping paper, shooting each other excited glances. We both finished opening it at the same time, but Jessie gasped first, as she realized what it was. It took me a couple of seconds to register what it actually was, but when I realized, I broke into a wide grin.

"A Pokegear...! Just... wow, mum!" I cried, enveloping her in a hug. Jessie was still holding the Pokegear, examining it, but not saying anything. After we broke away from the hug, mum looked at her, worried.

"Is it...ok?" she asked. Jessie looked up, and smiled. She nodded, and then hugged mum. It surprised me that she was so ready to hug her, because she's usually quite a quiet and reserved person.

"Thanks mum," I said, finishing off my breakfast, my green Pokegear now at my feet. Jessie still had hers on the table, admiring it whilst she ate her bacon. Mum took our plates when we were done, giving us each a quick kiss on the cheek. "We're gonna go get our Pokémon now," I told her, trying to not to let the excitement creep into my voice, even though I felt like screaming with happiness. I'd waited for this day all my life!

"Come and show me your Pokémon as soon as you get them!" mum said. We both nodded, and Jessie waved. We took our Pokegears, and went outside, into the pouring rain.


Jessie
I woke up around eight, and the smell of bacon was drifting into my bedroom. Slowly, I got up, opening my curtains and letting some sunlight into the room. It was raining, making New Bark Town look bleak, but I smiled. Today was my birthday, and the day I was going to get my first Pokémon! I began to comb my glossy black hair. I had decided what to wear the day before, a white blouse and knitted blue jumper, and a pair of dark denim jeans. I made sure I looked okay before going downstairs.

The smell of bacon and eggs sizzling in the pan made my mouth water. I could hear mum and Ross talking in the kitchen, and stood in the doorway, still tired. Ross wished me happy birthday, and I did the same, although it came out funny because I was yawning. Ross went in for a hug, and although I began to push him away, decided to tolerate it for today, since it was our birthday. Once I was sat at the table, mum brought breakfast over. It was bacon and eggs, mine and Ross' absolute favourite.

I began eating, and mum went to go get our presents. Ross and I kept looking up at each other. It's like we can communicate with each other just with eye contact – I don't know whether that's a twin thing or not, but it's just something we do. Mum came back in a few seconds later, carrying two presents. One had a purple ribbon, and one had a green ribbon. I knew which one was mine immediately, since my favourite colour is purple, and mum had helped me paint my room different shades of purple. She placed him on the table, telling us to open them together.

Ross began to open his straight away, which meant I had to rip my wrapping paper off as well, whereas I would usually peel it off slowly. I gasped when I saw what was inside. It was a purple Pokegear! I looked over at Ross, who hadn't realized what it was yet, but I saw the elation on his face when he registered what it was.

There was a lot of happy thanking going on between mum and Ross, so I waited until they had finished before giving my thanks. I hugged mum, and saw Ross' eyebrows rise in surprise. I guess he was a bit shocked because I usually avoid hugging and kissing and everything like that.

After a little more talk, Ross and I headed out into the rain to go to the lab across the road.

[Nuzlocke]

Ross
"What starter d'you think you're gonna get? I've heard that Prof. Elm's got some new ones this month," I asked Jessie, looking across at her. She was shielding her face from the rain with her hand.

"I'm not really sure. I guess I'll just go with the one that sticks out to me," she replied, pushing open the door of the lab. We hurried inside, wanting to be out of the rain and the wind. Inside, it was warm. Around us, bookshelves lined the walls, the books tattered and old, as if they had been read a thousand times. The Professor's assistant was knelt down next to a bookshelf, scanning for a book. He didn't look up as we came in. At the back of the lab was Prof. Elm's desk, with his high-tech laptop. The desk was messy, with papers piled on top of each other, chewed pens strewn all over the place and a couple of books laying open, face down. Elm was sat with his back to us, typing something on his laptop. He didn't seem to notice that we'd come in. I glanced at Jessie, and she nodded. We both walked towards the desk.

"Professor Elm? We're here to collect our Pokemon," I said. Prof. Elm spun around on his chair immediately. When he saw us, he broke into a smile.

