Welcome. My name is Professor Ozpin, and I'm a Pokémon researcher.

For as long as humans have lived on this planet, there have been the presence of these creatures. Some believe that their existence predates even that of humans. Perhaps it was Pokémon themselves who created the world we live in today. Together, humans and Pokémon have lived side by side, almost as if one cannot exist without the other.

Humans use Pokémon in many different ways. Some simply keep them as pets or for entertainment. Some use them to protect other humans and Pokémon against those who choose to use Pokémon to cause chaos around the world.

The most popular use for Pokémon is training them for battle. Adults and children alike around the world go on journeys to become trainers and compete in professional battles. Those who prove to be the strongest go on to become champions of the various regions around the world.

You came at a most interesting time. As we speak, word is quickly spreading of the Vale region looking for its next Pokémon champion.

Welcome to the world of Pokémon.

#

A man in a white coat and black bowler hat walks the streets of Beacon City, being followed by his various henchmen in masks and armor bearing the symbol of the notorious Team White Fang. The people who catch sight of them make sure to step away as to not start trouble lest they want their Pokémon stolen. Their leader heads towards the city's Pokémon Center, a resting place for trainers and their Pokémon.

"Everyone freeze!" shouts their leader as he enters the center. His henchmen quickly run in and bring out their Houndours to scare the other trainers into giving up their Pokémon. The leader goes up to the nurse in charge behind the desk, hiding behind the counter as to not be seen.

"Excuse me, can I get some service here?" asks the leader.

"Please sir, we're just a Pokémon Center!" says the nurse. "What can you possibly want from us?"

"This center also doubles as an orphanage for abandoned Pokémon doesn't it? I'd like to adopt all those poor Pokémon you have back there, along with everyone else's Pokémon as well. And make it quick! I'm a very busy man!"

"Yes sir! Right away sir!"

The nurse rose up from behind the counter; the first thing the White Fang leader noticed was the nurse's long blonde hair, almost golden in color.

"Wait a minute," said the leader. "You're the nurse?"

"Yes sir," said the nurse as she was making her way to the back.

"But don't the nurses usually have pink hair?"

"Well you see...I'm a special kind of nurse."

The nurse turned around to face the criminal. As soon as he got a look at the nurse's face, he suddenly recognized who she was.

"The kind who bust criminals like you!" shouted the nurse, ripping off her nurse uniform to reveal her Pokémon ranger uniform underneath. "Roman Torchwick, you're coming with me!"

"So we meet again Yang Xiao Long!" said Torchwick. "Sorry, but I've got places to be. So if you don't mind, I'll just be going now!"

Roman and his men were about to leave when two more rangers showed up at the entrance with Pokémon of their own.

"We can do this one of two ways," said Yang. "You give back everyone's Pokémon and come with us willingly, or we force you to."

"I'm going to have to go with option C," said Torchwick, taking out his Poké Ball to call out his Krookodile.

"You never learn, do you?" said Yang. "All right Celica, let's do this!"

Yang reached for her ball and called out her signature Pokémon, the giant green Dragonite she loved to refer to by its nickname.

"Celica, Dragon Tail!" commanded Yang.

"Krookodile, Iron Tail!" commanded Torchwick.

The two Pokémon clashed tails against each other, each trying to overpower the other. Celica went for another swing against Krookodile; this time the Krookodile caught the tail with his mouth and began to bite down using its Crunch attack. With Krookodile's grip so strong that it couldn't let go, Celica flew over to a wall with Krookodile attached and swung its tail, slamming Krookodile into the wall, causing Krookodile to finally let go.

"Celica, Ice Beam!" shouted Yang. Celica fired an Ice Beam from its mouth at Krookodile; Krookodile escaped at the last second as the beam hit the wall and formed a glacier that could have trapped Krookodile.

"Now Celica, Dragon Rush!" Celica charged up its strength and immediately charged at Krookodile.

