HATRED

(written by TheChromePerson: this account is made for the purpose of publishing this story)

Pokemon Black is a game I refuse to forget.

It started a few years ago when I first played Ruby version. It was amazing, and I instantly got hooked onto the series. Every time a new Pokemon game came out, I rushed to GameStop as fast as a cheetah. Even the crappy spin-off games like PokePark, Pokemon Channel and Pokemon Snap. Then Black came out.

My mom drove me to GameStop as I was trying to contain my excitement. As soon as the doors unlocked, I rushed out to GameStop to buy the game. I remember a very long line to the counter, but since I brought my DS, I played that in the meantime. After a while the line was gone, and I quickly got a case of Pokemon Black and put it on the counter. I got the game.

The ride back home was a while, so I decided to play Pokemon Black. I picked Boy for the Gender and named my character White (just for irony). My rival had the name Failure. I picked Oshawott for my starter and went on my journey.

By the time we got home I was already to the first gym. As time went on, I beat the first gym -- the second gym -- the third gym -- the fourth gym -- and before I knew it, I beat the game with a never-evolving Oshawott. I always pressed B during the evolution scene so he would remain a cute Oshawott, because that's what I wanted. I never liked evolving my starters for some reason.

A few months later I would still play Black and try to get all the Pokemon in the Pokedex even though it was a boring goal and I would just get a virtual certificate and that's all. Once, me and my family decided to go out to eat at an Asian restaurant. Since I lost my Mario Kart DS cartridge, I decided to play Pokemon Black. After we ate, I took the DS out of my pocket during the ride home.

But here's the bad part.

As I was climbing up the stairs to the door, with DS in one hand, I tripped on a stair. In order to grab on to something, I had to throw the DS and grab onto the railing. As I got up, I saw the DS behind me. And it was in a state of disrepair. I would tell you the details, but I don't have time. I picked up the DS, gathering the pieces and ran upstairs to my room as soon as Dad unlocked the door.

I saw a tiny little crack in the cartridge that could be repaired, but then it wasn't the time for that. I got out a spare DS that was a different model than the DS that is now in pieces. I put the cartridge in, hoping it would work, and it did. Sighing with relief, I selected my profile. It's all downhill from here.

I was in a route I never saw before. The entrance below me was blocked off. I was guessing this might have been an easter egg activated when it hit the ground, or a glitch. I walked ahead, finding misplaced tiles. I thought it was a glitch, period. I checked my party, hoping it be normal, but my team was gone. It's like I'd never owned them in the first place. All of them were gone.

Except Oshawott.

Oshawott had 1 HP from what I remember. I was starting to get a little creeped out at this, but continued onwards. I decided to catch some wild Pokemon in order to replace my team. I walked around in the grass for about two minutes and nothing appeared. When I was about to give up, a battle started with a Rattata.

And then I screamed.

Oshawott's tail was cracked in half, the top piece missing. His horns on the top of his head looked cut off as well. His shell was cracked and broken, but the worst part was the eyes. The eyes. The eyes were missing. They looked like they were gorged out by a creature. Or worse, they popped right out of their sockets from what seemed to be a hard impact. Like what I had just mistakenly done. You may be asking how I know this when the sprite is turning it's back to you. It wasn't. Oshawott was looking directly at the screen. At ME. I heard a faint cry of an Oshawott. I wanted to drop the DS and shove it under the dresser but my eyes were glued to the screen. I selected Fight and used a move on the rat.

It fainted instantly. I won 1 Pokedollar. I continued walking along the path when I noticed a sign. I remember exactly what that sign said: "broken". This wasn't a mere glitch. I didn't know what it was, it sure wasn't an easter egg. In my stupidity, instead of turning the game off, I continued walking. I remember what the next sign said as well: "you broke them" in a taunting lowercase font. I continued. Another sign read: "you are guilty" and another read something along the lines of "you made us break". A few signs later, I saw the absence of tall grass with a sign that said "stop". I stopped walking, and stood there for about 30 seconds or more.

A text box appeared: "continue". I kept walking and reached a Pokemon Center. I went inside and nobody was there. Not Nurse Joy, not the men who sell things to you, not even NPCs. I went up to the counter to see what would happen:

"nobody is here to heal me"

"it's too late to heal them if you wanted to know"

"because they're gone"

"i miss them"

I almost shed a tear of fear before a sign appeared in place of a floor tile.

"want to see them"

I was given a yes or no option. I selected no, and it didn't do anything. Then I selected yes. "here they are"

I opened my party and saw my team, all of them fainted. Having an idea to end this, I tried to heal them with the counter.

"it's too late but thanks for pretending to care"

"thanks for lying"

"i still miss them"

"i hate you"

I think I knew who was talking: my Oshawott, the same one that jumpscared me in the battle.

"you broke us on purpose"

I shouted no, expecting an answer from the screen. I didn't get one. I walked outside the center, seeing another sign. "you are lying". I shouted no once more. "stop lying i know what you did". I was about to shout no again until I decided to stop lying. I weakly stared at the screen and said yes. "thank you for telling the truth white". I chuckled at the ironic name, then I read another sign. "but i still hate you"

"you don't care"

"you could have just fallen"

"but you didn't"

"goodbye"

After I got time to say anything, the screen went to black with a certificate fading onto the screen: "congratulations thank you for breaking me". Then the DS shut off and wouldn't turn back on no matter how much I tried to turn it on. Remembering what I wanted to do earlier, I dropped the DS and kicked it under the dresser.

The next morning, I went to make some coffee. As I went downstairs, I tripped on something on the stairs, just like before. I went to check what it was when I saw a little shell on the stair, cracked and broken just like the sprite. Upon closer inspection, I saw a little word written on the side of it in lowercase:

"hatred"