I hear the kids at school talk about Pokémon all the time, traveling all over the Unova region, become Pokemon masters at the age of ten. They all had great stories to tell, yet here I was, fourteen, and still stuck in school, probably never to have an adventure of my own. So often I heard the utter disbeliefs of my peers, who usually answered with a chorus of "whys".

The truth of it is, my dad died when I was six due to a vicious Bouffalant stampede. Ever since then, my mom has been afraid to let me out of the house, let alone go on a Pokemon journey by myself. Do I tell the kids in my class though? No, because I don't want a pity party to be following me around. I'm sure some of you can relate.

Today was a particularly bad day at school. For whatever reason, the topic came up frequently today. The fact that Sam Tulp had never went on her journey seemed to shock people more than ever. First it was the paper in writing class, where we were supposed to tell about our favorite memory from out adventure. I had to awkwardly explain to my teacher that I had never been on one, and she asked why. I told her what I told everyone else, I missed the date to get my Pokemon and they ran out, which everyone seemed to buy. She told me to write about my favorite Pokemon instead.

I wrote about an Oshawott. I like the way it used the shell on its body as a weapon. I also liked the way it gradually evolved into a strong four legged stance in the final evolution. I was into describing the looks of the Oshawott when I felt someone tap me on the back. I turned around to find it was Josh Havoc, the school jerk. He was big and tall, and had jet black hair with a red streak down the middle. I'm not one to usually judge by looks, but he looks like a bully. The worst part is that he has four gym badges, the most out of anyone in our class. I could tell whatever was going to come out of his mouth was not going to be good.

"Hey loser," he told me. "Why do you bother to write about Pokemon when you're never going to have one anyways?"

It was true, I wrote about Pokemon all the time. It's always filled a void I had with never leaving the house and all.

"I don't know, why do you bother breathing when you know you're eventually going to die?" I countered. The smirk faded from his face.

"Listen here you little punk. Just remember that I have Pokemon and you don't, so before you open your mouth again let me just remind you that I know where you live, and you could not wake up tomorrow morning."

I turned around and continued my story. There was no point in getting into it with Josh; things were just going to end badly. The class ended and I turned in my paper. Nothing particularly bad happened until about lunch, when I got tripped in the lunch line. It kind of happened in slow motion, Josh's foot sticking out and me falling face first into the foreign food substance on my face. I heard everyone in his group of friends burst out laughing, and the suppressed snickers of my other classmates.

"Aw poor baby," Josh teased. "Why don't you have your deranged mommy put a band-aid on it? Oh yeah that's right, you can't afford one."

This got a howl of laughter from everyone. Now please note reader that I'm usually a calm person, but when people make cracks about the fact that my mother hasn't left the house for eight years, it gets to me fast. I stood up and wiped the slimy food off my clothes. Josh still wasn't done laughing when my fist made contact with his jaw.

The lunchroom was silenced. I was feeling pretty proud of myself when I felt the hand on my shoulder. I turned around to someone who I automatically knew was the principal.

"Both of you. To my office. NOW," he screamed.

…..

"Sam Tulp, it's your fist day of high school, and you're already getting in a fist fight?!" Mr. C screamed at me.

I sat in the principal's office next to Josh, who held an ice pack to his face.

"I've heard things about you Miss. Tulp. You have a record at the elementary and middle school and I'm not tolerating it here! Therefore as a punishment, I'm going to suspend you for a week."

"What?!" I protested. Had this guy never heard of a warning before?

"You know you deserve this Miss. Tulp. Deep down I know you do. As for you Mr. Havoc, you're free to go. Give your father my best."

"That's not fair! He provoked me!" I argued as Josh left.

"We don't punish students for telling the truth," Mr. C said flatly. "You're free to go."

I got up and left, I figured I didn't want to get into more trouble than I already was in. I had been suspended on my first day of school. How was I going to tell my mother? I decided that I wasn't, it was probably for the best. I walked out of the school building to find my best friends Luke, waiting to walk home with me. Today he was wearing a maroon T-shirt and black jeans, the autumn breeze blowing through his sandy, blonde hair. He saw me and his face lit up.

"Hey short stuff, ready to go?" he said. I wasn't short, he was just really tall. He was about Josh's height, but instead of big built, he was a beanpole. Still, he looked intimidating. I could only walk home alone if I was with him. We started to walk the ten miles to my house.

"So Sammy, was your first day as good as mine?" he said sarcastically. That made me smile for the first time today. Then I remembered how my first day actually went, and the smile faded.

"Suspended," I said, looking away.

"Yeah I figured. I saw that punch. It was a nice one."

Luke always knew what to say. He never asked for details or made a big deal about anything. I don't think I've mentioned this, but Luke didn't go on a journey either. He was afraid of Pokemon until about last year, when his mom finally got him some therapy. By that time though, it was too late to start a journey. We avoided the topic as much as possible, which was the opposite of what other people wanted to talk about.