"Krookodile, time for some Foul Play!" said Torchwick. As soon as the Dragonite grabbed Krookodile, Krookodile suddenly grabbed Celica, lifted her up in the air and slammed her hard into the ground, causing the entire center to shake. Krookodile then threw Celica with such strength into the counter that it crashed through the equipment and through the back wall that lead to the storage room full of Pokémon. The Pokémon inside scattered away and tried to hide amongst the wreckage to avoid the intense battle. Celica laid still in the debris, damaged heavily from Krookodile's counter.

"Finish her off Krookodile!" Krookodile charged to the back to finish off Celica. As Krookodile was about to Crunch down on Celica's head, Celica suddenly fired her Ice Beam at Krookodile, sending Krookodile flying back into the center. The ice cold feel of the beam caused severe damage to Krookodile, barely able to stand after that attack.

"C'mon you croc, get up!" shouted Torchwick.

"All right Celica, send these jokers flying!" Celica got up and rushed in with its Dragon Tail. With Krookodile barely able to move, Celica slammed its tail into Krookodile. Krookodile went flying into Torchwick and both got sent out of the Pokémon Center. Krookodile was no longer in condition to battle, and after that devastating attack, neither was Torchwick. Yang and Celica walked outside to finish the job.

"Could have saved yourself a lot of trouble Torchy," said Yang. "Now come quietly before Celica here gets really mad."

"You forget who you're talking to?" said Torchwick. Before Yang could respond, a bullhead suddenly showed up above as a group of White Fang grunts jumped down.

"Bring it on!" responded Yang. "Celica here can take you all out single-handedly!"

"Perhaps another time," said Torchwick. "Boys?"

One of the grunts called out a Skunktank. Celica was about to attack when the Skunktank suddenly sprayed a thick, nauseous Smokescreen that caused Celica and Yang to lose sight of them. As soon as the smoke cleared, the White Fang and Torchwick had already escaped into their bullhead and flew away from the area. Yang kicked the ground in frustration, upset that Torchwick had slipped through her fingers again.

The local authorities soon arrived and arrested the remaining White Fang members in the center. Yang went back inside to meet up with her fellow rangers Pyrrha and Coco.

"Well Torchwick escaped again," said Yang, "but overall I think we did pretty well."

"If you don't count the fact that you nearly wrecked this place," said Pyrrha.

"We need to make sure everyone's Pokémon here is accounted for," said Coco. "Yang, go to the back and assess the damage."

"Why me?" asked Yang.

"Because you caused it in the first place!" responded Coco. Yang sighed and went to the back.

Yang took out her scroll and quickly scanned all the Poké Balls in the back. Celica began to clear out the wreckage and gather all the loose Pokémon out of the center. As they continued to work on the back, Yang noticed something hiding in a dark corner. Curious as to what was over there, Yang went to the corner to find out. She shone her scroll's flashlight and noticed an Eevee balled up in the corner, eyes closed and body shaking.

"Hey there little fella, don't be scared," said Yang. "I'm a nice trainer. Come here."

The Eevee didn't respond. Yang reached over to grab the Eevee; the Eevee tried to move back but was already in the corner. Yang picked up the Eevee and tried to give it a reassuring hug. The Eevee stopped shaking but still kept its eyes closed, not fully trusting Yang just yet. Yang opened her scan app and analyzed Eevee; according to the scroll, this Eevee was one of the abandoned Pokémon that had no trainer.

"No trainer huh? Guess that means you're up for adoption. How'd you like to hang out with me for a while?"

"Yang!" shouted Coco. "Hurry up already!"

"Yeah yeah I hear ya," responded Yang.

As the rangers were going over the damage, on a rooftop across the center was a trainer dressed in nearly all black. She had followed the White Fang to the center and was about to intervene until the rangers appeared. She stayed to watch the entire incident go down, and now that it was over, she disappeared into the darkness.

#

In Beacon City, there is a boarding school named Beacon Academy that teaches children how to become Pokémon trainers along with their usual school subjects. Once a student graduated from Beacon Academy, they would get a starting Pokémon and begin their professional training career by journeying across the Vale region. Although anybody can become a trainer, only those who met certain qualifications can compete in the professional leagues. To become qualified, a trainer would have to earn a minimum of eight gym badges from leaders appointed around Vale. Today was graduation day at Beacon Academy, and so many trainers were now going to begin the first step in their long journey.