"Ross, Jessie! So nice to see you!" he said, his voice deep, but friendly. "Your Pokemon are in here," he told us, pointing to a blue and red case on his desk. I nodded, but Jessie did nothing, waiting for the Professor to continue. "You can chose one of the Pokeballs from the case," he explained, clicking open the locks on either side, then opening it. Inside, there were three Pokeballs, each resting in their own pocket."Ross, you can go first," Prof. Elm said. I grinned, and reached out to take a Pokeball. My hand automatically went for the middle one. When I picked it up, it was warm. "Click it open, Ross," Prof. Elm instructed. Excitedly, I pressed the button on the Pokeball. A small blue Pokemon popped out, it's back covered in flames.

"Wow," I whispered, reaching out to pick up the little fireball. Prof. Elm told me that it was a Pokemon called Cyndaquil, and he asked me to give it a nickname. I barely needed to think as I looked down at my Pokemon. "His name is Cato," I said. Cato looked up at me and gave a small squeak. Prof. Elm nodded, smiling at me.

"Now, Jessie, you can pick your Pokemon."

Jessie
Professor Elm told me that I could pick my Pokemon. I glanced at Ross, who was looking down at his Cyndaquil, Cato, his eyes full of love. I smiled. I'd never seen Ross look so happy before. I walked over to the case, and saw the two remaining Pokeballs. I reached out for the one on the right, and as my hand closed around it, I felt something move inside. I cupped both hands around it, and walked back over to stand in front of Elm.

"Just click the button now, Jessie," the Professor told me. I nodded, and opened my hands, looking down in wonder at the rocking Pokeball I held. I clicked the button, nervous but excited. After a few seconds, a small creature popped out. It was pale green, with a large leaf atop it's head, a small smile on it's face. Professor Elm clapped his hands. I knelt down to stroke the Pokemon as he told me that it was a Chikorita. I nodded, not taking my eyes of the little Pokemon. It nuzzled my hand, squeaking a little. "Why don't you name him?" Professor Elm said.

"Chiko," I whispered, as though I had known what to name him all along. I turned my head to look up at Ross, who smiled reassuringly as I continued to pet the Chikorita.

"Now that you each have your own Pokemon, you may begin your journey," Prof. Elm said. I stood up, Chiko in my arms, listening intently to the Professor. "There are many paths you may take with your Pokemon. I suggest heading for Violet City first, where you can seek advice from the Trainers School. Of course, being a Trainer is not the only path you may follow, but it is a good start. Remember, your Pokemon respect you and need you to help them out as well; treat them right and they will become your most loyal partners."

Ross and I both nodded, holding our Pokemon close. "Whichever journey you wish to take, I'm sure that these will help you along the way," Professor Elm said, holding out two identical devices. I took the device, and put it in my pocket. Ross did the same, grinning. "That device is called a Pokedex. It registers data on every Pokemon you encounter," Elm explained. He paused, as if thinking, and then turned around, rummaging around in a draw. Ross and I looked at each other, wondering what he was doing. Elm muttered to himself, and then stood up, turning to face us again. "Take these with you," he said, handing me five Pokeballs. He gave five to Ross as well.

"Thank you, Professor," I said. The Professor nodded, and then told us to be safe on our journeys. "Of course," I replied. The Professor smiled, and then said his goodbyes. We went out into the rain again, sprinting across the path to our house. "We'd better tell mum what's happened," I said, as we pushed open the door.

[Nuzlocke]

Ross
It was still raining when we left the lab, and Cato didn't seem to like the rain. He nuzzled into my jumper as Jessie and I crossed the path, heading back towards our house. I could feel the heat from Cato's body through my jumper, which warmed me from the inside out. It felt good to have him so close. When we reached home, Jessie knocked on the door. At her feet stood her Chikorita, who she had named Chiko. Chiko kept glancing back at Cato, as if a little nervous of him.

