Ahh, Pallet Town. A small, unremarkable town in the Kanto region, a place of perpetual peace and tranquility. That said, it was known to occasionally have its moments...
The front door to one of Pallet Town's few settlements burst open, making way for the excitable eleven-year-old boy who seemed hell-bent on getting outside. This youth was Axel Ketchum, a boy who, since his youth, dreamed of becoming a Pokémon Trainer, of being the very best like no one ever was. And now that he was eleven years old, his mother had finally given in and allowed him to leave home. The usual age for becoming a Trainer was ten, but Mrs. Ketchum didn't want him leaving home just yet- reports from around the region spoke of a criminal organization that exploited Pokémon for profit, even stealing from Trainers. Thus, she had to put up with an entire year of begging and pleading from Axel, until she finally relented. She still worried about him, but in her heart she knew that nothing was going to keep her son from becoming a Pokémon Trainer.
Of course, had Axel not been begging and pleading so much, he might have tried to plan his journey out a bit over the past year. With every excited step, he drew closer to a narrow path which led out of town, said path being choked with knee-high grass.
The grass didn't deter Axel, of course, as he stepped into the thick grass. But then, as he was several steps in, he heard a rustling sound just ahead of him. Axel froze in place, his excited grin fading fast as he realized one fairly major fact- he had nothing to do against a wild Pokémon. The only thing in his backpack was a change of clothes, and a single Potion he got for his birthday the other day. Oh, why didn't he ask for a Poké Ball instead?
The rustling grew louder, and then, it emerged from the grass before Axel- a vivid yellow rodent with stubby arms and legs, pointy ears tipped in black, a jagged tail in the shape of a lightning bolt, and bright red circles on its face, one on each cheek. It looked up at Axel, uncertainty in its eyes, and sparks starting to fly off its red cheeks. "Piiiikaaa..." it growled as Axel nervously started to step back-
"Go, Poké Ball!"
Axel turned to look, for the voice had sounded from behind him, just in time to see an older man running towards him, at a remarkable speed for someone of his age. He had grey hair and was clad in a white lab coat, and was currently throwing a red-and-white sphere at the small, yellow creature. The ball split open upon contact with the creature, and pulled it inside, converting it into a shapeless mass of transparent red energy. Axel began to breathe easier as he saw the ball fall to the ground. It started to wobble back and forth, almost as though its occupant was trying to escape... but then it fell still.
"Whew," sighed the man in relief as he scooped up the ball. Then, he turned to Axel. "You know, wild Pokémon can appear anytime in tall grass," he admonished the youth.
"Wha- you're Professor Oak!" Axel breathed. "What are you doing in Pallet Town?"
"I run the research laboratory in the southern part of town," explained Professor Oak. "What's your name?"
"Axel, sir," Axel replied. "Axel Ketchum."
"Ketchum?" murmured Oak. "I'm sure I've heard that name before... Ahhh, must just be something I saw on TV," he shook his head dismissively. "But yes, Axel- my grandson's mentioned you once or twice."
"Wait a minute!" exclaimed Axel. "You mean Zack Oak is your grandson?! I thought he was just screwing with me!"
"That does sound like something he'd do," admitted Oak. "But he was telling you the truth about this one. Now, see, here's the thing- you need your own Pokémon for your protection if you're going to be going out into the tall grass." And then the old man snapped his fingers. "I know!" he exclaimed. "Here, come with me," he offered. And as he started to walk away from the tall grass, Axel followed him, still in awe of getting to meet the esteemed Pokémon researcher.
The walk was not a long one- Pallet, remember, is a rather small town- and before too long, Axel found himself before a large, impressive building. Then, he realized that Professor Oak was holding the door open for him, so he hastened to enter.
Inside the building, Axel could see a number of bookshelves, stocked with large, heavy volumes, and a number of men and women in lab coats walking around. Some were perusing these large books, others were consulting papers of some kind. But what really caught Axel's attention was the red and white sphere- the Poké Ball- he could see sitting on a table in the next room. Propelled by the desire to finally own his own Pokémon, he raced into the room- only to stop short. "You?!" he exclaimed.