One of them being a girl by the name of Ruby Rose.

Despite Ruby's alarm blaring in the room, Ruby tried to cover her head with a pillow and get back to sleep. Not touching the alarm simply caused it to get louder and louder. Ruby gave up trying to get some sleep and slammed her fist on her alarm clock.

"Time for another boring day of classes," said Ruby. Still half asleep, Ruby got up and slowly headed to the washroom. Along the way she looked over at the calendar she pinned to her wall. She looked at the date to see which books she needed for today. "Let's see, today is Tuesday. So...wait." Ruby suddenly noticed she had written something on today's date. "Oh yeah, today's graduation day."

Still being half asleep, it took a few moments for Ruby to realize what she had just noticed. Ruby went back to the calendar and made sure she was reading it right.

"Today's graduation day?" said Ruby, double and triple checking to make sure she had the right date. "It is! It's graduation day!"

Ruby was now jumping up and down in excitement. She had been looking forward to this day since she started at Beacon Academy, and now, after four long years of studying, homework, group projects, and all sorts of boring nonsense, she was finally going to become a Pokémon trainer. Ruby quickly rushed into the washroom, showered, brushed her teeth, and got dressed all in record time. She usually took her time and didn't care about being a minute or two late to her classes, but she didn't want to miss a single minute of her graduation ceremony. Once she was done, she burst open her door with great enthusiasm.

"Good morning Beacon!" she shouted in the hallway.

"Morning sis!" someone replied. Ruby turned to see Yang waiting outside her dorm. Ruby was suddenly embarrassed that someone actually heard her.

"Oh, hey Yang," said Ruby. "What are you doing here?"

"Like I was going to miss my little sister's big day? You're finally going to become a trainer!"

"But don't you have ranger work to do?"

"I've got people covering for me."

"You say that every time you skip out on work."

"Hey, just because I take a few days off here and there doesn't mean I'm not a busy person."

As Ruby was about to retort about Yang's constant vacation time, she noticed Yang holding something in her arms. It was a small Pokémon sleeping in her arms.

"What's with the Pokémon, Yang?" asked Ruby.

"Oh, this little cutie?" said Yang. "White Fang attacked a center last night that houses abandoned Pokémon. This Eevee was amongst the abandoned, so I decided to adopt it for now."

"Why?"

"I don't know. It seemed really scared so I tried to comfort it, and well...I just couldn't let go after that."

The Eevee began to wake up, and turned over to see Ruby looking at it.

"Hey there, I'm Ruby," whispered Ruby, reaching out to pet Eevee.

"Careful Ruby," said Yang. "This Eevee might still be scared to be interacting with..." Yang stopped talking as Ruby softly petted Eevee's head. Rather than act scared, Eevee smiled and tried licking Ruby's fingers. Yang was surprised to see Eevee take a liking to Ruby right away.

"Hey, she seems to really like you," said Yang. Yang put Eevee down; the Eevee circled around Ruby and then rubbed up against Ruby's leg.

"Nice to meet you too Eevee," replied Ruby.

"Speaking of meeting Pokémon, don't you need to meet up with Ozpin to get your starter now?"

"Oh, right!" said Ruby. Ruby started running down the hall, not wanting to be late to her ceremony. Yang and Eevee quickly ran to try to catch up with her.

"Slow down sis!" shouted Yang.

Ruby ignored Yang's plea and continued speeding down the hallway. As she made her way outside, she suddenly bumped into someone and caused the both of them to fall to the ground. The person she bumped into was another graduation student, wearing an all white dress that matched her hair color.

"Whoops, sorry about that!" said Ruby. The other student got up and was livid.

"Watch where you're going you mindless dunce!" shouted the girl.

"I said I was sorry!" said Ruby.

"Instead of being sorry, how about paying for my laundry since you've ruined my dress?"

"Jeez lady, no need to overreact like that."

The other student was livid to hear this clumsy oaf refer to her as simply "lady."

"Lady? Do you know who I am, you idiot?" asked the other student.

"Let me guess, an annoying spoiled princess?" replied Ruby, getting sick of this other girl's attitude.