Mum opened the door quickly, almost pulling us in, out of the rain. Cato began to struggle in my arms, so I put him on the floor. Chiko immediately moved away from Cato, going to stand on the other side of Jessie. "i can't believe that you've got your own Pokemon - my two little babies have grown up!" mum said, her voice happy, but with a hint of sadness. "And now you're going to go on a journey together...!"

Jessie and I glanced at each other, both thinking the same thing. We hadn't planned on travelling together - in fact, we'd said that we would try not to travel together as much as possible. We'd talked about journeying so many times before. Jessie had always said she'd wanted to explore the world, and try and find herself on her journey, whereas my goal had always been to get stronger with my Pokemon, and prove to myself that I could become an amazing Trainer. "Mum, we-we're not going to travel together," I told her. Her face fell, and there was pain in her eyes.

"You're... not?" she asked, her voice uncertain. We both shook our heads, Jessie looking down at the ground, as if she was a little ashamed. "Well, I suppose there becomes a time when people need to go their separate ways," she said, as if telling herself that we would be ok. "As long as you're both safe and happy, I'm happy too," she added, giving a small smile. I grinned.

"Mum, this is Chiko," Jessie suddenly said, and I realised we hadn't actually told mum about our Pokemon yet. Mum bent down to pat the Chikorita's head, cooing and smiling.

"This is Cato," I told her, and she came to pet Cato as well, who snuggled into her hand happily. Mum then hugged both of us, kissing us on the cheek.

"I'm going to miss you two so much. Be sure to call me often, won't you? And of course, if you're ever near here, you can always come back and see your mum. I'm not going anywhere anytime soon!" She laughed, but a tear rolled down her cheek as she did so. She ruffled my hair affectionately, then hugged me again. "Have a good time, Ross. Remember to have fun on your journey. That's the most important thing," she whispered.

"Of course," I whispered in reply, giving her a quick kiss on the cheek before she stood up again, and bent down to hug Jessie. She whispered something to her as well. I saw Jessie replying, her eyes focused. She looked more determined than I'd ever seen her, and this made me wonder what on earth mum had told her.

"Now... I suppose it's time for you to to head off. After all, you'll want to make it to Cherrygrove before nightfall, at least," now, she was letting the tears run freely down her face, not bothering to hide her sadness, "Good luck, and stay safe. I'm always here if you need me. I love you, Jessie, Ross." She went silent, and then walked towards the door. Jessie followed, Chiko close behind. I picked Cato up, and went to the door. Mum gave Jessie a final kiss before waving her out the door. Then, she kissed me on the cheek, and sent me on my way, calling "Good luck!" after us.

It had stopped raining now, and the grass was still damp, but Cato decided he wanted to walk. Jessie was heading towards Route 29. She wasn't smiling, but she seemed happy, and Chiko was content walking at her heels. I decided that I wanted to get to Cherrygrove before her, so I ran onto the Route, straight into a patch of tall grass. I'd only taken a few steps when a Rattata jumped out at us. Cato was ready for action though, and Tackled it without hesitation. To my dismay, the Rattata fell to floor, a victim of Cato's first ever attack, and also first ever critical hit.

I looked back and saw Jessie staring at me, eyes wide. I sprinted on, determined to reach Cherrygrove before she did.

Jessie
I watched Cato race down the path until he was out of sight, then sighed. Ross always wanted to be better than everyone else, although most of the time he didn't show it. I guessed that the thrill of being a Pokemon Trainer at last had spurred him on. He'd want to get to Cherrygrove before me. I wasn't fussed about getting anywhere particularly quickly, and preferred to explore everywhere fully before visiting somewhere new. That's what I disliked about New Bark Town - there was never anything exciting going on. The only thing I was mildly interested in was Prof. Elm's studies. I would visit him often to find out about new kinds of Pokemon.

I glanced at Chiko, who was sniffing the grass curiously. He was in his element here, surrounded by wildlife on all sides. "Right, let's take the first steps of our adventure!" I said, grinning at Chiko, who looked up at me. I walked into the long grass, and he followed obediently behind. We'd taken a few paces when a wild Pokemon darted in front of us, attempting to block the path. It was a small bird Pokemon which I recognised as a Pidgey. They were quite common around New Bark Town. It was stood proudly, displaying it's wings to Chiko and I. I thought back to when the Rattata had jumped out on Ross, and decided I was going to catch this Pidgey.

