Rules

1) When a Pokémon faints, it is boxed. (The Pokémon do not die, I find that to be wrong to the spirit of Pokémon. The permanent loss of a Pokémon is explained within the story)

2) All Pokémon must be nicknamed.

3) Only the first Pokémon encountered on a route may be captured. If the wild Pokémon is knocked out or flees (i.e. Abra) the encounter is failed and a second attempt may not be made. (Some routes have 2 halves, and caves may have multiple floors. In this case, a Pokémon may not be caught per half or floor)

4) The starter Pokémon will be chosen randomly based on the final digit of the Trainer ID (will be included). 1-3 is Bulbasaur. 4-6 is Charmander. 7-9 is Squirtle. If by chance it happens to be 0, the preceding number will decide the starter.

5) Pokémon must be caught during the first visit to the route in which catching a Pokémon is possible. (i.e. During your first visit to Route 1, it is not possible to catch anything, since you do not yet have Poké Balls)

6) Dupes clause is in effect (evolved forms are included). Unlimited attempts may be made to encounter a Pokémon that has not been caught yet. If a Pokémon faints, it may not be replaced by a Pokémon of the same evolutionary family.

7) Gift Pokémon may be accepted. In-game trades are not allowed.

8) The first 6 Pokémon caught must be used. After one faints it may be replaced with any Pokémon within the PC. Pokémon in the party may not be traded for Pokémon in the PC with the exception of HM Pokémon required to progress.

9) If all Pokémon in the party faint, they are released and replaced with new Pokémon from the PC.

10) The run is failed if there are no Pokémon left in the party or in the PC.

11) Shiny clause is in effect. If a shiny Pokémon is encountered, it may be caught whether it was the first encounter of a route or not. If the shiny Pokémon was the first encounter of the route, it may be used like any other Pokémon. However, it it was not the first, it must then be permanently boxed and is completely unusable.

— — — — — —

Prologue: Let the Adventure Begin

My name is Riki. I turn ten tomorrow, and then I get my first Pokémon! I've been waiting so long for this day that I can't contain my excitement! I grew up in Pallet town, so I got to know the local Pokémon Professor, Dr. Oak, pretty well. I know so much about Pokémon by going to his lab all the time to help him out. I also became close friends with his grandson. I call him Blue. You don't need to worry about his real name, it's not important. I mean, my names not really Riki... That's just my nickname. My real name isn't important either. I used to be closer to Blue, but the last six months have been a little rocky.

You see... He's six months older than I am, so he should have been able to start his Pokémon journey around the time he turned ten. He's been waiting and waiting to get going, but Dr. Oak told him he had to wait until I was ready. Blue kind of resents me a little, I think. He's still nice enough, I guess, but it's been hard. Every day he has to wait, it seems like he gets more and more irritable. I feel bad for him, but really, there's nothing I can do. And it's not like I can really do much to fix the situation. Except maybe turn 10.

Blue lives with his grandfather and older sister near me. Their parents aren't around much. I've never even seen them... I tried asking mom why, but she never tells me. She just says, 'You're too young to understand... Maybe when you're older.' It drives me insane not knowing, but I learned to let it go a little while ago.

My mom is awesome. She loves Pokémon so much! She was training to become a Pokémon Doctor, but then she met my dad. And then they got married, and then I was born. She was able to finally finish her schooling last year, since she wasn't able to go to school full time it took her a bit longer. She helps out at the lab by taking care of the sick and injured Pokémon there.

My dad is pretty cool, too. He's a Pokémon League official. He works on the committee that decides which gyms' badges are valid to participate in the Pokémon League each year, as well as who will get to run the gym as the Gym Leaders. They also decide on the Elite Four members, the ones who serve as the final test to face the Champion of the region. He's been teaching me about how to battle properly since I was about 4 years old. As such, he said that tomorrow he's going to give me a challenge I need to complete as I go along my journey. The thought scares me a little, but he said that since I've been around Pokémon for so long now, learning about them for longer than most kids my age, it would be unfair to them if I were on the same level as them. So my Pokémon journey needs to be more difficult.

Tomorrow is going to be a big day, and I cannot wait to get started!

— — — — — —

I woke with a start, the blinding flash still illuminating the room. I got up and quickly rushed to the window to see what had caused it. I scanned the ground, looking for even a small sign of anything that could be responsible, but found nothing. All of a sudden there was a loud screech, and the sky lit up further away, and I caught a glimpse of a bright yellow Pokémon in the sky! I had no idea what it could even be, but seeing it filled me with awe as I watched it disappear into the clouds.

