Remus awoke to the steady beep of his watch alarm just as the first rays of sunlight began to filter through the trees at the forest's edge. He stood up, trying to shake away the bugs and the strong scent of pine that had been floating around him all night. His clothes were damp from tossing and turning in the morning dew, and his back was aching from the night spent on the rocky soil, but surprisingly Remus felt well-rested and alert. He quickly rolled up his sleeping bag and gathered his things. His cap appeared to have been slept in by some sort of critter – it was full of light brown fur instead of the normal strand or two of Remus's own black hair. He shook it off and placed it back on his head before jogging back off towards them main road on his quiet suburban street.

Gradually, the layout of neat rows of houses and small shops gave way to a sprawling rural expanse. Rolling fields and the occasional farmhouse greeted Remus as he walked leisurely to the edge of the town, thinking about what sort of things lay in store for him in the mentorship program. He would be meeting two new trainers like him at the least, and he would be able to get his starter Pokémon and a license, but beyond that he honestly had no idea what to expect. Would they go over battle strategies, survival skills, or proper Pokémon care? Remus tried to remember what types were strong against others in case there was a quiz or something. Fire is strong against grass and ice, water is strong against fire, as is…rock?

"Good morning, Remus!" a loud voice echoed. Remus froze in his tracks. He looked up to see Mr. Richardson's tall figure leaning down to look at him. His long, light grey hair danced lightly in the crisp morning wind. "Fancy meeting you at edge of town this early in the morning!"

"Oh, good morning Mr. Richardson," Remus replied. Was Aunt Valerie already up? Had she sent the town on a mad search to hunt him down? "I uh…Are you just finishing up a morning walk?"

"Finishing it up?" Mr. Richardson chuckled as he twisted his wrinkled face into a broad smile. "No, no, I'm just getting started! I try to walk at least two or three miles each day. The morning air is great for an old man like myself, you know!"

"Is that so?" Remus silently breathed a sigh of relief. Mr. Richardson apparently was unaware he had run away from home. "Do you always come out to the edge of town?"

"Oh no, usually I take a walk over by the park, but I had to stop in to see Professor Oak this morning. His laboratory in Fuchsia City still holds my old Pidgeotto actually, so I check in from time to time to see if she's doing well."

"Oh wow, that's cool! Does Professor Oak care for the rest of your Pokémon too?"

"Ah, the rest of my Pokémon…" Mr. Richardson trailed off as he looked off towards the overcast morning sky. His wrinkly smile faded and Remus instantly regretted asking. He thought he could see a tear forming in Mr. Richardson's hazel eyes, but it was only for a moment. He turned back to Remus and gave another, softer smile "The rest of my Pokémon no longer roam this world."

"I-I'm sorry," Remus sputtered quickly. "I didn't mean to upset you or anything!"

"No, it's perfectly all right," he said, patting his rather large hand softly on Remus's shoulder. "I trained my Pokémon over 50 years ago, Remus. They lived long, fulfilling lives while I trained them, but Pokémon don't live forever. They grow old just like the rest of us, and when their time comes, they too move on."

"I never thought of it that way."

"Yes, but death is just another adventure, I like to believe. Incidentally child, it looks like you are headed out on an adventure yourself," Mr. Richardson said, pointing to the rolled-up sleeping bag on Remus's backpack. "Where are you off to, anyway?"

"Oh, I'm uh…" Remus let out a long sigh. He could not go on without telling Mr. Richardson after all. "I'm going to go learn to be a Pokémon Trainer, sir."

"Oh?" Mr. Richardson asked, surprised, and then broke into another wide smile. "So you're one of the trainers Professor Oak is teaching today! I always had you for a trainer, you know. There's something about you that just screams raw talent and determination! Oh-" he broke off, as he gestured towards the small backpack. "You aren't going to get very far with gear like that, you know."

"What? Why is that?" Remus asked. "I packed all of my camping gear and everything."

"My dear child, you would not last more than three days with just a small pack full of just the bare essentials! You don't even appear to have enough room in your bag for your Pokémon items!"

"Pokémon items?"

"Yes. Status healers like antidote, HP healers like potions, and other items like TMs and berries are all important to your Pokémon and their health! Your aunt should have asked me for help packing for you, I even have a few Potions at home I could have let you have."

"I packed it myself, but didn't think of all that," Remus said. He had not even known Pokémon-specific items existed!