"Chiko, use Tackle, but be gentle," I said, and Chiko nodded in reply. He Tackled the bird, not going all out. The Pidgey kicked up sand in indignation, but I held out a Pokeball and threw it at the Pidgey. The ball rocked once, twice, and then closed around the Pokemon. "Yes!" I couldn't help but punch the air. I was pleased with the first capture, and thought that this Pidgey would be a good friend for Chiko. I hurriedly ran back to the Professor's lab to heal the Pidgey. After he and Chiko were healed, I let the Pidgey out. He seemed proud and strong, but he liked Chiko. I decided to name him Prince. He seemed happy with the name, squawking loudly whenever I called him by it.

I battled some more on Route 29, and Chiko and Prince both became stronger. It turns out that both Chiko and Prince were formidable battlers, although Prince got frustrated at first because Chiko kept having to step in and help him take down stronger foes. We explored all of Route 29, talking to different people along the way and battling all the time. By the time we reached Cherrygrove, it was the afternoon, and Prince and Chiko had become good friends. I healed up, and then decided to go to the little path I'd seen which led off Route 29. I let Prince walk with me for a while, and we reached Route 46 quickly. The first Pokemon we saw was a Spearow, another bird Pokemon. He was hurt, so I hurriedly threw a Pokeball at him, and then rushed back to the Pokecentre to get him healed.

Prince seemed annoyed that I had another bird Pokemon, but the Spearow, who I named Jack, didn't seem to be a very good battler. We went onto Route 30 to hopefully catch another Pokemon, although I was secretly praying that it wasn't another bird. The first Pokemon we came across was a Rattata, who was yawning, laid on the side of the road. She looked up when we walked towards her, but didn't move. However, as soon as Chiko took a step towards her, she lashed out. Chiko stayed calm, weakening the Rattata before I caught her in a Pokeball. I let her walk alongside me at first, but she preferred being in her Pokeball. It seemed like she had a fierce temper, but was quite lazy. I named her Click.

I bumped into Ross on the way back to Cherrygrove. I said hi, but he just ignored me. Cato was following along behind him. What's gotten into him?

[OpallapO]

I love how you've given Ross and Jessie really different personalities! Personally I think that Jessie will go further in this than Ross, although Ross will probably progress quicker. Keep it up!

[Nuzlocke]

Ross
I reached Cherrygrove way before Jessie did, and healed Cato at the Pokecentre. He was becoming a lot stronger, although we had no other Pokemon join our team yet. I checked the map, and decided that before I left for Violet City, I would go and check out Route 46. On the way to Route 46, I saw Jessie battling in the grass with a Pidgey. I sprinted past her before she saw me, and went through the gate into Route 46. Cato and I ran straight into the tall grass, and found a Geodude. She was sat completely still, and if I hadn't stopped running, I would have mistaken her for a rock.

"Cato, Tackle!" I shouted, and Cato lunged at the Geodude, forcing her to retaliate. She hit pretty hard, so I threw a Pokeball before she could do any more damage. I named her Rita. I went back to Cherrygrove to heal, and decided to train her a little along the Routes which led to Violet City, which were Routes 30 and 31. Rita turned out to be a pretty good battler, and she was very sturdy as well. I battled the Trainers along both Routes, and reached Violet City in no time.

Violet City was pretty old and boring, with the Pokemon Gym the only thing of real interest. Before I took it on, I decided to go to Route 32. I didn't get very far, however, as an old man told me that he'd only let me pass if I had the Gym Badge. I was annoyed, but decided to take the opportunity to train Rita and Cato in the grass nearby, and encountered a Wooper. It looked pretty cool, and it had Water Gun, a move supereffective against both Rita and Cato. I decided to catch him, and named him Milo. He's goofy outside of battle, but whenever he's battling, he's gives his all. Both Cato and Rita have welcomed him into the team.

