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{{PokémonAdventuresInfobox
|title_en={{color|FFF|The Beginning}}
|title_ja=VSワシボン
|title_ro=VS Washibon
|image=ABW42.png
|chapter=Black & White
|volume=48
|number=502
|location=[[Nuvema Town]]
|prev_round=A Lost Melody
|next_round=Tooth and Claw
}}

'''The Beginning''' (Japanese: '''VSワシボン''' ''VS {{tt|Washibon|Rufflet}}'' or '''邂逅''' ''Encounter'') is the 502nd round of the [[Pokémon Adventures]] manga.

==Plot==
{{spoilers}}

Having crossed the [[Tubeline Bridge]], {{adv|Black}} continues on his journey towards [[Icirrus City]] accompanied by [[Iris]] and {{tc|Doctor}} Logan. After thinking about {{adv|White}}, Black looks at [[Musha]] and recalls the time they met, along with [[Brav]].

Five years old at the time, Black declares to his childhood friends, {{adv|Cheren}} and {{adv|Bianca}}, at the latter's backyard, that he wants to be the best [[Pokémon Trainer]] there is. [[Bianca's father]] comes calling, prompting Black and Cheren to hide her behind a fence. Bianca's father walks in, and is shocked to see that his {{p|Unfezant}} and {{p|Stoutland}} are injured, which means that they were subjected to a battle against each other. Fearing over what could have happened to his daughter, he retrieves his Pokémon and rushes back into his house. 

Black, Cheren and Bianca come out of hiding. The former is upset that Bianca's father took his Pokémon with him. Bianca reveals to her male friends that her father had told her to stop playing with them, especially Black, who her father deems to be too hyperactive. But, she wanted to remain friends with Black and Cheren, therefore decided to go against her father. Cheren, feeling the same way, decides that he and Black would confront Bianca's father over this. 

Yet, all that they receive in return is the threat of banishment from Bianca's home. Hearing this, Bianca cries loudly. Her father tries to comfort her with the offer of other nice things, and starts to take Bianca away. Black thinks for a while, and decides to tell her father that, instead of borrowing Pokémon from adults, he could borrow books about Pokémon that he can read. Thus, Bianca's father lets Black continue to visit Bianca in order to read his books. 

A few days pass, and Black is at Bianca's home having finished reading the last of her father's books about Pokémon. Black then calls to Bianca's father again, asking for directions to the library, and soon enough, Black's new routine is to visit [[Nuvema Town]]'s local library with Cheren and Bianca every day. Black slowly gathers a list of what he has learned, and one day goes over to Bianca's home to tell her and Cheren about it. 

After going through what he knows about the [[Pokémon League]] challenge, Cheren doubts whether his parents would allow him to take part in it. Black impatiently responds that it would be a challenge for someone who has yet to attend elementary school. He would have to travel in order to collect the [[Gym]] [[Badge]]s, therefore he would need a convenient excuse to go travelling. Black and Cheren then hear a broadcast on television. Bianca recognizes the face on the TV as the person who lives next door to her: [[Cedric Juniper]], the famous professor of the region. During the broadcast, Juniper confirms that he is working on a [[Pokédex]] which can collect and record information about wild Pokémon. Juniper also declares that he will recruit younger people to do the job for him.

Black sees this as the perfect excuse to go on a journey, and starts to drag Cheren out of Bianca's house in order to ask him for Juniper's whereabouts. Cheren protests, saying that Black would most likely be refused a Pokédex due to his age. He adds that even if he was offered one, an adult would have to be informed about it, which is most likely Bianca's father, who will in turn refuse to let him go on a journey.

Black replies with his understanding, but also voices his worry that he might miss out on selection. Cheren says that it would still be some time before the Pokédex is officially rolled out. However, Black says he cannot wait to receive a Pokédex, and his mind starts wandering. At this moment, Bianca steps up and notices that Black may have a better chance of getting selected if he has a Pokémon of his own, thus promises that she will go look for a Pokémon that Black can catch and make his own.

Cheren, knowing that Bianca's idea would only get her in trouble, tries to stop her, but by then she has already wandered into [[Unova Route 1|Route 1]]. While looking around in the tall grass, she treads on something. A wild {{p|Rufflet}} appears, and chases Bianca around the grass, even managing to {{m|pluck}} her hair at times.

Cheren hears Bianca's cry for help and tries to get Black to follow him to Route 1 to save her. But, Black remains dazed, so Cheren goes to rescue Bianca himself. He then hears a chomping sound, and turns around, only to see a {{p|Munna}} on Black's head.

==Major events==
* {{adv|Black}} has a flashback of when he met [[Musha]] and [[Brav]] nine years prior.
* Black manages to convince [[Bianca's father]] to let him study Pokémon so that he and {{adv|Cheren}} will be allowed to play with {{adv|Bianca}}.
* Black learns about the {{un|Pokémon League}} and tries to find a way to get a [[Pokédex]].
* Bianca decides to help Black capture a Pokémon, only to disturb a wild {{p|Rufflet}}.
* A wild {{p|Munna}} is attracted to Black's dreams and eats them for the first time.

{{Adventuresevents}}
{{endspoilers}}

===Debuts===
====Pokémon debuts====

==Characters==
===Humans===
* {{adv|Black}}
* {{adv|White}} (fantasy)
* {{adv|Cheren}} (flashback)
* {{adv|Bianca}} (flashback)
* [[Iris]]
* [[Cedric Juniper]] (flashback)
* [[Bianca's father]] (flashback)
* {{tc|Doctor}} Logan

===Pokémon===
* {{p|Braviary}} ([[Brav]]; {{adv|Black}}'s; fantasy)
* {{p|Munna}} ([[Musha]]; {{adv|Black}}'s)
* {{p|Stoutland}} ([[Bianca's father]]'s; flashback)
* {{p|Unfezant}} ([[Bianca's father]]'s; flashback)
* {{p|Rufflet}} (later {{adv|Black}}'s; flashback)

==Trivia==
* When this round was collected into {{PAV|48}}, [[Iris]] and {{tc|Doctor}} Logan were added walking with {{adv|Black}} and [[Musha]].
* In the [[VIZ Media]] mini-volumes of the {{chap|Black & White}}, this round was collected in {{Vol|Pokémon Black and White|13}}.
* In the Kurokawa translation from {{pmin|France}}, this round was released in {{OBP|Pokémon Black and White volume 6|France}}.

==In other languages==
{{Epilang|color=C3C3C3|bordercolor=2C2C2C
|zh_cmn={{tt|VS 毛頭小鷹 - 邂逅|VS Rufflet - Encounter}}
|fr_eu={{tt|La jeunesse des héros 1|The Youth of the Heroes 1}}
|de={{tt|VS. Geronimatz - Schicksalhafte Begegnung|VS. Rufflet - Fateful Encounter}}
|ko={{tt|VS 수리둥보|VS Rufflet}}
|pt_br=VS Rufflet - {{tt|Encontro|Encounter}}
|es_eu={{tt|Contra Rufflet|VS Rufflet}}
|vi = VS Washbon - Tình cờ
}}
{{-}}
{{Project Manga notice}}

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