Alfred, at the ripe age of nine, had decided that he was going to be a Pokémon Master, much like every other boy and girl his age. He'd grown up surrounded by the creatures, and had developed a fondness for them. He didn't have any of his own, he wasn't old enough, but his mother ran a gym and had a team of her own. She specialized in psychic types, which was cool and all, but Alfred decided he wouldn't have any, as her Mr. Mime was rather unsettling.

Alfred frequently visited a park near his house, a popular spot for younger children. They were able to train their pokémon without having to leave home. Some parents held their children back a few years for a better education, so the park was a good place to learn, and really bond with their team. Alfred was walking there now, and sped up into a jog as he approached the entrance gate. After taking a breath, He pushed it open, and went inside. Shutting it behind him, he wandered down the thin dirt path, looking from side to side. It wasn't as busy today, with just a few trainers spread out along the fields. One, however, got his attention.

It was a boy he'd never seen before, standing at the top of a hill with just two pokémon beside him, unlike the others that had upwards of four. Most trainers even had a full team of six. He was in shorts and a chunky, heavy sweater. It was green, with an argyle design across it. As Alfred approached, he noticed the boy's shaggy blond hair, and determined green eyes. There was a pokémon beside him, a cute (albeit a bit overweight) Bulbasaur, which was snacking on a small pile of berries he'd probably been rewarded.

As for the other pokémon, it was busy training, and it was an Eevee. Kind of a runt, too, it was definitely smaller than most of it's kind. It had a bag of straw between it's teeth, and it was too big for the creature to move, or even drag. Alfred could hear the trainer shouting encouragement, but in the end the Eevee couldn't move the bag any further.

Neither the trainer nor the pokémon seemed discouraged, though, and the boy called out a new command. The eevee dropped the bag, and scratched at it instead, until it was nearly shredded. It then shook, fluffing out it's fur and running over to the trainer, who beamed, and picked it up while giving praise.

Alfred blinked, and then grinned, waving and as he ran up the hill. "Hey!" He called out in greeting, making the Bulbasaur look up and the trainer jolt a bit.

"Um..hello there," The boy greeted, setting his Eevee down with a delicate hand.

Alfred beamed, rocking back and forth on his heels. He knelt down to pet the Bulbasaur, looking up at the trainer with a sort of awe, and excitement. "Your Eevee was great, and your Bulbasaur looks super strong too! You must be a really, really good trainer, what's your name? How old are you? Are you gonna be a pokémon master?" He rambled, speaking quickly, and the trainer seemed a bit overwhelmed.

"Um, Arthur, and, eleven. I don't know about being a master, I'm only training my pets." The trainer answered, responding to Alfred's questions in order. "Thank you, though. Eevee is small, but that's okay, because we just find new ways to accomplish our goals." He smiled a bit, and Alfred nodded.

"That makes sense! Do you have any other pokémon?" Arthur shook his head, but Alfred wasn't deterred in the least. "Well that's okay! My mom has lots, she's a gym leader, you can come see them sometime if you want to. They're all psy-chic types," Alfred was careful to pronounce the word the right way, as they were his mother's specialty. "She's got lots that are pretty cool, she's got and Espeon and an Alakazam.. I don't like her Mr. Mime though, even if he is friendly." Arthur smiled, and gave a nod, sitting down on the grass next to Alfred. He sat with the other boy for quite a while, petting the pokémon and chatting.

"So! What're you gonna evolve your Eevee into?" Alfred asked, grinning. "I think Jolteon is the coolest! I bet your Eevee would be a great one." He suggested, and Arthur shrugged.

"I don't know yet. I only want Eevee to get stronger right now, we can worry about evolution later." He answered, scratching the pokémon behind the ear. He sat for only a few minutes more, and then looked at the gate, finding a man standing there and waving to him.

"That's my father- I have to go." Arthur put both Bulbasaur and Eevee back in their pokeballs, and ran down the hill, going to the gate and leaving with the man.

Alfred ran into Arthur a few more times after that, but then Arthur stopped coming to the park completely. Alfred wondered if he'd moved away, and assumed that he did, as he never saw him anywhere else either. Arthur never did get to see Alfred's mom's pokémon. The younger boy was upset by this for a while, but, over time, his memory faded from his mind, and by his tenth birthday he hardly ever thought about him.

Alfred raced to the Professor's house, his mother following him to make sure he didn't get into trouble. It would be just like Alfred to flood or burn something the second he got his starter. The second Alfred laid eyes on Charmander, he chose it, much to the worry of his parents. Leave it to their son to pick the most dangerous pokémon out of the three.

Unlike Arthur, who trained near his home, Alfred wanted to begin his pokémon journey right away. He was already eager to collect badges, even if he only had one pokémon. His parents made him stay behind a few years, but when their cheerful, optimistic boy turned fifteen, they let him go. And then, Alfred was all but running down the path, a charmander at his side as he began his journey.