On a bright summer morning in Nuvema Town, a pair of young boys raced with a similar goal in mind. As they approached a long stairway upwards, they ignored the crowds of bustling townsfolk in the usual rat race.

"Excuse us!" yelled the boy on the left, his messy brown hair whipping wildly on his face. He shoved pedestrians aside as the boy on the right did the same. Holding his red novelty Pokémon cap to prevent it from flying off, he could feel his knees beginning to get sore, but stopping wasn't an option. With a swift glance at his right, the 13 year old felt determined to beat his blue-haired friend once and for all. Currently, the competition to the top was a tight tie.
"Hey, watch it!"
"Goodness!"
"What the-"
"You know, we're really ruining these people's mornings." The chocolate-haired male informed to his snickering friend as they pushed more people away.
"Yeah, but they're not getting their first pokémon." His friend, Hugh, replied with an excited grin. His red and white turtleneck jacket zipper waved crazily in the fierce wind.
After what seemed like hours, they had reached the summit. They continued running across a bridge toward a big, square balcony hung over the shore. Meanwhile, a young woman, about 16-17, dressed in an white lab coat and green beret, stood on their destination. Her tight green pants seemed especially tighter that day, storing all the sweat she released so far. She nervously adjusted her crimson glasses and peered out toward the staircase, apparently waiting for someone, or some people.
"Oh Arceus, why am I so jittery?" the teenage girl mumbled, playing with her short, golden locks. Ever since she was accepted by Professor Juniper to become her assistant, she's been a ball of nerves, eager not to make a mistake to disappoint her boss.
Another girl, almost 14, sitting on a bench near the blonde giggled, sensing anxiety. Her dark brown hair was tied with a yellow hair band into a pair of tight Chinese-style buns, with long pigtails reaching all the way to the end of her light blue and white shirt with matching sneakers. Her short, yellow skirt fluttered in the wind, and below them, Darkrai-black tights. Her short bangs slightly covered a pink bow behind her neck, matching the cap on her head and her messenger bag. The blonde felt her shoulders loosen as the brunette patted them sympathetically.
"HUH?" Two pairs of eyes jerked toward the sudden outburst. The brown-haired boy appeared, gawking at the brunette while the bluenette seemed surprised, but managed to keep his cool. The girl smirked.
"What? Like what you see, Kyōhei?" she twirled to give her outfit more of a view, remembering that she wore these clothes especially for today. The boy rolled his eyes as he felt his cheeks tint a rosy pink.
"No, Mei," huffed the boy angrily, crossing his arms. "Me and Hugh just thought that we would be first on pokémon choosing from Bianca."
Said person nervously glanced at a nearby clock tower, fidgeting with fingers. Attempting to stop the argument, only to be ignored, she awkwardly leaned onto the railing, smiling tiredly. The aqua-haired boy stood quietly, observing the heated conversation.
"Well, sorry to disappoint, but I've already chosen mine." Mei happily pointed to a red and white sphere the size of a clementine in one of her clenched hands.
Kyōhei swore he felt steam puff out of his ears as he ground his teeth in anger. After a some deep breaths, he forced a smile and walked toward the blonde, who regained her composure.
Bianca, obviously satisfied that they were no longer bickering, held up a tubular cylinder with a glass cover and a red button on the side. She pressed the switch and the cover slowly opened, releasing a layer of smoke. The inside revealed to have 2 remaining devices, otherwise known as pokéballs, shiny and brand new.
Kyōhei, hesitant to choose, gave a weak grin of defeat to the brunette.
"I...don't suppose you'll tell me..?"
Mei shook her head, causing her long pigtails to circle around her.
"I can't tell you what pokémon I got." she replied, glancing at her pokéball.
'Heck, I don't even know yet." she thought to herself uneasily.
Kyōhei turned his attention back to the pokéballs, noticing Bianca's struggle with the dense machine. Out on impulse, he placed his outstretched hand on one of the pokéballs. Instantly, he felt the device tingle within his fingertips, like a static shock. On the other one, he felt nothing. Puzzled, Kyōhei gave a questioning look at Bianca, only to receive a complaint about the heaviness of the metallic cylinder.
