Today is the day. The day that every child dreads. Today is Selection Day. The day that the newest batch of Pokémon trainers are selected. From the time that every child is old enough to understand what a Pokémon is, they are filled with fear as they come closer each year to reaching that 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 sacrificing Pokémon trainer.

The world was not always like this.

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

All that changed after The Cataclysm.

Infamous Pokémon gangs worldwide banded together for their nefarious schemes. Not much is known about the how’s or why’s. What is largely agreed upon is that they desired to conquer the world, and in doing so, ushered in The Cataclysm. Stealing, murder and experiments were not above their morals to achieve their goals. Even Legendary Pokémon did not escape their wicked agendas.

For when the dam broke, millions of wild Pokémon led by enraged Legendaries attacked human settlements across the world. The villages and small towns were the first to fall. Although the trainers in these small settlements tried to protect the civilians, they were vastly outnumbered. Most of those settlements were wiped out in a matter of minutes.

Both human and trained Pokémon were torn apart by the creature's humans had once coexisted with. Those who 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 Pokémon Leagues of the various regions managed to rally the surviving trainers. Trainers were organised into squads and set on guard duty around the settlements. The trainers were ordered to catch as many of the local wild Pokémon as possible to prepare for the fight they knew was coming.

Unfortunately, the rage of the Legendary Pokémon infected all wild Pokémon. Even the most normally docile Pokémon attacked any human on sight. Captured Pokémon became much harder to tame than before. Newly captured Pokémon instantly attacked their unprepared trainers on first being released from their pokeballs. Trainers had no choice but try to dominate the wills of their new Pokémon and force them to obey.

While the leagues were preparing, the civilian governments were also forming their preparations. Construction crews and volunteers were quickly constructing tall walls around the towns and cities in hopes of keeping out most of the wild Pokémon. 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 incoming storm. The day came where hordes of Pokémon descended on the remaining cities. While the walls kept out the weaker Pokémon, the stronger ones were able to break through. Pokémon swarmed the cities, destroying buildings and attacking any human in sight. The trainers and their Pokémon did their best to drive them out, but most were overwhelmed and brought down.

Then all of the wild Pokémon stood in place staring up at the sky. After a few minutes they all turned around and began leaving the cities.

To this day no one knows the reason why the Pokémon 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 Pokémon returned to their natural habitats, they continued to be aggressive against any humans they came across. It was no longer safe to leave the settlements without having a Pokémon for protection.

What remained of the Pokémon 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 many sizes.

Instead, all humans would live within the remaining towns and cities for their protection. The walls would be rebuilt 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 other cities or carefully gathered from the wilds. No civilian would be permitted to leave the settlements without being escorted by a Pokémon trainer.

The lives of Pokémon trainers underwent some changes as well.

No longer was a trainer being about being the best there was or winning tournaments. Trainers became the first and last line of defence that stood between humanity and the vicious wild Pokémon.

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 Pokémon Leagues remained and continued to govern the lives of Pokémon trainers within their regions. The leagues had offices in every city state where they received mission quests from the city-state governments and from private citizens. They then organized and posted the missions according to their difficulty. The civilian governments were dependent on trainers for their survival.

However, as a result of The Cataclysm, Pokémon 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 decided to become trainers in this new world. Because of the shortage of new trainers needed to maintain the status quo, the league and city-state officials once again met and established a new policy.

Once a year every state held what became known as the Selection Day. On Selection Day, all children from ages 11 to 15 would stand before the league and city officials where a small number would be randomly chosen to become that year's batch of potential Pokémon trainers. Wealth and social standing meant nothing, all children within the age limit were forced to attend.

These potential trainers would be put through an Ordeal to prove that they had what it takes to be a Pokémon trainer. Failure was not an option. From that point on, their old civilian lives were over. They either succeeded as a Pokémon trainer or became the dregs of society, not being able to go back to the lives they once knew.

A little over a hundred years has passed since the Cataclysm. Humanity has struggled to rise through the ashes of the old world. Selection Days continue to be held each year. And a choice, dreaded by countless others in the world would be made today, willingly, or not.

Today, is Selection Day...