1 Prologue

Today is the day. The day that every child dreads. Today is Selection Day. The day that the newest batch of potential Pokemon trainers are selected. From the time that every child is old enough to understand what a Pokemon is, they are filled with fear as they come closer each year to reaching the dreaded age of 11. That is the age where they begin attending Selection Day. The day that chance will decide if they remain a relatively safe civilian or a sacrificing Pokemon trainer.

The world was not always like this. Long ago, children could not wait for their eleventh birthday. The day that they could become a Pokemon trainer and receive their first Pokemon. Trainers would then travel far and wide, catching and training Pokemon. Some would use these Pokemon to challenge gyms to earn badges that would qualify them for Pokemon League Tournaments. Others would enter them in contests to show off their Pokemon. Whatever the reason, being a Pokemon trainer was once considered a right of passage for every child.

All that changed after the Cataclysm. This event was caused due to the actions of one of the Pokemon gangs of the time, Team Rocket. Team Rocket was an organization that used Pokemon to commit various crimes. They captured and stole strong Pokemon to vandalize, steal and even murder. Their ultimate goal was to capture the legendary Pokemon and use them to conquer the world. After years of trying and failing to catch a legendary they finally succeeded. Thundurus, the Pokemon god of thunder and lightning was captured by Team Rocket. On that day, the Legendary Pokemon declared war on humanity.

Millions of wild Pokemon led by the enraged Legendary Pokemon attacked the human settlements across the world. The villages and small towns were the first to fall. Although the trainers in those small settlements tried to protect the civilians, they were vastly outnumbered. Most of those settlements were wiped out in a matter of minutes. Both humans and trained Pokemon were torn apart by the creatures we once coexisted with. Those that managed to survive the first assault evacuated their homes and headed to the nearest large town or city. They hoped that the larger trainer population as well as the powerful gym leaders in those settlements would be enough to protect them. Sadly, most of the evacuees did not survive the journey.

By this time the Pokemon Leagues of the various regions managed to rally the surviving trainers. Trainers were organized into squads and set on guard duty around the settlements. The trainers were ordered to catch as many of the local wild Pokemon as possible to prepare for the fight they new was coming. Unfortunately, the rage of the Legendary Pokemon infected all wild Pokemon. Even the most normally docile Pokemon attacked any human on sight. Captured Pokemon became much harder to tame than before. Newly captured Pokemon instantly attacked their unprepared trainers on first being released from their pokeballs. Trainers had no choice but to try to dominate the wills of their new Pokemon and force them to obey.

While the leagues were preparing, the civilian governments were also forming their own preparations. Construction crews and volunteers were quickly constructing tall walls around the towns and cities in the hopes of keeping out most of the wild Pokemon. Crops were rushed in from the outlying farms. Underground shelters were dug up within the city boundaries. The cities were preparing for a long siege.

Despite all their preparation, none of them were ready for the oncoming storm. The day came were hordes of Pokemon descended on the remaining cities. While the walls kept out the weaker Pokemon, the stronger were able to break through. Pokemon swarmed the cities, destroying buildings and attacking any human in sight. The trainers and their Pokemon did their best to drive them out but most were overwhelmed and brought down. Just when it seemed that humanity was going to be driven to extinction, the attacking Pokemon stopped. All the wild Pokemon stood in place staring up at the sky. After a few minutes they all turned around and began leaving the cities.

To this day none know the reason why the Pokemon did not finish the humans off. The survivors only gave their thanks for being spared. Those who survived the final assault remained in the shelters until supplies began running low. At that point they sent out some of the remaining trainers beyond the city boundaries to see if it was safe to venture out. They soon returned with troubling news. While the wild Pokemon returned to their natural habitats, they continued to be aggressive towards any human they came across. It was no longer safe to leave the settlements without having a Pokemon for protection.

What remained of the Pokemon Leagues and the civilian governments needed to take immediate action. Representatives came together to select the course of action needed to survive this new world.

It was decided that humans would no longer live spread out into many settlements of various sizes. Instead, all humans would live within the remaining towns and cities for their protection. The walls would be rebuild and reinforced. All settlements would need to be primarily self sufficient. Farming would have to be done within the city walls. The few resources that could not be produced within the walls would need to be traded for from other cities or carefully gathered from the wilds. No civilian would be permitted to leave the settlements without being escorted by a Pokemon trainer.

The lives of Pokemon trainers underwent some changes as well. No longer was being a trainer about being the best there was or winning tournaments. Trainers became the first and last line of defense that stood between humanity and the vicious wild Pokemon. Instead of collecting badges, trainers were now paid to complete missions. These missions can be anything from guard duty within the city to escorting a civilian outside the walls. How much they were paid depended on the difficulty of the mission.

Because of the forced isolation between the cities, regional governments were disbanded. Each city was declared a city-state and ruled itself without outside interference. The Pokemon Leagues remained and continued to govern the lives of Pokemon trainers within their regions. The leagues had offices in every city state were they received mission requests from the city-state governments and from private citizens. They then organized and posted the missions according to difficulty.

The civilian governments were dependent on trainers for their survival. However, as a result of The Cataclysm, Pokemon became the cause of terror for most humans. No longer did the leagues have thousands of children eager to become trainers each year. There were very few who desired to become trainers in this new world. Because of the shortage of new trainers needed to maintain the new status quo, the league and city-state officials once again met and established a new policy. Once a year every city state held what became know as the Selection Day. On Selection Day, all children from ages 11 to 15 would stand before the league and city state officials where a small number would be randomly chosen to become that year's batch of potential Pokemon trainers. Wealth and social standing meant nothing, all children within the age limit were forced to attend. Those potential trainers would be put through an Ordeal to prove they had what it takes to be a Pokemon trainer. Failure was not an option. From that point on, their old civilian lives were over. They either succeeded as a Pokemon trainer or became the dregs of society, not being able to go back to the lives they once new.

It's Been a hundred years and today is the selection for the next group of trainers. Who will be the unlucky ones.