We walked in silence for a while. It was a beautiful autumn day, the colorful leaves mixing in with the wind. I tried to think about the year to come, how horrible my high school career was going to be. I was in the middle of my thoughts when I heard a shrill scream. Me and Luke exchanged looks before running in the direction of the sound.

A little girl was laying on the ground, a man standing above her.

"Keep your mouth shut! You're going to give me the Pokémon or you're going to pay the price! Take your pick!"

"Hey!" Luke shouted. "Why don't you pick on somebody you own size?"

The man looked up in shock, and then a smirk came across his face.

"Ah, trying to play hero kid? Why don't we have a little battle then? Go, Watchog!"

The man threw a Poke ball, and a tall, rat like Pokémon emerged. Luke backed away in fear.

"W-w-we don't have Po-Pokémon," Luke stammered out. His cool and collected demeanor had faded. The man smiled wide, exposing his yellow and crooked teeth.

"Even better!" he squealed. "Get them!"

The Watchog sauntered near us; fangs bared and ready the strike. I grabbed Luke's arm, knowing this was probably the end. I closed my eyes and awaited the pain. This is what my dad must have felt before he died, an angry Pokémon ready to charge. I guess I was my daddy's little girl after all.

Suddenly out of nowhere, a dog like Pokémon called Stoutland jumped in front of us. The Watchog backed up out of shock, as well as its master.

"I thought you didn't have any Pokémon you little brats!" he screamed.

"They don't but I do."

A woman in a long lab coat appeared behind us. Her hair was tied up in a bun. In her hand was a regular Poke ball. This is where the Stoutland must have come from!

The man looked at the woman in shock.

"Professor Juniper! If I had known you were around I never would have…"

"Save your breath criminal, and get out of here before I call Officer Jenny," she said with distaste. The man ran away, taking his Watchog with him.

"Nobody was harmed right?" said Professor Juniper. Her serious and intimidating personality was gone as quickly as it had come.

Everyone was fine apparently. The little girl thanked us and the Professor (even though I hadn't really done anything) and left with her Pokémon. Professor Juniper turned to us.

"I believe we haven't been formally introduced. I am Professor Juniper, and I am this regions Pokémon professor. You are…"

I and Luke introduced ourselves.

"Now please don't mind my prying, but I overheard you two don't have Pokémon?"

"No madam, we never got to go on our journey for different reasons," I answered.

Professor Juniper shook her head. "It's probably for the best. I always have eager ten year olds coming to me looking for a great adventure, only to turn around and have to come home after the going gets tough. The smarter ones wait till they're older and know more about the world. Tell you what, you guys are what, fourteen, fifteen? I'll make you a special offer. Come to my lab tonight, I need special trainers to help me with a task, if it's okay with your parents."

I knew it wouldn't be with mine at all. I was about to answer, but I made the mistake of looking at Luke first. He had this light in his eyes that I hadn't seen in a long time. Maybe he had been waiting for a moment like this every since he had gotten over his fear. I wasn't about to let him down.

"We'll be there."

…

When I got home, my mom hugged me so hard my back cracked. Our house was about the size of an apartment, probably smaller. We didn't have a TV, or a computer, and hot running water was a sometimes.

"I thought something had happened, it's forty seconds after four o'clock and…SAM,"

I hugged her back, she gets so worried about me, but not as worried as she's going to get when I drop this bomb shell.

"How was your first day? Do you like your teachers? Why were you late home? Did you…"

"Mom, Professor Juniper wants me to go on a Pokémon adventure for her."

She stopped talking and looked at me seriously.

"Absolutely not. You know I told you that you could never go on a Pokémon journey."

I was prepared to argue. "Why though? I'm fourteen! Everyone besides me and Luke went on their journey and came back safe and sound!"

"How far did they really go though? Straiton City, get their Gym badge and turn back? Professor Juniper is probably talking about all of Unova!"

"Luke is coming with me! I'll be fine mom I promise!"

"I DON'T CARE THAT LUKE IS GOING WITH YOU! YOU'RE NOT GOING!"

"You never let me live my life you know that? I have to have some experience outside of Nuvema!"

"YOUR FATHER SAID THE SAME THING AND LOOK WHERE HE'S AT. HE'S DEAD SAM! WHAT AM I SUPPOSED TO DO IF I LOST YOU TOO?"

Boom goes the dynamite. It always ended up with dad. Dad died because blah blah blah. I ran to my room, which was the attic upstairs, and locked the door. Why didn't she understand how bad I wanted this? Tears fell down my face and hit the wooden floor. I realized now what I had to do. My life wasn't hers to control, and sometimes you have to take a little risk.

My bags were packed with most of the clothes I owned, twenty Poke dollars, a sandwich, and my journal. My hat was one that covered my ears, and I put on my dad's old jacket. I brushed my long blonde hair out of my face, prepared as I'll ever be. I left a goodbye note to my mother explaining my destiny and why I had to leave. I then climbed out the window and scaled the planks on our beaten down shack of a house, starting my new journey and life as a Pokémon trainer.