"Yes, most don't when they first start out," Mr. Richardson replied. "Not until their Pokémon get hurt, anyway. But this shop over here will have everything you need to be prepared for your trip." He took Remus's hand and steered him off towards a small corner store with a faded blue roof. The shop's flickering neon "Pokémart" sign was hanging at an odd angle from the front façade. It looked to Remus like it should have long ago closed down and been boarded up, but sure enough he could barely make out a sign that read "open for business" through the dirty front window.

When they entered the dingy, old-fashioned shop, Remus could only make out a single shelf in the back through the dim light. It contained a bunch of dusty old bottles of different-color liquids. His footsteps echoed loudly as he walked across the creaky wooden floorboards towards the shelf in the back. The items on the shelf were in identically shaped plastic bottles with a spray top and cap covering them, and each color bottle had a different name: POTION, ANTIDOTE, PARLYZ HEAL, AWAKENING, and BURN HEAL.

"So these are the Pokémon items?" he asked Mr. Richardson.

"Yes, these items are essential for healing your Pokémon on the road. Over there are the camping supplies as well," he said, pointing towards a large circular rack off in the corner of the store, where all sorts of bags, kits, and miscellaneous items hung from the metal hooks. "Now, let's just get a few basics here to get you through the first week or two."

A few minutes later, Remus and Mr. Richardson walked out of the corner store with a bunch of Potions, some Antidotes, a Parlyz Heal, an Awakening, and an oversize red and white travel backpack to put it all in. He also had some extra fuel for the camp stove, a special trainer belt with room for six Poké Balls – three on each side of the belt buckle, and a large canteen for drinking water to replace the old water bottle he originally packed. Mr. Richardson had insisted on paying for everything himself, all Remus could do was say "thank you!" over and over again as he transferred his items into the new bag.

"It's nothing, really!" Mr. Richardson said, smiling to Remus as they began walking at a brisk pace towards the Oak Laboratory. "I'm glad to be able to help you get started. Just promise me that you'll be smart and safe while on your journey."

"I will, sir, definitely!"

Once they reached the laboratory gates, Remus thanked Mr. Richardson once more for all he had done, and waved goodbye as he walked off. Ahead of Remus lie the magnificent Oak Laboratory.

The elaborately styled iron front gate alone towered over Remus by at least ten feet, but that was nothing compared to the main building itself, which was perched high atop a densely-forested hill. It stood at least a five stories tall with huge glass windows covering almost the entire front of the building. A large circular glass dome topped the center of the building, where he guessed the central research section was. Smaller buildings dotted the landscape, each built in a similar style but without the large dome top featured on the main one. The blades of a large tower mill in the background rotated silently with the wind, casting long shadows over the hillside as it turned. As he approached, the large iron gate automatically swung open, so Remus slowly walked in and began a long climb up the stone steps to the main building.

Inside, the main building was just as magnificent. The two-story entryway was tiled in marble that ran from the floor all the way up to the high-vaulted ceiling, which contained several mosaics of various bird Pokémon, most of which Remus was unfamiliar with. Across the hall, a large sweeping staircase lead to the upper research dome and three sets of doors led off towards the back and sides of the building. In the center was a small reception desk.

Remus walked up and rang the small bell on the desktop, which then immediately set off a much louder electronic bell that echoed over the intercom system. Immediately, the door to Remus's right opened up and out poked the head of a rather old gentleman with grey, balding hair and very square glasses. Looking around quickly, he spotted Remus, jabbed upward towards the top of the staircase with a thick stubby finger, and then quickly slammed the door shut again.

"Okay…" Remus whispered to himself. He had expected at least a welcome of some sort, but no matter. He slowly ascended the large marble staircase up to the main research floor.

At the top of the stairs were all sorts of crazy-looking electronic devices. Huge computer banks lined the back wall, all with rapidly flashing lights to dictate some form of activity. On either side of the room, a set of large French doors led to other sections of the lab. A large water tank was situated at the top of the stairs, where three Magikarp swam around peacefully. One seemed quite interested in Remus as he walked around the tank to get a better look at something protruding from the floor at the very center of the room, which turned out to be a large, circular platform. On top of the circular platform were three Poké Balls, which were arranged in a triangular fashion and encased in a circular glass dome. The three starter Pokémon!