"You really are such a dunce! I am a member of the world prestigious Schnee family, Weiss Schnee!"

"Never heard of ya," retorted Ruby.

"Never heard of..." Weiss buried her face in her hands. "I don't think I have ever met someone as dumb as you."

"And I don't think I've ever met a jerk as rude as you!" replied Ruby.

Before things were about to escalate into a brawl, Yang and Eevee finally arrived on the scene.

"What's going on?" asked Yang.

"Princess here is throwing a fit over me bumping into her," said Ruby.

"To be fair Ruby, you should have watched where you were going."

"You're not helping sis!"

"I'd listen to her if I were you," said Weiss. "By the way, my name isn't princess, it's Weiss Schnee!"

"Schnee?" asked Yang. "As in the Schnee family?"

"Wait, you actually know her?" asked Ruby.

"FINALLY someone intelligent I can talk to!" replied Weiss.

"The Schnees are quite famous Ruby," said Yang. "They're the family behind Schnee Co., the company that makes tons of Pokémon items."

"Not to mention my father also happens to be, oh...the Vale region's Pokémon champion!" bragged Weiss.

"Seriously?" asked Ruby. "Her dad's the Pokémon champ?"

"Correction, WAS the champion," said Yang. "He reigned for nearly a decade until he recently stepped down to focus on his company full time."

"And it's only a matter of time before I take over for him," said Weiss. "Perhaps you'd like my autograph now so it becomes valuable once I'm crowned champion?"

"I think I'll wait until you actually become champ to get one," said Ruby. "Actually, IF you become champ."

"Your loss," said Weiss. "Now, if you excuse me, I have my graduation to attend to. I'll see you again at my championship coronation."

Weiss walked away as Ruby was fuming, eagerly wanting to tackle her again.

"I can't wait to put that obnoxious ice queen in her place!" said Ruby.

"Calm down sis," said Yang. "Acting like a hothead is not going to help you become the next champion."

"Say, how do you become champion in the first place?"

"Well first, you need to be a professional trainer," explained Yang. "That requires getting eight gym badges. Then if you want to challenge the champion, you first have to defeat all members of that's region Elite Four. After that, then you get to challenge the champion for the title."

"But wait," said Ruby. "Didn't you say that Schnee guy stepped down as champion? So now what happens?"

"This year, the committee decided to hold a tournament a few months from now. Any professionals registered before the tournament date will compete against the Elite Four. Anyone who beats the Elite Four will be entered in another tournament to determine the new champion. The tournament could wind up having any number of people compete. Heck, if only one person is able to beat the Elite Four, then that person automatically becomes the new champion!"

"All right!" said Ruby. "I'll get my badges, beat the Elite Four, and then become the new champion! I'll show that Schnee girl who the real dunce is!"

"Glad to see you're all fired up, but you need a Pokémon first, remember?"

Ruby suddenly realized she had wasted too much time, and started sprinting to the graduation ceremony.

#

All the graduating students stood at attention in the outdoor auditorium. The head professor of Beacon Academy, Professor Ozpin, took the stage to give his speech.

"Today is a special day for all of you. Today is the day you take your first step into your personal journeys. While every graduation here is special, this one is of great significance, as the Vale region is now looking for its next Pokémon League champion. Those of you who have chosen to become trainers here today could be that champion. Whether you decide to become a professional trainer, or breeder, or ranger, or any other endeavor, remember the key to succeeding in any of them is to be respectful of your Pokémon. The Pokémon you encounter and raise as your own will be more than just monsters that serve under you; they will become a part of you. Do not take your Pokémon for granted. Mistreating your Pokémon is not just a crime against your Pokémon; it is a reflection of what kind of person you really are. Congratulations, and may you succeed in your future endeavors."

Once the ceremony was complete, the graduates headed to the ballroom where everyone would be supplied with their starting kits, including their starting Pokémon of choice. Ruby was looking over her form, having trouble deciding who she wanted to start with.

"You'd better hurry up sis," said Yang. "It's first come first serve."

"I know, but I can't decide!" said Ruby. "I mean these Grass types look cool, but so do these Fire types, and the Water types! I don't know which to choose!"

