Jake, a 17 years old teenager from Pewter City whose last interest is pokémon or pokémon training, ends up getting stuck with a lost and injured Charmander he comes across in the Viridian Forest because he can't find its owner.

Ever since his parents died, Riley's lived alone on the streets, surviving by his wits. But when he and his girlfriend are kidnapped, he discovers a dark secret: in Crystal City, the futuristic city he lives in, some people have the power of long-extinct pokemon running in their veins. Turns out, he's one of them. And their captors will stop at nothing to get what they want.