"Aha! Good morning!" a deep, booming voice came from Remus's right. He turned towards the source of the voice to see another older gentleman emerging from the large French doors. This man had a full head of white hair – the only sign of any age in his otherwise wrinkle-free, almost perfectly thin face. A white lab coat draped his tall figure, dancing lightly as he sprang forward towards the new arrival with seemingly boundless energy.

"Um, hi?" Remus said as the man stopped no more than 6 inches in front of him. He studied Remus closely from above the rims of his circular glasses, which dangled dangerously on his hooked nose, as if it were about to topple to the floor.

"Hmm," he said, looking the boy up and down. "Let's see, short, male, short black hair and a skinny build, eyes scream intelligence but you don't seem to want to show it. Why, you must be Master Draco!"

"Remus if you please, sir," Remus replied as the man shook his hand rigorously. "And you are Professor Oak?"

"Oh most certainly not!" the man chuckled to himself. "I am one of Professor Oak's aides though, I often assist him with his research. Perhaps you have heard of me!" He pulled out a rolled up magazine and showed the cover to Remus. The cover showed the title 'Science Today!', and the year, 1997. In the center the magazine featured exactly the same man that was standing in front of him, the only difference being the long, beautifully flowing blonde hair that the man in the picture had.

"I'm sorry, but no," Remus said, gently pushing aside the magazine to look back at the older gentleman, who's face showed a look of complete disbelief.

"You haven't?!" He said in disbelief, throwing his arms up in the air. "Why I only made the most important scientific discovery in modern human history!"

"And what discovery was that?"

"Huh, you really don't know?" he replied, scratching his head. He tucked the magazine back into the front pocket of his black slacks, then he pulled something else from his coat pocket: an old, battered red and pink Poké Ball! "I'm the inventor of the first modern Poké Ball, Evan Strome! I created this, the first design prototype for Silph Co."

"That's…impressive," Remus said, eyeing the ball. It appeared to have been hand carved, with a twisting mechanism at the top of the red half, which was presumably to release the ball's contents in place of the familiar center button. The top half of the ball was not transparent as most modern Poké Balls were though, so Remus could not tell if a Pokémon resided in it. "Does it work?"

"Of course it works!" Strome snapped. "I have my prized Pokémon in this ball, it is by far my rarest and most valuable!"

"Which Pokémon is that?"

"Ah" Strome replied, tucking the Poké Ball back into his lab coat pocket and lightly patting the top of the pocket's opening. "This is a Kabutops, a Pokémon many thought to be extinct until very recently. But I can't exactly show it to you in the lab right now. Very sharp scythes on its arms, you see. Would be a total disaster if it were to accidentally slice up any of the expensive scientific equipment here, after all."

"Yeah, I can see that."

"Anyway," Strome continued. "You'll be pleased to know that I, Evan Strome¸ will be your advisor during your mentorship program!"

"You mean Professor Oak isn't heading the program himself?"

"Ha!" Strome laughed loudly at Remus's remark. "As if he had that sort of time during what is perhaps his most important research breakthrough in his career? No, he has far too much on his plate for that, so I'll be headlining for you instead. Don't worry though, the great Professor Oak will be present when you all pick your starter Pokémon! Until then, let's go introduce you to the other students."

Remus followed Strome as he led him through the large door on the right to a small conference room. Inside, they were greeted by the two other children – a boy and a girl – who were both seated at a large square conference table that took up almost the entire room.

"Hi there!" The girl spoke up first in a soft voice, getting up from her seat to greet them. She extended one hand to Remus as she brushed her long sweeping brown hair away from her light green tank top with the other. "I go by Green, what's your name?"

Remus was about to use introduce himself by first name, but then stopped. "It's…Red," he replied after a beat.

"Red, huh?" Green remarked, dropping her hands to her side where they perfectly lined up with the hem of her dark red skirt. "That's cool! So where are you from anyway?"

"Here."

"Really? Wow, so is he!" she said, pointing to the other kid, who rose to his feet and glanced in Remus's direction. The kid was oddly familiar to Remus. The first thing that stuck out were the kid's eyes. They were a vivid blue, as deep as the ocean in the center and bright as the sky on the outer edges, bright enough to shine even through the messy brown hair that half covered his face.