"I...choose this one." he firmly grabbed the first pokéball he had touched, feeling confidence in his decision.
Hugh stepped up and began to hover his hand over the remaining ball, stroking an imaginary beard. With squinted eyes and a wrinkled forehead from intense concentration, he was doing a loose impression of Kyōhei deciding moments before.
After being rewarded with a punch in the arm from Kyōhei and giggles from Mei, a satisfied Hugh picked up the last pokéball, to Bianca's relief. She hastily set the empty machine down on a nearby bench.
"Now then," she announced in such a powerful voice, the trio gave her full attention. "The first gym is in Aspertia City, which is north from here. Route 1 is full of rookie trainers and pokémon, so train wisely! The gym leader can be a bit tough to beat." she smiled dreamily, reminiscing years ago, when she was a trainer. She could have all the adventures in the world, alongside her two best friends, Touko and Cher-
Impatient, Kyōhei gave a small, but firm 'a-HEM', snapping the blonde out of her daydreams.
"Oh right! Uhm, well," stuttered Bianca in embarrassment. "You can't just become champion with only one pokémon, you must befriend and catch others, using pokéballs." she held one up for visual effect, before handing out a few to each of the teens.
"But you can't just catch everything you see. While you battle, before capturing a wild pokémon, you have to weaken it, so there's less resistance." Bianca didn't expect horrified looks in response.
"N-no! Not like that!" the blonde stammered. "Obviously you can't take a pokémon against its will. You can bond with it before using the pokéball." She waved her arms in a persuasive, reassuring manner.
Mei, apparently somewhat satisfied, glanced at the clock tower in the distance.
"Hey, don't you have to meet with someone or something?" she asked Bianca, who widened her emerald eyes in shock.
"Omigod, yes! I almost forgot!" In one swift swipe, grabbed the container and stumbled toward the exit, before turning around and flashing a quick apologetic smile while waving goodbye.
After waving back, the group was eerily silent, unaware of what to say.
"You know what, why don't we see what we got?" Hugh spoke up suddenly. In silent agreement, the pokéballs were in hand, and for a moment, no one knew how to open them.
Kyōhei reached way back into the closet of his cranium and remembered a TV show he watched several years ago, titled 'So you want to be a Pokémon Master?'. It showed all about the life of a trainer, what to do, and what to expect. The first episode featured a weird, black-haired kid who apparently stopped Team Rocket, a criminal organization notorious for using pokeman for evil deeds, many years ago. Behind him, a peaceful forest background, as he taught the audience how to use a pokéball, with a yellow, mouse aside him, the size of a sack of flour.
"You press the button in the middle, making it bigger." The clementine evolved into an orange. "And then you throw it in the air to release a pokémon, or throw it at a wild one to catch it." He chucked the ball, yelling "Go, pokéball!" at the pokémon next to him, which immediately hit it back with its long, jagged tail. Young Kyōhei would watch in wonder, not to mention confusion, as the pokéball roll offscreen slowly, while hearing frustrated yells of "Pikachu!" and "Now is not the time!" The trainer, chasing the pokémon in fury, knocked over some woodland props, wreaking havoc. A husky voice off to the side whispered for the cut, and then the credits rolled, ending the episode.
Kyōhei uneasily pressed the grey switch in the center, and it indeed swelled up to the size of his fist, surprising him. "Go...pokéball!" It was thrown up above, and a sudden flash of light blinded him, as he felt the ball magically float back to his hand. After a few seconds, the light faded and a small, red hog could be seen in front of him. About the size of a year old infant, it automatically looked around, curious of its surroundings, sniffing the air with its pink nose. When the pokémon's shiny chestnut eyes met its owner's, it squealed in delight.
"Teeeee-piiig!" it leaped into the boy's arms, nearly knocking him over. Kyōhei laughed, stroking the animal's black, oval ears. He could already feel a strong connection with the pokémon.
"Tepig, is it?" he asked it, cuddling warmly. It nodded clearly, eyes sparkling with devotion.
