CHAPTER ONE: POKEMON THIEF.

"Mum?" I whispered, leaning over her body, which was sprawled across the pavement. Her eyes were closed, her breathing ragged, her chest rising and falling suddenly. The scratches that covered her body didn't look deep, but there were lots of them. Small trickles of blood were running down her arms and onto the path. "Mum!" I repeated, more urgently now. There was no reply, only the wind whistling through the trees on either side of us.

I looked around for help, my hand gripping her wrist, feeling her pulse. I was afraid to let go; for fear that I'd lose the pulse forever. There was no one here but me and my mum. I was only a short walk away from my hometown of Pallet Town, but I was scared to leave mum just lying in the road, so I stayed by her side, calling for help.

A few minutes later, I heard heavy footfalls coming towards me. I looked down the path, and a Karl appeared, his blonde hair shining in the sun. As he neared, he slowed down, coming to a stop just in front of me. He was out of breath, his cheeks a little red from his sprint. "Karl!" I said, relieved that someone was finally here to help me. His eyes widened as he took in the scene; me, kneeling next to my mum who was collapsed in the dirt. He opened his mouth to ask a question, but I spoke before he could say anything. "You have to get help!" I exclaimed, and he nodded, not saying a word, before turning on his heel and racing off again.

I breathed a sigh of relief, looking over my mum. She still managed to look beautiful, even if she was sprawled over the road. Her brown hair was fanned out around her face, framing her hazel eyes. Although she was unconscious, she still had the faintest of smiles on her face. I wiped off a smear of blood from her cheek, whispering that it would be okay. My hand was still on her wrist, the rhythm of her pulse keeping me calm somehow. It wasn't long before help came, in the form of Professor Oak. He was walking in front of Karl, his brisk pace forcing his grandson to jog a little to keep up.

Oak offered his hand and helped me to stand, before bending down to examine my mum's wounds. He muttered to himself as he assessed her, checking her breathing and pulse before standing again. "Is she ok?" I asked him, panic creeping into my voice. He nodded, his eyes hard. "A-aren't you going to do anything about her?" I said, worried.

"She was attacked by a wild Pokémon. She'll be fine," he replied, reaching into his coat pockets. He pulled out some bandages, then knelt down again, turning his back to Karl and I. He shot me a wary look, as if apologizing for his grandfather's behavior. I watched what the Professor was doing. He wrapped the bandages around my mum's arms, and placed some pads onto the most serious scratches on her head. Then he stood up. "Now, we just have to wait," he said. "She'll come round soon."

A few hours later, I was stood in the kitchen, my mum sat at the kitchen table, thanking Oak and Karl for their help. Oak said a few words, then ushered Karl out of the door. As soon as the door had shut, my mum burst into tears. Shocked, I reached out to comfort her, but she pushed my hand away, her head in her hands.

"Mum?" I said quietly, a little scared of what she might do. The only time I'd ever seen her like this before was when dad died. I tried not to think about that. Mum looked up at me, her eyes glittering with tears.

"I did something… something I should have, Mia," she said, her voice weak. "I stole one of the Professor's Pokémon," she whispered. Her cheeks went scarlet, and she burst into floods of tears again. I didn't know what to say as she reached into her bag and pulled out a small, spherical object. She opened her hand, allowing me to see what it was. It was a Pokeball. I gasped as I realized that, inside, was the stolen Pokémon

"You're going to take it back… R-right?" I asked, my voice cracking. Mum didn't reply as she thrust the Pokeball towards me. "M-mum?" I said. She looked me straight in the eye, and shook her head.

"I can't. This morning, I was trying to escape with the Pokémon, scared I was going to be caught. But I was attacked by a wild Pokémon, and I didn't know what to do," she explained. I tried to take all this information in. My mum had stolen one of Oak's Pokémon, and then tried to escape from Pallet Town but had gotten attacked by a wild Pokémon, and ended up unconscious on the ground. It was hard to believe. My mum had always been such an honest and caring person. It was difficult to accept that she was a thief.

"So… What do you want me to do?" I asked her. At first she didn't reply, just looked down at the table, her eyes full of shame.

"I want you to take it back to the Professor," she replied, not looking at me. She chewed on her fingernail, which was something she usually told me off for. "Please?" she added, raising her gaze and holding the Pokeball out to me. I nodded in response, and she looked away, brushing a tear from her cheek. The Pokeball felt warm in my hands, as if it was alive.

"I'll be back soon," I promised her as I left the house, still clutching the little ball. I walked across to Prof. Oak's lab, the sun setting behind the trees. In half a minute, I'd walked across the damp grass to the lab, and was knocking on the door. A few seconds later, Oak opened it, looking troubled. "I-I've come to return something to you," I said as I went in.

"What is it, Mia?" Oak said, but something about the way he said it made me think he already knew what I was going to say. I held out the Pokeball in response, but Oak didn't take it. "Ah, yes," he said. I was confused, and Oak could obviously tell, as he explained more. "Your mother took that from my lab this morning… I suppose she had her reasons. I'm glad you returned it, Mia." I nodded as he reached out to take the Pokeball. He grabbed it, then slipped it into his pocket. "Mia… I know why your mum took that Pokeball from my lab. She wanted to give it to you," Prof. Oak said.

"Why did she run away then?" I asked him, trying to get my head around why she would steal a Pokémon for me.

"I guess she was just overridden with guilt," the Professor said, shrugging. "I'm just glad she had the decency to bring it back to me," he added, giving a wry smile. I nodded, and turned to leave, when I felt his heavy hand on my shoulder. I faced him again. "Mia, I was going to give the Pokémon your mum stole to Karl," he said. I didn't know what to say, apart from sorry, but Oak continued before I could do anything. "I'd like you to come back here tomorrow morning, and tell me how your mum is doing. Ok?" Oak said. It was more of a command than a request.

"Of course, Professor," I replied, shifting my bag onto my other shoulder. Oak nodded. "Thank you, and goodbye," I said, turning for the door. This time, Oak let me leave, and I trudged across the grass back home. When I got in, all the lights were off downstairs, but there was sliver of light shining from upstairs. "Mum must be in bed," I muttered under my breath as I hung up my coat and bag. I went upstairs, tired and still a little confused, and got changed half-asleep before slipping under the covers. I fell asleep quickly, although the thoughts of Pokémon and thieves and the Professor still whirled around in my head.