I've been going feral with some world building that I plan to use for a number of future fics, and after the loving encouragement of some of the people in a discord I favor, I've decided to write up a big lore drop post. Partly so other people can use said lore and partly so I don't have to reestablish it every time I want to use it for a different fic.

In this universe, Nuzlocke is a way of describing the danger inherent to a region. There are Nuzlocke regions and Union regions. Union regions have leagues that abide by Union standards, varying rules to protect both trainers and their Pokémon.

Nuzlocke regions are characterized by increased odds of death and bodily harm to Pokémon participating in battles, both against trainers and wild Pokémon. The Pokémon in these regions tend to be more dangerous and as a result the trainers tend to be a lot more vicious during fights. Where as trainers in Union regions can trust one another to a certain extent, Nuzlocke trainers cannot trust each other not to permanently harm or cripple their Pokémon and fight according, ironically leading to more injuries.

By contrast, the Union provides a number of different services to Union abiding regions. First and foremost is medical aid, care in Union regions typically far outpacing Nuzlocke regions. Additionally, the Union acts as a separate legal force not associated with the League and as such can prosecute trainers for excessive amounts of force. The Union also helps with controlling and monitoring wild populations of Pokémon. Powerful trainers are sent out to capture exceptionally aggressive Pokémon (raid mons for example!) to remove them from the breeding pool and curate a calmer wild Pokémon population. The Union also helps in population maintenance which is why a trainer can catch as many Pokémon as they please in union regions as opposed to Nuzlocke regions that limit one capture per route to maintain a healthy population of wild Pokémon.

A region doesn't immediately become a Union region when the league joins the Union itself. There's a set of criteria that needs to be met before a region looses its Nuzlocke status, and it's possible for regions to slip back into Nuzlocke status if the league is inattentive. This points out perhaps the biggest difference between Union Champions and Nuzlocke Champions. In Nuzlocke regions there is only ever one champion. They are the end all be all of strength and remain in power until a stronger champion beats them. They hold an immense amount of sway but their rule is de facto. Union regions can have multiple champion "ranked" trainers who receive a number of benefits for their ranking but only have one primary Champion that is the acting leader for the region itself. The goal of these Champions is to act as guides and protectors for their region, and the role can be passed over at any time to another suitable Champion ranked trainer.

For trainers wishing to swap regions that have different classifications there are a number of rules and regulations regarding Pokémon. Nuzlocke caught Pokémon cannot leave a Nuzlocke region without special testing and certifications proving the Pokémon in question isn't a threat and that the trainer knows how to use reasonable force in battles be they wild or trainer. It is possible for trainers moving to Union regions to obtain licenses for force but these are only applicable when used against dangerous wild Pokémon, again such as raid mons.

Both Nuzlocke and Union regions provide licenses for trainers to carry more than six Pokémon at a time, but only a maximum of six Pokémon can ever be used during a singular battle. In Union regions this rule typically only exists for the sake of ride Pokémon or service Pokémon but Nuzlocke trainers have been known to use this rule to keep multiple battle ready teams on their person, especially more powerful trainers.

Region Specific Lore and Worldbuilding

Kanto/Johto: Kanto and Johto due to proximity have remained consistently linked in terms of status, sharing a singular league between the two. During the course of Red and Blue it was still a Nuzlocke region but has long since joined the Union the term only just barely still applied. Immediately after during the time in which Lance was coming into power as champion, the join regions were finally declared officially Union.

Hoenn: Before the Union was officially recognized, Hoenn had a proto-union of sorts due in large part to the existence of contests. Nuzlocke rulings were often contradictory to what contests necessitated and the death of popular contest Pokémon could often cause large scale upset. The transfer to Union ruling was exceptionally easy for Hoenn and it's been Union ever since.

Sinnoh: To this day, Sinnoh is still a Nuzlocke region and you can thank Cynthia for that. She is not actively malicious, but she isn't particularly kind either. She loves her own team but has no special care for other trainers Pokémon which has inspired a similar disposition in the rest of the region. Cynthia has shown no signs of wanting to become a Union regulated region and because of this Sinnoh is something of a safe haven for trainers who prefer Nuzlocke ruling.

Unova: Until recently, Unova was a Nuzlocke region. During Alder's younger days he was a trainer who sought strength, which was encouraged. When he lost his partner it was a wake up call. Between that and the rise of Team Plasma, the region began to shift priorities and during the end of his time as Champion, Alder began the framework to get the region union recognized. By the events of B2W2, the region is already officially Union status having historically been one of the fastest regions to meet the requirements outside of the founders.

Kalos: Kalos has a complicated history due to the actions of Team Flare. While regarded as a Union region for most of the time the Union has existed, the actions of Team Flare managed to cause the region to slip into Nuzlocke classifications temporarily before the region was brought back under control. The awakening of the legends in X and Y caused a surge of more violent and powerful Pokémon that had to be quelled, though the situation was rather quickly rectified.

Alola: Alola itself is a difficult topic due to how young its actual league is. It lacked a champion until very recently and because of that it was also a Nuzlocke region, lacing any Union presence as well. Because of this, Alola is up there as one of the most dangerous regions alongside Sinnoh. Upon receiving a champion the league immediately got to work trying to get the region up to Union standards but it's been a long and slow process as a lot of trainers have been resisting the change.

Galar: Galar is one of the oldest Union regions, having helped to establish the union as a present force. This can especially be seen in the fact that the role of Champion for this region has been split into two, with a powerful active Champion to take care of threats and the role of Chairman filling in for the bureaucratic duties that Champions in other regions would also shoulder.

Paldea: Paldea is a long standing Union region, however, the existence of Paradox Pokémon poses a certain degree of threat. As long as they remain in the great crater then the region as a whole remains up to Union standards and Area Zero can be carefully monitored. If the Paradox Pokémon begin escaping however... Well, Union regions can be reclassified as Nuzlocke if they stop meeting all necessary standards.

So the other day I made this post about my personalized Nuzlocke lore. And well, as a writer of course there's a point to my world building and in this case it's Dipplinshipping.

So I purpose to you a Juliana who grew up in Alola and knows damn well what it's like to loose a Pokémon and how that would absolutely change the dynamic between her and angsty era Kieran who by contrast would not have lost any mons.

Guys, guys, hear me out. The angst potential? The hurt/comfort potential? The trauma if Kieran suddenly starts reminding her of a nuzlocke trainer???