"Well, we can't have you without a name, can we?" The Tepig grunted happily in response. To think more clearly, the boy set the pokémon down, where it stood by his side, in a proud manner.
While he pondered for a perfect nickname, Mei mimicked him,and standing in front of her was a forest green snake-like creature, about the same size of the Tepig. It waddled around in confusion until meeting snout-first with Mei's leg. She laughed, picking up the creature and cradling it in her arms like a mother would do to a baby.
"Snivyyy~" It hissed joyfully, cuddling back.
"Is that what you are? A Snivy?" Mei giggled. "You know, I'm think your name will be..." The pokémon suddenly reminded her of a childhood friend, who had passed away years ago due to pancreatic cancer. A small tear droplet fell down her cheek, just to be quickly wiped away with her sleeve. "Alexandra."
The snake suddenly recoiled, and shook its head wildly with disapproval.
"Uh oh. You're not a girl?" the surprised owner asked warily. She was met with a small nod.
"Okay then, Alex." declared Mei. The Snivy gave a nod of comprehension and another snuggle.
Seeing this, Kyōhei became aware of the Tepig waiting apprehensively. He turned to the animal and crouched down to its height.
"You're..." he hesitated, then whispered uneasily. "You're not a girl, right?" Kyōhei wasn't a sexist kind of person, like the older guys in his neighborhood, constantly harassing the opposite gender. He thought girls were okay, as long as they didn't talk too much, or did weird things. But, imagining his first pokémon to be female, was, err, disappointing. Okay, that sounded wrong, but you probably get the point.
The small boar gave a single, insulted snort, that appeared to say, 'Why would I be a girl?' Kyōhei smiled, and rubbed its black fur, satisfied that they had something in common.
'Silly boy, I'm male.'
The 'Silly boy' jerked up in shock at the sudden voice. It was slightly high pitched, yet masculine. Looking around, he couldn't identify anyone suddenly appearing, besides Hugh and Mei. Nervous, he slowly glanced back at the pig, who seemed to be smirking in amusement.
'Whoa, did it...he, just talk to me?' a moment of silence, in his mind anyway.
'Yep.' the same voice replied.
Eyes bulging, he ran to the others, with the Tepig walking calmly behind him. Hugh snickered when words became jumbled, while Mei yelled to calm the heck down. After some deep breaths, he indeed calmed down enough to speak clearly.
"That...thing!" the Tepig, realising that the exclamation was directed to him, oinked in exasperation.
"It...he...talked to me. In my mind." he stretched 'talked' and 'mind'.
Hugh gave a strange look, but Mei seemed to be calm. She glanced down at Alex, slightly moving her head. The Snivy responded by mimicking its owner. A few seconds later, the girl turned back to Kyōhei.
"I...think I can relate." the lizard in her arms nodded in support. "I remember hearing a little voice when I look at Alex for the first time, and we had a little chat just now. So, you're not crazy." she ended with a smirk.
Kyōhei exhaled, realising he was holding his breath.
"Good. Didn't think I was delusional or something." But still, does this happen to other trainers? This definitely wasn't in 'So you want to be a Pokémon Master'.
Hugh, feeling a little left out, pulled out his pokéball.
"Pokéball, go!" he yelled, tossing it in the air.
A small smoke explosion later, a shrill 'Oshaaaa!' could be heard. A light blue otter, about the same size as the others, appeared in front of the bluenette. Observing its surroundings, it gave a confused 'Wott?'
Kyōhei burst out laughing, and Mei aww-ed, while Hugh stifled a grin. Alarmed at the sudden outburst, the pokémon turned to the brown haired boy, puzzled. 'Are you my owner?' it seemed to ask. The Tepig, sensing nervousness, spoke up.
'Hi! You must be new.' This also startled the otter, but it smiled when realising the voice belonged to another pokémon.
'Hey, and yes I am." it replied courteously.
'Oy! Don't forget me!' Alex mumbled, loud enough for the others to hear.
'Oh, hey to you too.' a less respectful, slightly amused response.
'My awesome name is Alex. No need to treat me with such respect.' he continued, earning exasperated groans from the other pokémon.
