Darkness. That's all there was in this strange place. Not a sight to be seen. All that could be heard were hurried footsteps. They would stop periodically, as if the being these footsteps belonged to was catching their breath, but they picked right back up. Finally, the footsteps subsided, and were replaced by a new sound. Two voices, a man and a woman spoke first, "Sir, we've finally gathered everything we need." The man replied, "Good. Then the project is nearly complete. Follow me." Their voices became muffled by the darkness as they walked away. He was about to chase after them, but all of a sudden…
He woke up. Neo, a 14-year-old boy, patted down his messy brown hair as he sat up to examine his surroundings. He found himself in the back seat of his mother's car, still wearing his pajamas. "How long was I out?" he mumbled while putting on his black-rimmed glasses. His mother, however, seemed to ignore his question. "Oh good, you're finally awake," she remarked, "We're almost at Koyu Town. Just sit tight." Neo suddenly remembered what was going on. He and his mother were moving to Elacia, a large, somewhat cold region in the north, to assist him with his work. His father Maple was an expert on Pokemon, so much so that he took up the position of Pokemon Professor in Elacia. Neo hadn't seen his father in a long time, it would be great to start living with him again. After being briefly lost in thought, he came to his senses and saw that they'd arrived in Koyu Town, the quiet little hamlet where Professor Maple lived. Maple was already waiting there for them. "Honey! Neo! Come on out, don't keep me waiting here!" Neo immediately hopped out of the car and ran up to his father, embracing him. "Dad!"
"There's my boy! It's been too long, Neo."
After greetings were out of the way and the reunited family had moved all their belongings into Maple's house, it was already nighttime. Everyone was asleep by now. Except for Neo. The nap he took on the way here had taken its toll on him. Instead of sleeping, he simply lay in bed, thinking about everything that could happen in this new region. He hadn't even been here a day, and he'd already seen so many Pokemon he'd never seen before. Deerling prancing in the forest, Noctowl flying above the land, Shinx wading through the grass. Someday, Neo wanted to meet all of them. But for now, he figured he should get whatever rest he could. His thoughts had carried him late into the night. He closed his eyes, and as if a Jigglypuff had sang to him, he fell quickly and softly into sleep.
Neo awoke to find that his father had already prepared a meal for him. Waffles, topped with a sweet-looking syrup. He took a bite and nearly squealed at the incredible taste, and proceeded to gobble the whole thing down in minutes. "Like it?" asked Maple, "That syrup is made right here in Elacia." Still with food in his mouth, Neo nodded. "Now then, I've got a question for you Neo," Maple said, "How would you like a Pokemon of your very own?" Neo almost spat out his food at the question. A Pokemon? The possibilities began to race through his mind. Before he could get too deep into thought again, Maple continued, "Elacia is one of the most diverse regions in the world as far as Pokemon are concerned. Once you're done, get dressed. I'll take you out into the wild and show you just what this region has to offer."
After putting on his blue jeans and white hoodie, Neo and his father walked out to the forest. He could already see plenty of different Pokemon species everywhere he looked. "Be careful out here, wild Pokemon can be dangerous," Maple explained, "If anything bad happens, I brought some of my own Pokemon. We should be safe." Neo nodded in response and they continued on down the path. Maple explained just about every Pokemon they encountered, but none of them particularly interested Neo. That was until one particular Pokemon caught Neo's eye.
In the distance, an unfamiliar Pokemon looked back at him with beady blue eyes. It was tan and pink with a spiral-shaped feeler on each of its large, wing-like ears. "What's that Pokemon?" Neo asked softly, not wanting to scare it off. Maple looked over at the Pokemon in question, "Well well, that's an Audino. You don't see too many of those in Elacia. Is that the one you want?" Neo looked back towards the Audino, which was still staring at him, as if it were looking for something. He wasn't sure what it was, but there was something about this Audino he really liked. "Yes," Neo replied. He was sure of his choice. Maple asked him, "You know how to catch a Pokemon, right?" Neo responded, "Of course. They teach that at school, you know." Maple nodded. "Since you don't have a Pokemon yet, you're going to have to rely on your own skill. Try not to get hurt," he said as he handed Neo some Pokeballs.
The Audino hadn't moved from its spot, nor had it stopped looking at Neo. He approached it with slow, careful steps so as not to startle it. To his surprise, the Audino actually started moving towards him. Neo continued moving, as did the Audino. Eventually they were standing right in front of each other. Neo kneeled down to the Audino's height, and it began to examine him. After what seemed like a long time, the Audino did the last thing Neo expected. It smiled at him and hugged him. Neo couldn't believe it. He'd just met this Audino and it already seemed to adore him. "Well, I guess it really was meant to be," Neo said as he returned the embrace, showing the Audino that he cared for it. After the unexpected, but appreciated hug, Neo held out one of his Pokeballs to the Audino, offering it the opportunity to be his partner. The Audino gladly accepted, and tapped the button on the Pokeball. The Pokeball hardly even shook before the clicking sound was heard, indicating that he had caught the Audino. Something in Neo's gut told him that this would be the start of a beautiful partnership.