Gold stepped off of the S.S. Aqua's ramp onto the paved pier; after a fortnight at sea, he had finally arrived at Castelia City in Unova. Even the pictures he had seen of the city didn't diminish the awe he felt as he gazed up at the massive skyscrapers, dwarfing those of both Goldenrod City and Saffron City. Despite his desire to instantly explore the immense city, he first turned his steps to the Pokémon Centre, as he had been engaging in many casual Pokémon battles with other passengers throughout the cruise. As the Pokémon Centre was clearly signposted, he found his way there in no time, and once his Pokémon had been healed he made his way further into the city via Mode Street, where he decided to try one of Unova's specialties – the Casteliacone. Ice cream in hand, he headed north until he reached the city's central plaza, sitting down on a bench and looking out across the beautiful parkland to the large fountain at its centre. It was now the height of summer, so the plaza was crowded with people, from couples taking a romantic walk to children playing with Pokémon as their parents watched over them. The Pokémon in particular caught Gold's eye – having never been to Unova before, most of them were entirely unfamiliar to him, which filled him with fresh excitement as he wondered what his latest adventure had in store for him. In a few hours, he was meant to be meeting a girl called Bianca, the aide of the local Pokémon professor, Aurea Juniper. Bianca was supposed to escort him to Nuvema Town, where the professor would register Gold in Unova's Pokémon League. From there, he would travel to Striaton City and challenge the newly-reopened gym. And then…

As he was daydreaming, Gold was stirred from his reverie when he realised that a person was walking towards him from out of the crowd. The man appeared to be only a few years older than Gold, and about as tall, with long green hair tied back in a loose ponytail beneath a baseball cap. In his arms he carried a Pikachu, whose ears and nose twitched as it watched Gold. Gold stood up as the man walked up to him with a smile.

"My friend tells me that you know of the one who is both human and Pokémon," the man said hurriedly.