"Blue?" Remus asked, as he saw the boy flash an unmistakable smirk in response. It's definitely him, Remus thought as they walked up to each other, each staring the other down intently. "So it is my old school rival after all."

"What do ya know," Blue chuckled to himself. "Your aunt let you get your license after all! So you go by Red now, huh?"

"So you two know each other?" Green asked.

"Yeah," Remus said, ignoring Blue's offer for a handshake. "He and I go way back, at least back to preschool. But I thought you moved to Saffron City three years ago?"

"I did," He replied, brushing the hair from his eyes. "But I came back here to get my Pokémon license. My grandfather runs the place, after all!"

"Huh?" Green broke in. "You mean your grandfather is the Professor Oak?!"

"Yep. He's got an outpost a Saffron where I could have gotten my starter, but he wanted me to get it here for some reason, so here I am. Besides," he said, smirking again at Remus. "I had a feeling you would be here too. I couldn't pass up the chance to beat you in a Pokémon battle after all these years! Ever since that mock battle when we were kids, I've been waiting for a real chance to battle you!"

"Yeah, I remember that. I had befriended a Pidgey and you a Rattata," Remus said, thinking back to that moment five years ago. "And you cheated!"

"Did not!"

"Yes, you did!" Remus said, pointing his finger at Blue's face. "You went after that Pidgey with a stick, trying to knock it out of the air so your Rattata could tackle it!"

"So what?" Blue scoffed, swiping away Remus's hand. "It wouldn't have changed anything. I would have won regardless if your aunt hadn't stopped us!"

Remus grabbed for the collar of Blue's neck, but Strom stepped in between them and pushed the two gently away. "All right, that's enough you two!" he said firmly. "You can settle this little feud of yours later. For now, take your seats, please."

Remus glared at Blue, who scoffed again and turned away from him, before walking away himself and sitting at the far end of the conference table. Green very hesitantly sat at the middle of the table, eyeing both of them.

"Well then," Strome said, and taking his own seat at the head of the conference table and pulling out a giant stack of papers from a hidden drawer, which he passed out to the three trainers. "Before we move on to getting your starter Pokémon, we just have a few forms to fill out in triplicate…"

About two hours later, the three trainers had finally finished signing all the papers. Remus's hand felt numb, he could barely twist the doorknob on the way out of the conference room, but he followed the other three out of the room and to the large circular platform in the center of the main research floor, where another gentleman was waiting for them. This man seemed to be at least in his late 60s, with snow white hair and a large, stubby build. His face almost perfectly formed a square as he opened his mouth to speak.

"Good morning, everybody! I am Professor Oak" The man said in a somewhat raspy voice, smiling at the three students.

"Good morning," They all said in unison. Strome took his place by his boss's side as they all gathered around the circular platform.

"Excellent, it looks like everyone is here. Now," Professor Oak said, clapping his rather large stubby hands together. "I believe you've all signed all the proper forms, so we'll just get right to it. In these Poké Balls," he gestured to the three balls on the platform, "are the three starter Pokémon: Bulbasaur, Charmander, and Squirtle," he finished, pointing to each ball as he said the name.

"So, there's only one of each?" Green asked, standing on the tips of her toes to lean over the tall platform and get a good look at the three Poké Balls.

"Erm, yes," Professor Oak said. "Unfortunately you three will not be choosing your starters today."

"What?!" Blue asked, dropping his jaw in disbelief. "Come on, Gramps, you can't be serious!"

"I am serious, Blue," he replied. "The reason you three are here is because your training is helping my research. That research happens to be on Pokémon natures and the bonds with their trainers. As such, I've selected each of your partners based on their natures and your own."

"Our natures?" Remus asked.

"Yes," Professor Oak responded, pressing a button on the side of the platform. The glass dome began to open up, rotating smoothly along its center as the glass slowly disappeared underneath the platform. "Every person behaves differently from one another, and so does every Pokémon. No two Pokémon of the same species are the same, and it is my job to study how the natures of both people and Pokémon influence their abilities. There are many theories on the matter, but recently there's been a breakthrough that I believe might explain why certain trainers are able to develop bonds with their Pokémon more easily than others. That is where you three come in – to help me test my hypothesis.

"These Pokémon in particular were specially ordered for my research. They exhibit certain natures which should meld nicely with your own, if my research is correct. I'll let you all figure those natures out for yourselves though," He said, picking up the three Poké Balls and handing one to each of the students.

