Professor Douglas (like Douglas Fir get it?) introduces you to the world of Pokemon and how humans and Pokemon live side by side. The normal Professor spiel. Then he asks if you’re a boy or girl, and what your name is.

After the Professor’s speech, you’re dropped into the world. Starting outside your house in Primisa Town, you watch your mother’s Pachirisu happily bound and play in the flowers before something catches its attention, causing it to bound off. Turns out it’s your mom, and the little diabetes machine takes its place at her side as she waves you hello, wishing you a happy birthday!

Your mom says that she just got done confirming everything with the Pokemon Adoption Center, and your birthday gift is ready whenever you are: your very own Pokemon! Before you can head off with her, she reveals that she has one more present, giving you a new pair of Running Shoes! (Press the B button etc)

You make your way up through the town to the Pokemon Adoption Center on the hill. Trees, boulders and pools of water dot the land around the white building and a fence extends off on both sides, curving around into the side of the rocky hillside. On the other side of the fence you can see steam rising from what you’ve been told are rejuvenating hot springs, perfect for relaxation for human and pokemon alike.

After walking through the automatic sliding doors, you make your way into the white-tiled lobby, and see two people. A portly, white-haired man with glasses (the Professor) and another kindly-looking woman.

You catch the tail end of the conversation as the Professor thanks the woman for looking after his Pokemon while he was away. As he leaves, he stops and says hi to your mom as an old friend would, and asks about you. Eventually, he turns to you and says that after getting your Pokemon, you should come to his lab in Molvada City because he has a favor to ask of you and apparently given your mom’s reputation as a former Trainer, you’re just the one for the job.

Finally the Professor bids farewell for now, and the lady that he was talking to steps forward to greet you.

Marjorie, the Pokemon Caretaker, leads you through the Center and stops in front of a window outside showing a bunch of Pokemon relaxing and playing in a little resort of a hot spring. She says that there are quite a number of Pokemon here, and she wants to make sure you get the one you really want out of all of the ones available. To do this, she presents three options.

1) Pokemon Personality Quiz: What kind of Pokemon are you? Marjorie asks you a series of personality questions to pair you with the right kind of Pokemon. At the end you’ll see the resulting Pokemon with basic stats and starting moves, with the option to start again if you want.

2) List Selection: You can scroll through the available Pokemon, tabbed by type, and pick the one you want. On the right side of the screen, you’ll see the selected Pokemon, again with the basic stats and the starting moves available to help you choose.

3) Random: Start with a random Pokemon! Why be picky? Roll with what you got! (You still get the stats and the option to start again, though.)

The list isn’t all-inclusive. Mostly, it’ll be Pokemon with at least one evolution and a full selection of types (aside from Ice or Dragon). There aren’t EVERY starter from the other games, but there are a few. This is all mainly to give you a choice and the feeling of really picking out your new best friend. Hopefully like if you were to go to get a pet at a shelter or whatnot. To make that connection.

After picking your new best friend, your mom asks Marjorie if she can borrow her own Pokemon. Seeing you with your new Pokemon has gotten her excited, and she wants to guide you through your first battle! Following which, she says goodbye to Marjorie and leads you through the whole speech of how she’s proud of you and how you’re growing up so fast etc etc. She heals your Pokemon and tells you that Professor Douglas is waiting for you in Molvada City, and you shouldn’t keep him waiting. Seeing as you don’t have any Pokeballs quite yet, your only option is to make your way through the Route towards the Professor’s laboratory.

Right before you can open the door to the lab, though, a boy with an Eevee rushes out the door, standing in your way. He asks if you’re here to see the Professor, too, and before you can say no, he hotbloodedly challenges you to a Pokemon battle!

You can win or lose the battle, it doesn’t matter. Afterwards, the spirited boy introduces himself as Gene and says that he’s going to become world renowned as the strongest trainer with his faithful companion Eevee at his side, and since he can sense your FIGHTING SPIRIT (?) he’s declared you to be his eternal rival. Before you can respond, he says that the first step is to get all the badges from the gym leaders in this region, and jets off to start his journey to greatness.

With that out of the way, you finally get to see Professor Douglas. He compliments you on your first Pokemon choice and says that he can already feel a bond forming between you two. He gives you the Pokedex and asks you to help catalog all of the Pokemon in this region for him. To help with this, he also gives you a set of Pokeballs so you can catch more along your journey.

Before leaving, the Professor also asks for your help in testing another project. Apparently he’s been studying a rare Psychic-type Pokemon that has a perfect memory. From his studies, he’s come up with a tool that can help a Pokemon RE-LEARN a move they’ve forgotten! It’s delicate, though, so it doesn’t work when a Pokemon’s brainwaves aren’t just right, like when it’s under stress (like in battle) or if the Pokemon dislikes you. However, with it, you can swap in and out the moves that your Pokemon learn along the way, helping a bit with strategy and making it so you don’t really need to rely on a move tutor.

Once you leave the Professor’s lab, you’re given a choice. The paths out of the city leading East and West will take you to two towns with Gyms. Beyond that, there are two more towns with two more Gyms, but to get access to the routes leading to those, you need at least ONE badge. It’s your choice which Gym you do first, and after your first choice, you have three to choose from before the next area becomes available with even more Gyms and events.

So yeah, that’s pretty much the start of the Pokemon game in my head. It’s pretty much all about choice and adventure. I don’t even think I would have a Team Rocket expy or anything like that. Just adventure and pure Pokemon stuff.

Just a little aside, your mother in the game is actually a former member of the region’s Elite Four. Through various points in the game, you can actually go back to see her and challenge her to increasingly difficult battles. In the FINAL battle with her, she actually uses the first Pokemon she ever got and the one that’s been with her the whole time: her Pachirisu. Who is a lvl 100 cuddly ball of murder and death.