The player is a young Trainer from Pallet Town in the Kanto region who sets out on a journey after receiving a starter Pokémon and a Pokédex from Professor Oak, who asks them to help record every kind of Pokémon. Traveling across the region, the player captures and trains Pokémon and challenges Gym Leaders to earn badges that grant entry to the Pokémon League. Along the way, a friendly rival repeatedly tests the player's team, and the criminal group Team Rocket must be stopped as they scheme to exploit Pokémon for their own ends.