'You know, there's a very special person behind you, waiting for you to turn around." the Tepig smiled. Alex rolled his eyes. 'Subtle.'
After doing so, the otter giggled anxiously, not unlike Mei's laugh.
'Nice to meet you,' it extended a soft white paw. Grinning, Hugh knelt down and kissed it, causing the blue pokémon to tint light pink.
'Ugh, get a room you two.' complained Alex. This caused the tint to bloom into full blush.
'It's not like that.' it replied firmly, still slightly red. "Simple manners, that's all. Unlike some irritating bloke.' Alex grinned in reply, waving the insult off.
Hugh, seeing her feminine behavior, guess it was a girl.
"Osha-wott?" A nod. "I think Elizabeth is the perfect name for you." it seemed to fit the pokémon, sounding royal and respectful.
"Oshaaa~" she exclaimed, satisfied.
'A perfect name indeed.' muttered the Tepig. Elizabeth brightened, unaware of the sarcasm.
'Most definitely! ...uh...um...'
'What? What's wrong?' asked Alex.
'What's his name?' she whispered, a little bit louder than she would have liked.
The Tepig, now impatient, jumped on Kyōhei's shoe, weighing it down. The boy, who was observing the conversation between pokémon, was startled by the sudden action.
"What the-hey! What do you want?"
'A name, stupid.'
"Oh, um..." C'mon, Kyōhei, think! Didn't you have the perfect one?
"Christopher." he blurted out suddenly, causing the pokémon at his foot to jump.
Christopher, wasn't that... his first pokémon? He could remember his mom bringing home a small Lillipup, who was instantly glomped by an ecstatic, 8 year old Kyōhei. A twinge of sadness at the memory of the morning, when they had to part. As bad as it made both of them feel, it had to be done.
The Tepig slowly smiled, feeling that the name was special to his owner.
'Christy for short.' snorted Alex, earning him a death glare for ruining the mood.
"Anyway," Hugh coughed, "Aspertia City. First gym, huh?"
"Right!" Mei shouted in approval, clenching fists in determination and surprising everyone else. "And being a lady, I'll be there first!" she quickly placed Alex in her messenger bag and ran for the stairs.
"H-hey! Wait for me!" Kyōhei yelped, mimicking her actions until only Hugh and Elizabeth were left.
'Well? Aren't you going after them?' she asked rather impatiently.
He slowly placed the Oshawott in his white messenger bag and chuckled at her furious squeals.
"I just want to train first. After all, the gym leader is tough, so I heard."
The blue haired boy headed back to the way he came, unaware that all the events that took place on the balcony was being closely monitored by a pair of gingers in military-like uniform, watching their every move.

A woman in grey uniform stood up from her hiding place behind a flower shrub, her short, orange hair waving in the breeze. She stretched, making loud cracking noises.
"Well, that was certainly interesting." she sneered, rubbing her sore back from crouching.
"The master will be most pleased." replied a man with identical hair color and outfit, who stood up slowly and gruesomely, moaning in pain.
"What do you think the master was with a couple of kids, anyway?" the woman asked the man in an annoyed tone, patting down her curly hair. He shrugged.
"Something about 'looking like trouble'. They just look like brats, waiting to abuse their pokémon, forcing them to fight!"
"Yeah, exactly!" she exclaimed, throwing up her hands for effect. "Did you see the way that boy looked at his Tepig? Despicable!" In disgust, she spat a black, gum-like object on the ground, staining the marble floor.
"C'mon. I heard they're heading to the first gym." the man said tiredly.
The pair headed in the direction the trio ran off to.
A few minutes later, a stray Wingull flew toward the balcony, looking for scraps. After raiding a trash can, it spotted a black mark on the floor and hopped towards it curiously. After pecking around it repeatedly, the bird was able to successfully peel it off. Happily, it was swallowed, only for it to be quickly lodged in its throat. Confused and frightened, the Wingull walked in circles before it painfully collided with a bench. Lying on its back, it squawked softly when it couldn't move anymore, twitching constantly, snow white feathers all around.
Excruciating seconds later, the Wingull was dead.