Standing just outside Newbark Town, Cora gazed at the simple dirt path that meandered lazily through swathes of grass that swayed in the wind. Taking a deep breath, she straightened her shoulders and began striding down the trail, turning and glancing back to see that Flambe was huddling near a signpost and glaring at her.
"What's the matter?' She demanded as she strode over and crouched in front of her pokemon. "I know it's a bit of a hike, but if those short little legs of yours can't handle it, I'm sure you'll fit in my backpack. Or you could always go back into your pokeball."
"I'm trying to figure out if you're naive or just plain stupid." The pokemon finally answered after a few moments.
"Ah! I knew you could talk!"
"Yeah but you're the only one who can understand me. That's part of the curse."
"Curse? What curse?"
"The Nuzlocke curse."
"What on earth is the Nuzlocke curse?" Rolling his eyes, Flambe gave Cora a pitying look.
"See it's already affecting you. You already believe that you're actually a part of this world, when in reality, you're nothing more than a glitch."
"Wait...you're saying I'm not real?"
"Oh you're real. But you're not actually here. Your essence or soul or whatever you call it has become caught in the game, making you believe that you're actually a character."
"So how do I get out? And for that matter, how do you know all this?"
"Getting out is hard, you have to beat the game. I know all this because I've had five trainers before you who all attempted to beat the Nuzlocke curse - and failed."
"What happened to them?"
"I don't know. They killed me before they beat the game, so I can't tell you if they were successful or not."
"They killed you?!?!"
"Not intentionally I think. See, that's also part of the curse. Normally, if a pokemon faints you can take it to the pokemon center or use a revive and they're fine. For those infected with Nuzlocke though, fainting means the end of the road."
"You mean...?"
"Death." Flambe confirmed somberly. "So you'll have to forgive me if I'm not overly keen to start round 6." Yawning he laid his head down on his front paws.
"Okay," Sitting on the ground beside cyndaquil, Cora reached over and pulled him into her lap, stroking his back lightly as she rested back against the signpost.
"I get that you've had a pretty rough time. But I can't stay here forever. As you said, I don't belong in this world and so I need to do what I can to find my way back to where I'm from. And unfortunately, I can't do that without you. So here's the deal. You stick with me until I catch the next pokemon at which point you decide if you want to carry on or if you want to be released back into the wild. If you carry on with me, I promise to do my best to try and avoid putting you in a situation where you could be killed. Also, you can choose at any point in the journey to ask to be released and I will respect that wish."
"And if I do continue to help you and you screw up and I die?"
"Then if I manage to make it out of the game, I'll destroy the game cartridge so you'll never be pulled into another Nuzlocke again." Flambe closed his eyes as he considered her offer, his back arching under her stroking fingers, though his flame remained banked and still beneath his fur.
"You'll really let me go if I ask?"
"Help me catch another partner first and then yes, if you wish to leave, you can."
"Okay, deal." Jumping up out of her lap, Flambe started bounding towards the trail. "Pickings around here are pretty slim, mostly Hoothoots and Ratatas, but they're better than nothing right." Stopping just before the first patch of grass, he looked back over his shoulder at Cora. "You have some pokeballs on you, right?"
"Oh, um..." Unzipping her bag, Cora began to rifle through the various pockets, grinning sheepishly as her hunt turned up nothing but a small stash of potions and some money. "Nope." As Flambe glared at her again, she smiled and put everything back. "But it's no problem! I have some money here and there should be a mart in Cherrygrove that sells them."
"Well this adventure is starting out great." Flambe grumbled as they started down the path.
"Look, I know I'm not your idea of the perfect trainer, but I'm actually smarter than you think I am. Remember, I'm now limited by the rules of the game. So we just have to do our best with what we have."
They walked in silence for a while before Cora glanced down at Flambe, uncertainty flickering across her face as she debated whether or not to ask him the question that was niggling at the back of her brain.
"What?" He finally demanded grumpily when he caught her looking at him.
"Oh...well...no, don't worry."
"Go on and ask what you want to. It'll just keep annoying you otherwise."
"What's it like? You know, between trainers?" Flambe stared straight ahead for a moment, silent as he contemplated the answer.
"It's dark. It's like you're asleep, but at the same time you know you're not. And all you can do is wait until you're brought back into this world for another try."
"That sounds horribly lonely." Acting on impulse, Cora reached down and picked Flambe up, cuddling him close to her chest as she kept walking.
"Hey what are you doing?"
"Giving you some good memories to hold on to, just in case you wind up back there. Or if you decide to leave, I want you to go knowing that at least one of your six trainers gave a damn about you."
Staring up at her, Flambe finally reached up with a tiny paw and touched her cheek, snuggling his face into her neck. Smiling, Cora walked on ignoring the occasional rustling in the grass nearby, stopping as she came to the top of a small hill and saw the small town spreading out in front of them.
They had arrived at Cherrygrove.
~//~
Next time, a guy with a weird thing about shoes, a pokemon mart with limited stock, meeting the mysterious Mr Pokemon and other fun times! Stay tuned.
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