I trained Milo up for a while in the grass, and then went into the Pokemon Gym. However, the guy there said I should challenge Sprout Tower first. I knew that challenging the Tower wasn't really necessary, because Cato could wreck the Bellsprouts there single-handedly with his Ember attack. I decided to quickly challenge Sprout Tower, and then come back to the Gym. It would be good training for Cato anyway.

Ross' Team
Cato Lv.12
Tackle
Leer
Ember
Smokescreen

Rita Lv.11
Tackle
Rock Throw
Mud Sport
Rock Polish

Milo Lv.9
Water Gun
Tail Whip
Mud Sport
Mud Shot

Jessie
I trained Click up a little on Route 30 to make sure that she was strong enough to hold her own. Chiko and Prince have become good friends with her now. We battled the Trainers along Route 30, and were in pretty good condition afterwards, so I went on to Route 31. I decided it was a safer option than going into the Dark Cave. There was a Bug Catcher there, who I battled, and won easily. I was just about to step into the tall grass when I saw a strange vine sticking out of it. It seemed to be moving, so I took a closer look, and noticed that it was a Bellsprout! The small sprout was stuck, so I helped him up. "Do you want to join us?" I asked the Bellsprout, and it shifted towards me. I held out a Pokeball, and it came closer, so I decided to throw the ball and catch him. I named him Bean.

I went to Violet City to heal, looking around for Ross. He was nowhere to be seen. I explored the city for a while, but didn't risk going into the Gym in case I had to battle as soon as I went inside. In one house, there was a guy who said he'd trade his Onix for my Bellsprout. Bean shied away from the man, and I declined the offer. Bean seemed to let out a sigh of relief when we left the house. I went back onto Route 31 to train Bean, and Click, Prince and Chiko helped out. Jack still didn't want to battle, and when I let him out of his Pokeball, he started squawking and making such a fuss that I put him back in it again.

After a little training, I decided it would be okay to check out Dark Cave, and see if there were any more Pokemon that would join our group in there. Bean seemed to like the cave more than anyone else, although it was really dark inside. I could barely see anything! I was only a few steps in when I almost tripped over what I thought was a rock! It was only when it tried to attack Bean that I realised it was actually a Pokemon! Bean used Vine Whip on it, and it fainted immediately. I appeared that I had underestimated Bean's battling abilities! Realising that this would be a good place to train Bean, I began to explore the cave further. Bean took down numerous Geodudes with Vine Whip, but the Zubats there were a different story. Vine Whip did nothing to them, and Click had to come in and help him out. Luckily, their attacks didn't do much damage.

After a while, I decided to go and heal at the Pokecentre and then resume training after lunch. Whilst walking around Violet City for a while after lunch, I bumped into Ross coming out of the Pokemon Gym. A small blue Pokemon was following along behind him, tripping over his own feet a couple of times. "Did you beat the Gym already?" I asked him. Ross shook his head, not bothering to explain as he raced along the road. He headed across a bridge to a part of the City I hadn't noticed before. It looked like a tower of some sort.

I decided to carry on with my training instead, and headed out onto Route 32. There was a small patch of grass there, but I went around it, and spoke to the man leaning against the cliff wall. He told me that he was only letting people who had gotten the Gym Badge pass. I thanked him for the information, then went into the grass. The first Pokemon I met there was a Sheep-like Pokemon, called Mareep. He was pretty cute, so I decided to catch him. I named him Fleece. I went back to the Pokecentre to heal, then to the Pokemart. I bought some Potions, Pokeballs, Antidotes and Parlyz Heals. I went back onto Route 31, and trained everyone, knowing that it was better to be safe than sorry when it came to Pokemon battling.

Jessie's Team
Chiko Lv.9
Tackle
Growl
Razor Leaf
Poison Powder

Prince Lv.9
Tackle
Sand Attack
Gust

Bean Lv.9
Vine Whip
Growth

Click Lv.8
Tackle
Tail Whip
Quick Attack
Focus Energy

Fleece Lv.9
Tackle
Growl

Jack Lv.2
Peck
Growl