As Ruby was racking her brain trying to make a decision, Yang's Eevee was trying to climb up Ruby's leg, wanting to be picked up. Yang picked up Eevee so it wouldn't bother Ruby.

"Sorry Eevee, Ruby's pretty busy right now," said Yang. Suddenly, Ruby had an idea.

"Wait a minute," said Ruby. "Yang, you said that Eevee doesn't have a trainer, right?"

"Not officially, no."

Ruby turned to the Eevee in Yang's arms. "Say Eevee, how would you like to go on a journey with me?"

"Wait a minute Ruby," said Yang. "I don't think this Eevee is up for traveling and fighting other Pokémon just yet."

"So I'll just have to try extra harder to make sure it is!"

"Ruby, I know you're excited to start training right away, but you should start with a Pokémon already able to fight."

"Sorry Yang, but I've made my decision! My starting Pokémon will be Eevee!"

Yang lifted Eevee up and stared into its eyes. "Well Eevee, it's up to you. Ruby here is going to go on a long treacherous journey, and she's going to need a strong Pokémon to back her up. Are you willing to be that Pokémon?"

Eevee turned her head towards Ruby. Eevee had only met Ruby nearly an hour ago, but for some reason, it felt safe being with Ruby, and it didn't want to leave her side. Eevee turned to Yang and nodded.

"Then it's settled," said Yang, handing Eevee over to Ruby. "Eevee is officially yours."

Ruby smiled as she held Eevee in her hands. Eevee was equally happy, constantly chanting its name in joy.

Ruby finished her paperwork and went to the registration desk. Waiting at the desk was none other than Ozpin himself.

"Hello Miss Rose," said Ozpin. "Excited to begin your journey are we?"

"More than anything!" said Ruby. Ozpin was going over the form and noticed Ruby had marked the spot where she would not be taking a starter Pokémon.

"No starter chosen I see," said Ozpin. "So I assume you already have one with you?"

"Yep!" said Ruby, holding up her newly acquired Eevee.

"Ah, an Eevee. That happens to be one of my favorites. Here, allow me to supply you a ball for it."

Ozpin reached under his desk and pulled out an empty ball to store Eevee in, but Eevee suddenly wriggled out of Ruby's hands and hid behind Ruby.

"Eevee, what's wrong?" asked Ruby.

"It appears to be scared of going inside a ball," said Ozpin. "That's usually a sign of a Pokémon that has been treated badly. Is there something I should know?"

"Well, I did kind of adopt it about a minute ago, but I swear it really likes me!"

"Starting with an adopted Pokémon is a big risk Ruby. Are you absolutely sure you want to start with Eevee?"

"Positive Mr. Ozpin!"

"All right then. Here's your starter kit."

Ozpin pulled out a small box containing five empty balls for capturing, three potions, and what looked like some kind of handheld tablet.

"What's that?" asked Ruby.

"This is a personal invention of mine," said Ozpin. "It's a Pokédex. It's a scroll I've modified to help trainers on their journey. The dex will help you identify Pokémon you've come across, provide a map of the region, and several other functions. Think of it as carrying a personal encyclopedia."

Ruby took out the device and pressed the power button. After it was done booting up, a ginger-headed girl suddenly appeared on the screen.

"Salutations trainer!" said the girl. "What's your name?"

"Ruby Rose. Who are you?"

"My name is Penny. I serve as the personal AI for the Pokédex. It will be a pleasure to help you!"

"Glad to have you aboard Penny," replied Ruby. Ruby took her kit and shook Ozpin's hand.

"Good luck Miss Rose," said Ozpin.

Ruby headed out of the ballroom and was ready to mark her first destination on her journey. As she was going through her Pokédex, she was approached by a familiar white-haired nemesis.

"You're seriously going to be a trainer?" asked Weiss. "I bet you don't even know the first thing about raising Pokémon!"

"I know plenty about raising them, ice queen!" responded Ruby.

"Oh really? What say we have a battle with our Pokémon right now?"

"A battle already? But we just got our Pokémon-"

"I thought so," said Weiss with a smug look on her face. Ruby had enough of Weiss' antagonizing.