Once it was out of sight, and I could no longer see the flashes of light I went back to sit on my bed. I looked toward the clock. 3:42... Way too early to be getting up now. I curled back up under the covers and drifted back off to sleep, looking forward to seeing more amazing sights.

— — —

"Wake up, sleepyhead, it's getting late! You need to get ready!" Mom called from downstairs.

Groggily I rolled over and looked at the clock. It was 9:30 Saturday morning. Why was mom yelling at me? The only thing I had to do on Saturdays was helping Dr. Oak at the lab, but that wasn't until 12... Well, if I don't get up she's just going to come yell at me again. Then the computer beeped. I walked over to it and opened it up. Dad was calling!

"Hey there, sport! How's it going? Sleep well?"

My mind went to the events of last night. I decided it was probably better to talk to him of the strange Pokémon in person. "Yeah, it was good. Aren't you home?"

"No... I got called in early today, there was an urgent matter I needed to attend to. Something happened at the league early this morning. I was hoping to see you off! But I guess we will have to settle for meeting you in Viridian City later today."

"Viridian City...? What do you mean see me off?"

"What!? You didn't forget, did you?"

"Forget what...?"

Dad peered closer at his screen. "Are you still in your pyjamas? You did forget! Son... You're getting your Pokémon today!"

I slapped myself on the forehead. "Yeah... I forgot... I don't know how, but I guess I did."

Dad chuckled to himself. "Well I guess you'll just have to be on your way. Don't forget, you have certain rules you need to follow. First of which is, you will be using a Bulbasaur. It was chosen by a randomized process. The professor is aware, and has one all prepared. When I see you in Viridian this afternoon we can go over the last of the conditions. I love you, son. And I'll see you soon."

"Love you!"

I can't believe I forgot! How could I!? I ran to the bathroom, had a quick shower and got ready. I bolted down the stairs, and just as I was about to open the door, mom called me. "Where do you think you're going? You are not leaving this house without eating first! Get in the kitchen!"

"But mom!"

"No buts. I would like to be able to have at least one more breakfast with you before you leave. Besides, I have something to give you."

"Okay... What is it?"

"After you've finished."

I followed mom into the kitchen. She'd made pancakes and bacon. It smelled so good, and I realized how hungry I actually was. "I'm going to miss this..." I mumbled through a mouthful of food.

"I know, sweetie. But don't forget that you can come home whenever you need to. It's not like we'd be getting rid of your room!" Mom laughed lightly to herself at what she figured was a good joke. "I'm gonna miss you so much. Don't forget to call often, every night if you're able. And don't forget, Pokémon Centers offer rooms and food free of charge to trainers. You may need to camp between towns if you can't get there in time, and feed yourself when you're on the road, but for the most part you shouldn't need to worry about what won't fit in your pack, as you'll be able to restock at every Center. They also offer free PC usage, so you can always check on your Pokémon you leave at the lab, call home, call the professor or your father if you're lost or even just need advice, and access your online item storage system."

"I don't have any online storage, though"

"Well you do now! Your father and I signed you up for it, that way you won't need to overload your pack. You access it by scanning your Trainer Card into the PC, just like you would to get to your Pokémon, and purchase things at the Poké Marts. The items will be transported straight to you as a Pokémon might be. It'd incredibly useful."

"Wow. That rounds great mom. By the way, when do I get my Trainer Card?"

"Usually you get it at the same time as your Pokémon, but it's needed to set up the item storage system, so your dad pulled some strings to get it early to get everything ready! It's here in the new backpack we got you. Take care not to lose it, if you do it will take a lot of work to get everything sorted out again. But now, it's best to be on your way. I'm going to miss you so much. I love you, sweetheart."

"I love you, too." She handed me the backpack, and I gave her a big hug. "Goodbye."

"Bye, sweetie. Take care!"

I ran down the path to the road with a bittersweet feeling in my chest. I was so excited to get going, but at the same time, I wished that I could just stay home. Things were going to be so different from now on. Once I reached the front gate mom called back to me. "The professor was going to do a little research on the outskirts of town today! Head toward the Viridian City path, and you may bump into him!"

"Thanks, mom! I love you! I promise I'll see you soon!"

And with that I turned north, looking ahead to the new adventure that lay before me.