The Poké Ball Remus received immediately dropped from his numb writing hand and almost clattered to the floor, but he darted down and quickly snatched it back up mere inches from the marble.

"Careful there!" Professor Oak said to him. "Those Poké Balls aren't indestructible, and trust me when I say you don't want to break one."

"Sorry, sir," Remus said as he stood back up and inspected the ball in his hands. It was very heavy, almost as if it were made of lead. Through the semi-transparent red top, Remus could make out the shape of lizard-like creature looking up at him from the ball with a curious stare. It was hard to tell what color the creature was through the red tint, but from the large flame on the creature's tail he knew at once that he had been given the fire-type Charmander as his starter. He placed the ball in the first slot on his trainer belt as Professor Oak began to speak again.

"Ultimately, what I am looking for is to observe how well you three bond with the Pokémon you have been given. Over the course of the next year, you will be in regular contact with either myself or one of my aides. It will be your job to try your best to bond with your Pokémon as you train and help us to understand how Pokémon's nature either helps or hinders your training. Of course, this also means you should not box or trade your starters during the first year, or else you might undo any of the progress you make as partners. Do you understand?" he finished, fixing his gaze on Blue in particular, who was frowning at his own Poké Ball.

"Yes, sir," Remus and Green said together. Blue simply nodded quickly, tucking his Poké Ball away on his belt.

"Good." Professor Oak turned to his desk again and pulled out three red rectangular devices from his desk drawer and handing them out to the trainers. "These are your Pokédexes. Yours in particular are the latest beta model. Inside you will find your trainer license information on the main screen. It is very important you never lose this Pokédex, since it is your only legal form of identification."

The Pokédex felt far lighter than the Poké Ball had in Remus's hands. He pressed the only button on the outside of the device and the top sprung open forcefully. Inside was a small LCD screen, with two sets of four buttons, one on each side of the screen, and a tiny QWERTY keypad situated below it. Upon powering the device on using the small button in the upper corner, it instantly displayed Remus's trainer name "Red," as well as his date of birth, license issue date, and license expiration date.

"Dr. Strome will be teaching you about the main functions of the Pokédex over the next few days," Professor Oak said. Remus quickly closed his Pokédex and looked back up at the professor as he continued, "I look forward to hearing about your training progress, good luck, you three!"

With that, Professor Oak ducked away into the large door on the left side of the room, leaving the three of them with Strome.

"So we're stuck with you, huh?" Blue asked. "Typical. Gramps never seems to have time for anything these days."

"He's a very busy man, Blue," Strome replied, ignoring his remark. "Now, I will accompany you three to Viridian City, which should take about two days. On the way I will teach you the basics of Pokémon training, the final part of the mentorship program. First though I have to file your paperwork, so meet me at the back of the lab in 30 minutes." He then swiftly turned back towards the conference room and slammed the door shut.

There was nothing interesting to do in the lab, so the three trainers walked down to the field behind the main building to wait for Strome. The scent of lilacs greeted Remus as he sat down near a rainbow of blooming flowers near the edge of the building wall. Green sat down beside Remus as she pulled out her Poké Ball.

"So I got a Bulbasaur," She said, rolling the ball around in her hand aimlessly. "Which one did you get?"

"Charmander," Remus replied as he pulled out his own Poké Ball and peered at the figure inside. Again, he was greeted by the lizard's curious stare as it gazed upward at him. Something was…off about it though. Almost as if the creature had no real sense of what was going on. Or maybe it was just bored.

"You just gonna stare at it," Blue said loudly. Remus looked up to see him standing about ten feet away, tossing his own Poké Ball up and snatching it out of the air as soon as it started to drop. "Or are you ready to settle our old battle once and for all?"

"Hah, you're on, Blue!" Remus shot back as he jumped to his feet. He had been waiting for this moment for a long time. Finally the two of them would get to see who the better trainer was!

"Wait, already you guys?" Green asked. "You just got your Pokémon and you're already itching to battle them!"

"Of course we are," Blue responded. "I've only been waiting five years for this battle. Let's not waste any more time!"

Remus strode over to the opposite end of the field and looked once more at his Pokémon. "You ready, little guy?" He asked, and to his surprise the Charmander finally seemed to have some life in him. The ball rattled in his hand as it fidgeted around, eager to escape. "All right, LET'S GO!"