Autumn leaves fall on the ground as well-built windmills toil to get energy for the small community of New Bark Town, which lays on the border between Johto and Kanto, causing trainers from either region to pass through to get to the other for the first time. However, this is also the town where aspiring pokemon trainers Gold and Lyra grew up, as well as the location of Professor Elm's main lab. The winds suddenly pick up as a helicopter tears through the crisp morning air, bearing both Drakkon and Blackenvy in its crude cockpit. It swiftly lands in the center of the town as many are just awakening, and Blackenvy's sister, who had raised Gold in his father's absence, came jolting out, shouting, "Brother, you have returned from your travels! Come into the house, and join me and Professor Elm for coffee!"
Blackenvy jumped out and said to Drakkon, "Does that sound good to you?"
Drakkon nodded and then said as he looked around, "So this is Johto… Its majesty is greater than I previously imagined… Adventuring here might not be so bad… Come on out, Blacksoul, and revel in the beauty here!"
As Drakkon's golden Lucario left its yellow-topped pokeball, it said in wonder, "I agree with you, my friend… It is beautiful, and I too wish to see more… But for now, let's hear what this Elm person has to say…"
With that said, Drakkon and Blacksoul followed Blackenvy into the house to drink their caffeine while it was still warm…
As they entered the house, Blackenvy spotted that Elm was on his Pokegear, becoming increasingly uneasy and upset until he burst out of the house as he moaned, "How could this happen to me?"
Drakkon followed him and then inquired of what was causing the Professor sorrow, to which Elm answered, "A red-haired boy stole my Chikorita from my lab! I have had my assistant phone to Gold to return immediately, but then again, the thief ran in his direction, so Gold might encounter him first. You and Blackenvy should go to see if he is ok…"
Drakkon answered, "Fine! You tell Blackenvy that Blacksoul and I are starting out and that he can catch up to us when ready."
However, Blackenvy, having heard the problem, shouted from behind Drakkon, "I am coming with you now! If my son is in possible peril, I want to be there to obliterate that villain!"
Drakkon nodded and had Blackenvy lead the way to Cherrygrove City, where they saw the red-haired mystery boy facing off against Blackenvy's son in a 1v1 pokemon battle, in which Gold had the upper hand and, within a few seconds, dealt the final blow, winning the battle. Upon his loss, the boy roared as he jolted away in fury, "I vow never to lose again to a weak soul like you, kid!"
When Gold turned around, however, his face lit up as he shouted, "Dad! You have returned! I have missed you so much, Daddy…"
Blackenvy smiled back and said, "I have missed you too, son…"
Gold replied with, "I thought that you were too far away to video chat last night… But I see I was wrong… Father, what brings you back home?"
Blackenvy smiled and answered, "Drakkon here needs to get around and explore the world due to his own compulsive wanderlust… He needs to prove his worth everywhere he can to be satisfied… So, since your 11th birthday was yesterday, and you were planning to start your adventure today, I thought that maybe you could bring me and Drakkon along with you…"
Gold smiled and said, "My father aiding me in my pokemon adventure? Sounds wonderful! Give me a few minutes to fully prepare back home, and I will be ready to go!"
Blackenvy then shouted as Gold ran back home, "Fine with me! Meet me back here when you are done and we will make our way to Violet City for the first badge!"
Once Gold returned, the three of them started going forth, their main pokemon trailing not too far behind, and soon enough, a dark-haired trainer walked up and looked at Drakkon as his Feraligatr glared at Blacksoul aggressively. Drakkon said in annoyance, "Can I help you?"
The trainer responded with a smile, "Yes, you can… Are you, by any chance, Drakkon of Hearthome City?"
Drakkon glared coldly at the trainer as he responded, "What if I am?"
The mystery trainer responded, "My name is Chris, and I have heard of your exploits over at Sinnoh. More importantly, I know that you are a tough trainer, so I have a desire to battle you to see if you are worthy of being referred to as that… What do you say to a 1-v-1 to speed things up? I will be using my Feraligatr, Crox here"
Drakkon smiled and said, "Sure… I would desire nothing more than a warmup battle at a time like this… I will use Blacksoul, and being as he is intelligent, I assume he will agree…"
Blacksoul cracked a smile and nodded as he took a battle stance to intercept the first attack to come, and Crox started with a Slash attack, but Blacksoul instinctively dodged into the air to evade the crocodile's claw and responded with a ground-pounding Aura Sphere, which knocked Crox out in one brutal blow.
Chris cracked a smile despite having lost, and told Drakkon, "You did a good job with training your Lucario… Its agility and skill are way above par even for one of your stature… I will look forward to future battles with you, my friend…"
With that, Chris recalled Crox and walked away, his smile persisting still. Drakkon, despite being confused at what had just happened, focused once again on his goal and said to Blackenvy, "What else must I do prior to battling the gym leader of Violet City? Things always to not be what they seem in terms of ease…"
Blackenvy responded, "For measure, how about you and Gold take the Sprout Tower challenge? Just defeat each of the monks and their leader and you should be able to challenge the gym leader without much problem…"
Drakkon nodded in understanding and said to Gold, "Follow behind me and you should have no problem finding your way around, as I have a natural sense of direction. However, tell me, do you have the ambition of a trainer? What is it you wish to have others see you as, and have you associated with for many millenniums more? Are you a travelling trainer, a master of the road? Perhaps you are a ranger, or even an aura guardian, protector of the land? Or are you more?"
Gold smiled widely and responded, "Although I know that not quite yet, my journey is still young..."
Drakkon nodded as they finally reached Violet City, and he swiftly made his way to the fabled Sprout Tower…