Journal Entry #1, September 30th, 1998:
Today began like any other. I woke up, did my share of household chores, and then sat around playing my NES. Something was different though. Adventure was in the air and my young legs were craving the open road. When Mother told me that Professor Oak wanted to see me, I knew my time had come. I trudged over to old man Oak's lab to see what was up.

Unfortunately, the face I met in the lab wasn't that of Professor Oak, it was the face of his snotty Grandson Aborto. Man, that guy really gets to me. He's always looking at me down the brow of his nose; he thinks I'm beneath him. Someday, I'll prove him wrong. With nothing better to do, I decided to go for a walk on Route One. Just as I'm about to enter the tall grass, Professor Oak comes out of nowhere and tackles me off the road. Apparently he's worried I can't take care of myself. He told me there are wild Pokemon out there, that I'd get hurt.

Whatever. I followed him back to his lab to hear him out. I was thinking, "This had better be worth it." What he told me far surpassed my expectations. He was going to give me my very own Pokemon! Hell, he even gave me first dibs over that brat Aborto. I gave them all a good once over and finally settled on the Squirtle. Turtles are cool, right? I decided to name him after my long lost childhood friend Mikey.



Aborto ran up and grabbed Bulbasaur without even giving it any thought. Everything this guy does really gets to me, I don't know what it is. As if on cue, as I'm trying to leave the room, he challenges me to a battle. A battle? Are you kidding me? I just got this thing! Still, it's not like I could turn him down. He'd never let it go if I did.

Being the sensible man that he is, Professor Oak gave me pointers during the fight. It made taking Aborto down a lot easier than I thought it would, and to my amusement, the punk had to give me his allowance when it was all said and done. Mikey and I were off to a great start, and I knew that we were destined to kick some serious ass together. With my first battle behind me, I set off down Route One towards Viridian City. The adventure I had always longed for was finally upon me, and nothing was going to keep me from getting to the top and beyond.

Mikey and I made our way up Route One, fighting the wild Ratata and Pidgeys. Sometimes I wonder who came up with the names for these creatures, but I think it's best that I keep those thoughts to myself. I wouldn't want to offend anyone.



We eventually made it to Viridian City. I'd never been out of Pallet Town before, and after a quick stop at the Poke Center to rest up Mikey, I went by the general store to browse their wares. Wouldn't you know it, but the clerk recognized me and asked me to deliver a parcel to Professor Oak. Really? Had I come all this way just to be someones errand boy?

I almost turned the clerk down, but I figured I owed Professor Oak for Mikey and I'm one of those people who doesn't want to rub the karma Gods the wrong way. Back down Route One I went, parcel in hand. When I got to Oak's laboratory he looked like he'd been expecting me. I handed him the parcel and he gave me his thanks. He started to speak when Aborto burst into the building, shouting something about being bothered and that this had better be good.

Oak started up again. He told us that he wanted us to catalog the Pokemon we came across. The Pokedex would automatically store the name and appearance of every Pokemon we encountered, but if we wanted detailed info, we'd have to catch them. The idea of collecting every type of Pokemon in the world danced around my head, but I shoved the thought aside. Right now I needed to focus on getting out of Pallet and seeing the world.



Aborto and I said our farewells to Oak and left the lab. He said some snide comment about getting a map from his sister and how he'd make sure she wouldn't give me one, so of course the first thing I did was head to his house. She graciously gave me the map; I knew I'd always liked her for a reason. Back up Route One I went, training Mikey in the art of battle.

Eventually we hit Viridian City yet again, and this time, the cranky old man from before was feeling helpful. He showed me how to properly throw a Pokeball to catch a Pokemon and then pointed me in the way of the Viridian Forest. After giving him a courtesy thanks, I set off.

The forest was much bigger and more confined than I had hoped. I got about fifteen feet in before a wild Weedle decided to attack me, and with the help of Mikey, I made that Weedle my newest asset. I gave it the name Mid3vol and decided that it would be best to rest up in Viridian City before I tackled the forest. I stopped by the Pokemart to stock up on supplies, healed Mikey and Mid3vol at the Pokemon Center, and set up a camp just outside the city to rest for the night. Tomorrow was going to be a great day, I knew it.

It's been an interesting start for our young hero. What new obstacles will stand in his path? Will he survive the mysterious forest? Tune in next time for; Episode 2: Forest of Mystery!