Chase/Elaine

Chase/Elaine
Species	Human
Hair color	Variable
Eye color	Variable
Relatives	Mother
Voiced by	Unknown (Elaine, 2023)
Debut	Pokémon: Let's Go, Pikachu!/Eevee!

Chase/Elaine is the playable protagonist featured in the Pokémon: Let's Go! games. As with past games, because the character's gender is chosen by the player, Chase is the name used to refer to the male version of the character, while Elaine is the female version. In these remakes, they take the place of Red from the original versions of the first generation games.

Background

Chase/Elaine was a child who lived at Pallet Town with their mother. They were close friends with a neighbor named Trace, who apparently looked out for Chase/Elaine for most of their friendship. One day, Chase/Elaine and Trace were called to Professor Oak's laboratory to choose their first Pokémon. The professor was not in the lab when they arrived, so Chase/Elaine checked Route 1 instead and got caught in an encounter with a wild Pokémon (a Pikachu in Let's Go, Pikachu! or an Eevee in Let's Go, Eevee!). Oak saw this as an opportunity to teach Chase/Elaine how to catch a Pokémon. Under the professor's instruction, they were able to catch the Pokémon, although its Poké Ball bounced away to join the other two Poké Balls at Oak's lab. There, Chase/Elaine ended up getting that Pokémon as their starter Pokémon. It was also found that the Pokémon did not like staying in a Poké Ball and so accompanied the trainer outside of the Poké Ball at all times.

With that, the trainer began their journey as a Pokémon trainer. They traveled throughout the land of Kanto and took on the eight Pokémon Gyms in order to earn the eight badges needed to challenge the Pokémon League. He encountered Trace multiple times along the way. They battled each other several times to measure their progress, and Trace also helped him by giving him advice and items. They also met the past champion Blue several times. During their journey, Chase/Elaine ended up clashing with members of Team Rocket several times. The young trainer ultimately foiled their schemes and caused Giovanni to dissolve the organization. Blue thanked them for their work by giving Chase/Elaine a Key Stone and several Mega Stones, with which they could Mega Evolve their Pokémon. After collecting all of the eight badges, Chase/Elaine proceeded to the Indigo Plateau and defeated the Elite Four. Trace had beaten them there, and so Chase/Elaine had to battle him one more time for the championship. Chase/Elaine managed to win, and Professor Oak registered their Pokémon in the Hall of Fame, officially making them a champion.

Afterwards, Chase/Elaine had several optional adventures. They could travel to the Cerulean Cave and attempt to capture Mewtwo, They could also meet and battle Green. The gym leaders and Elite Four could also be rematched (with Blue being battled in place of Giovanni), and there were Master Trainers across Kanto who could be challenged. It was also possible for them to face off against the legendary trainer known as Red.

In Other Pokémon Games

In Pokémon Masters EX, Elaine and her Eevee appeared as a playable sync pair that could be recruited at random through the Sync Pair Scout feature during limited time periods, starting in November 2023. She was described as a trainer from Pallet Town with a partner Eevee that knew Special Techniques, implying that she was being treated as the Let's Go! protagonist within the game. Elaine was featured in the "Let's Go In Search of Wonder!" Story Event, in which she teamed up with the Poké Kid Eve to investigate rumors of a talking Eevee around Pasio. Along the way, they sought help from Penny, Professor Oak and Valerie. Although they did not find any conclusive answers, the event ended with Elaine alone hearing a mysterious message that was hinted to come from her Eevee, expressing its love for her.

Other Appearances

Other Media

• In a manga that tied in with the Let's Go! games, Chase appeared as the player character being controlled by a player named Hajime in Let's Go, Pikachu!.
• Elaine appeared in the eighth episode of the Pokémon Evolutions anime series, which was based on the Let's Go! games. She appeared when Green reached Mewtwo's lair and mistakenly threw a Poké Ball at her, as in the games. Elaine was shown as having just caught Mewtwo and used it in the following battle with Green. She was also seen accompanied by her partner Pikachu. She also appeared with Trace and Green at Professor Oak's laboratory at the end of the episode. In the episode's credits, she was simply referred to as "Player".

Trivia

• Chase and Elaine each have four different designs that can be chosen at the beginning of the game, which vary in terms of skin tone, eye color and hair color.