"Fine!" said Ruby. "I accept!"

The two went to the nearest opening outside and got ready for battle.

"All right Eevee, time for our very first battle!" said Ruby. "We're going to show ice queen here what we've got!" Ruby's Eevee walked into the center of their battlefield.

"Really?" said Weiss. "That's your starter? This is going to be a breeze."

Weiss threw out her Poké Ball and out popped a small black dragon. Ruby took out her Pokédex to get more information.

Deino

Irate Pokémon

They cannot see, so they tackle and bite to learn about their surroundings.

"All right Eevee, Tackle that Deino!" yelled Ruby. As Eevee charged at Deino, Weiss laughed at Ruby's amateur tactics.

"Deino, Headbutt that furball!" commanded Weiss. Deino ran at Eevee and butted heads. Deino's size and strength outclassed Eevee and sent her flying back. Ruby was shocked to see a starting Pokémon have such strength at an early level.

"Now Deino, Dragon Rage attack!" Deino started to scream loudly and sent a strong shock wave at Eevee, sending Eevee flying back even further. Eevee was so damaged it was barely able to move.

"Eevee!" Ruby ran over to her Pokémon and picked it up. As Ruby was worrying for Eevee's health, Weiss laughed.

"Two attacks and you're already done!" said Weiss. "You really are a dunce of a trainer!"

"You cheated!" said Ruby. "How can your Pokémon be so strong at such a small level?"

"The Schnee family are the best Pokémon breeders in the world. I can't help it if my folks send me a starting Pokémon that just happens to outclass your poor little baby." Weiss reached into her pocket, pulled out some lien, and threw it at Ruby's feet. "Here's some money. Go buy yourself some more potions. Odds are you're really going to need it."

Weiss took back her Deino and laughed at how easy it was to beat Ruby. Ruby wanted nothing more than to grab that money and shove it down Weiss' throat, but she needed to get Eevee to a Pokémon Center immediately.

#

Ruby was in Beacon Academy's Pokémon Center, waiting for Eevee to fully recover. As she was moping in a chair in the lounge, she was approached by Yang and Ozpin.

"I heard you lost your first battle," said Ozpin.

"Maybe Weiss was right," said Ruby. "I let Eevee get annihilated back there. Maybe I'm not actually cut out to be a trainer."

"Ruby, it's only been one battle. You're not going to be good at anything if you decide to give up after one loss."

"Besides, that Deino was clearly too strong to be a starter Pokémon," said Yang.

"But if I can't beat Weiss now, what chance do I have even if I get better Pokémon?" asked Ruby.

"You'll just have to keep trying," said Ozpin. "Or perhaps you would like a new Pokémon. I still have a few left."

"Yeah Ruby," said Yang. "I know you like Eevee and all, but she's not ready to be a fighter just yet. Let's go pick out another Pokémon for you."

Ruby stood up from her chair. Yang and Ozpin walked out of the center thinking Ruby was going to follow, but Ruby remained where she was.

"No," said Ruby. "I've made my choice to start with Eevee, and I'm going to stand by my decision. I'm not going to let that Eevee get abandoned again because of my faults. I'll prove I have what it takes to become Pokémon League champion, and I'll do it with her!"

Ozpin smiled. "That's exactly what I wanted to hear. Before I go, I'll let you know that you should head to the Emerald Forest first. There you'll find plenty of low-level Pokémon to help boost your Eevee's strength, not to mention start forming your team."

"Thank you Professor Ozpin," said Ruby.

The nurse returned to the lounge with Eevee, fully recovered and ready to go.

"All right Eevee, you and I are heading to the Emerald Forest, and together we're going to get stronger! Before you know it, you and I are going to have eight badges and be in the Pokémon League! You ready to go?"

"Eevee!" replied Eevee.

"And hey," said Yang, "if you ever need help with anything, give me a call, all right?"

"I don't think we'll be doing that much, will we Eevee?"

"Eevee!" confirmed Eevee.

Ruby packed up her belongings and headed out en route to the Emerald Forest. Ruby's Pokémon journey had officially begun.