Prologue
It is a lawless land. The aftermath of the Great War has left the Kanto region without leadership. Without a centralized government, the void has been filled by two powerful organizations. The corporations, the chief of these being the Silph Corporation, use the profits they made from the war to keep the void empty, ensuring their business practices go unchecked. The other organization is known as Team Rocket. Originally a group of petty thieves, they started to become more dangerous as they became more numerous and more organized. Who exactly is pulling the strings is unknown, but whoever it is seems to be obsessed with maintaining control of the region and out of the hands of the corporations. With strong and competent law enforcement nowhere to be found, Team Rocket can do whatever it pleases. They have spent the last decade terrorizing the population, raiding people's homes, and stealing their most prized possessions.
The power struggle between the corporations and the gangs have left the people of Kanto destitute. Food is scarce and the wealth disparity has left many citizens hopeless. The widow population in Kanto is at an all time high, due to the large death toll of the war. Unable to make ends meet, mothers throughout the region have relied on the assistance of their children to provide an income in order to survive.
Over the course of history, humans discovered mysterious creatures called Pokemon. Anciently, humans and Pokemon worked alongside each other in harmony. But overtime, this relationship was forgotten. While each knew of the other's existence, they generally left each other alone. So it was until about a century ago humans began to be curious about Pokemon once more. Observing their mystical powers and their generally submissive natures, it wasn't long before humans began harnessing the powers of these creatures for their own personal gain. The Great War was fought using these Pokemon, proving to be powerful tools in combat.
After the war, Pokemon became a viable source of revenue. They became quite popular as pets, as they were not only cute, but helpful with menial household tasks. Some people made it their life's mission to study Pokemon, and sell their discoveries to the corporations to make end's meet. But something even greater was growing in popularity: Pokemon battling. In order to earn a little extra cash, a person would wager that the Pokemon they owned was more powerful than another person's. They would then have them fight to prove who is the strongest. It wasn't very lucrative at first, since you had as much chance to lose money as you did to win it, but those who were good at it started turning a high profit.
The strongest (and therefore the wealthiest) Pokemon trainers invested their wealth into what is now known as the Pokemon League, a giant, not-so-underground gambling ring, where Pokemon trainers around the region can challenge the best trainers from the eight biggest cities in Kanto. The best trainers from each city train in what are called Pokemon Gyms, where they preside as a Gym Leader. They wait for and battle challengers, making a decent living off of weak, desperate, and unprepared Pokemon trainers. When they do lose, they pay the debt of the wager as well as reward the challenger with a Gym Badge. Once a trainer collects all eight badges, they earn the right to challenge the four best trainers in the entire region.
Because of the scarcity of resources, children have been encouraged by their mothers to participate. Most children don't attempt to challenge the Pokemon League, since they are more likely to lose money than earn it. They mostly just wager amongst themselves with people closer to their skill level. There are those children, however, who dare risk it all for the chance of riches and glory, if not only to help put food on the table.
This is where our story begins, a 10 year old boy named Felix from Pallet Town is left with no choice, but to embark on a Pokemon journey in the hopes of a better life.