Black Albino

"The darker, the stronger, the lighter, the weaker. That was the way with the Nidos."

Black Albino is a Pokémon Fanfic written by Annarti circa 2004. Aurinko and Kuu are two Nidoran, male and female, born at different times, in different burrows, in different places of the Pokémon 'verse; however they share a common trait: they are something completely unexpected for their families and societies. Aurinko is the palest Nidoran around, despite being the strongest heir of a dark male, whereas Kuu is the darkest Nidoran around, despite being born from a weak albino and a Disappeared Dad. And these details mean their fates are already decided -- Aurinko will always be at the bottom, assuming she even manages to survive, whereas Kuu will rise to the top, even if he doesn't want to.

Despite their differences, Aurinko and Kuu's lives start mirroring each other as the way of their societies start affecting their lives, until some events force them to leave. This way they have to completely deviate from the normal Nidoran life at the burrows and deal with their issues, as well as the threats the world presents, alone and unassisted.

The story is split in two plotlines, with the odd-numbered chapters following Aurinko and the even-numbered ones following Kuu. Word of God says both lead characters were intended to meet at some point.

The fic was relatively well written and explored some elements of the Nidoran mindset. It was written by the time of Generation 2 or 3, so there are some missing mechanics and the interpretation of both the humans and of their interaction with Pokémon are somewhat off with the current canon, but this doesn't detriment of the story value.

Unfortunately a Dead Fic.

Needs More Love.

Where to find it:
At Annarti's old fiction archive (direct link to Chapter 1).

Black Albino Features the Following Tropes:

 * Berserk Button: don't come talk to Kuu about how darker Nidoran are stronger, faster, smarter, overall awesome, and bound to lead. No matter he's the darkest possible a Nidoran can be.
 * Characterization Marches On: See bellow for Humans Are Cthulhu.
 * Cool Teacher: the lead of Kuu's burrow, Taisho, is show to be this from the perspective of the females of the species.
 * Face Heel Turn: Aurinko's first and probably only friend who is trying to escape along with her to fund a new burrow, a mere minute after having evolved.
 * Fantastic Racism: the page quote is how Nidoran see their fates. If you are born pale, you are destined to serve... at best. If you are born dark, you are destined and forced to lead.
 * Gossipy Hens: A group of Nidorina start gossipping about who might Kuu's father be, annoying him around to try and get any information, and spying in his training sessions.
 * Humans Are Cthulhu: they are presented in a somewhat otherwordly image in both storylines, and their motivation to catch and force Pokémon to battle is also discussed. The story was written before Generation 4's reveal of "The Vow" by which Pokémon actually agree to battle humans on their own accord.
 * I Just Want to Be Normal / I Just Want to Be Special: the two tropes are used in each storyline. Aurinko wants to be good enough; Kuu wants to not have that much pressure on his shoulders.
 * Lawyer Friendly Cameo / Mythology Gag: Many characters of this story later appear in an arc of We Are All Pokémon Trainers after one of the RP members gets a permission from the author himself. Most particularly Taisho and Mayonaka, who are the lead couple of a Nidoran Colony too in that continuity.
 * Nature Is Not Nice: Nidoran dispossing of their offspring is hinted to be uncommon and well hidden occurrence. Then a Growlithe comes in and eats two of Kuu's siblings whole.
 * Offing the Offspring: Aurinko's family. Dad cares about his lineage, whereas for Mom is mostly a "need a spare bedroom" thing. And this even though, except for her colouration, Aurinko is actually the best one of the litter.
 * Paratext: Each chapter has a small extract from either the Pokédex Entries or other sources of information.
 * Poor Communication Kills: What triggers the events that lead Kuu to leave the burrow. See above for Gossipy Hens for more details.