Red Ketchum's father was a Pokémon master.

Well, "was" may not be the correct term. According to his mother, his father was most likely still out there...somewhere.

Red's mother had told him the story of how they met an estimated zillion times. According to her, his father was a raggedy kid from Pallet Town and his mother had a bike. It was a typical boy meet girl story. Boy gets Pikachu, boy meet girl with bike, boy destroys girl's bike. Of course his mother followed him across two regions, who wouldn't?

They became friends (kinda) and went on adventures. Pokémon battles were fought, friendships were made, and time passed.

She returned home to take over the Cerulean City Gym and he continued to travel. As the story went, there were only so many places his father could go before returning to the girl with the bike.

His parents married a few months after his father returned to Kanto to join the Elite Four. The couple settled down in the Cerulean City Gym's living quarters and Red was born a year later.

Born with a love of Pokémon, Red even tried to catch the Chansey who delivered him. It was a story his mother often told at dinner parties.

She always thought she was so funny.

When he wasn't spoiled rotten by his aunts, he was babysat by his father's Pikachu. Not that it wasn't too hard to distract the electric mouse with an apple or bottle of ketchup.

Growing up in the Gym, his parents surrounded him with all kinds of Pokémon. Granted there were more water-types, he did remember his father's Charizard. As a child, Red watched in awe as his father would ride the fire-type into the sky when he went out of town. When he was five, his father allowed him to ride along as he went to Pallet Town to visit his Uncle Gary. His father pointed out different towns and cities as they flew, telling him stories.

As a child, it's a easy to get caught up in something as silly as a happy childhood.

Then it ended.

He remembered awakening late at night to the sounds of his parents arguing. It was nothing new as they always bickered, but this time it sounded different. Instead of his mother's usually bossy tone, she seemed sad. In her voice, Red heard her begging his father not to do...something.

Climbing from his bed, he made his way to the top of the staircase and watched his father. He watched as the man pulled the red hat he always wore over his head, ready to leave. Red watched as his mother grabbed his wrist and his father turn to spot him on the steps. Staring, they both saw their son sitting, hardly awake.

His mother let go and Red watched as his father climbed the stairs, taking him into his arms. He carried him back into his room, tucking Red into bed like he always had.

Red asked his father what was going on and the man ruffled his hair. In a loving tone he told him to be a good boy and to stay out of trouble until he got back.

When he left his room, his father closed the door behind him. From his window, Red watched Charizard lift into the air like always. Only this time he didn't come back home.

Red would ask his mother about his father's whereabouts to no answer. She attempted to distract him with work around the Gym, but couldn't hide her own pain. The distant look in her eyes and lack of location every time he asked was enough of an answer.

This went on for a few years until Red stopped asking. He was never sure if she felt relieved from the burden or not.

On his own, Red read newspapers, listen to the radio and watched TV to locate his father. There was a lot of news about some gang called Team Rocket, but nothing about his father.

After a while, he grew tired of staying up late waiting. The newspapers and radio had moved on and so did he.

Red grew older, helped his mother around the Gym and made friends in the city. Before he knew it, he was old enough to embark on his own Pokémon journey.

While most kids were going out to win badges, Red Ketchum's destiny was different. He just didn't know it yet.