"Stacy! Get up, or you'll be late for school!"

"Coming, mother!"

Stacy had almost slept in again. School had just started for the ten year old, so she was still getting used to getting up early. Of course, she didn't mind. She loved going to school and learning about all the different subjects...especially Pokemon. She wanted to be a Pokemon master when she was older, and already had her first Pokemon, a female Eevee named Ally. Like Stacy, Ally was always in a good mood and was fun to be around.

Stacy went into the kitchen, only to find her mother giving her a stern look, her hands on her hips. "Stacy, we had a talk about this. You can't be sleeping in on school mornings. You wouldn't want to get into trouble for being late to class, would you?" Stacy sighed and nodded. "No, I wouldn't..."

Her mother nodded. "Good. Hurry and eat your breakfast and get ready, now." She turned to walk out of the kitchen and left.

Stacy ate her breakfast quickly. She made sure not to waste any time getting ready either so she wouldn't be late. After she gathered all of her things, she left. Stacy preferred to walk to school, as it wasn't very far from her home. She liked to walk through the woods on the way. She had always loved the woods. It is there that she had first caught Ally, using her mother's Pikachu. She wanted to catch more Pokemon as well, but her mother told her that she wasn't ready to take care of more than one Pokemon just yet.

Stacy signed at the thought of that. She loved Ally, and saw her as her best friend. But she had seen the older kids and how they had big, powerful Pokemon. She wanted to be like them one day, but sometimes felt that her mother was holding her back. "I'll show you one day, mom...", she thought to herself. She walked deeper into the woods. But something didn't seem right. She couldn't put her finger on it, but as she kept waking, she began to smell something. It was very faint, but it smelled a bit like copper. She kept walking, and the smell got slightly stronger. She followed the smell, and as it got even stronger, she came to realize that this wasn't copper...

It was blood.

Stacy began to run. She knew that whatever the blood was coming from, it was either dead or on the brink of death. It had to be, the smell was too strong for it to be anything less. And Stacy couldn't ignore it. She kept running, until she came upon something that stopped her in her in her tracks. She gasped, and her jaw dropped at what she saw.

There, lying in front of her, was a bleeding, badly wounded Riolu. Whatever had happened to it, it was very recent, as the blood was still very fresh. This was no doubt what she had been smelling. She started to panic. She didn't know what to do. She opened up her bag and got out a spare Pokeball. She tossed it at the Riolu, encapsulating the little Pokemon. As it wasn't even conscious, it was a quick catch. She put the Pokeball back in her bag and ran to the nearest Pokemon center. She didn't care if she would be late for school. She knew that this Riolu's life depended on her, and she wasn't about to let it die. She soon arrived at the Pokemon center and rushed inside. The nurse looked at her in confusion.

"Slow down, sweetie, what's the rush?"

"Nurse Joy, I found a Riolu in the woods! It's really, really hurt!" Stacy opened up her bag and took out the Pokeball containing the Riolu. "I don't know if it's going to survive! It needs help, and fast!"

Nurse Joy's eyes widened. "Okay, calm down. We'll take care of the problem, don't you worry..." She took the Pokeball from Stacy and went through the back door, out of Stacy's sight. Stacy sighed as she sat down in the waiting room. She was worried about the Riolu. What if it couldn't be saved? She didn't know if she could ever forgive herself if it didn't make it. She looked at the clock. She still had time to get to school, if she ran. She went back to the front desk, where Nurse Joy had just returned after giving the Riolu to the other nurses.

"Nurse Joy, I've got to get to school. Will you promise me you will take care of the Riolu until I come back?"

Nurse Joy gave her a warm smile. "We'll make sure of it. That Riolu is in good hands."

Stacy smiled back. "Thank you." She then turned to leave and walked out the door. She ran as fast as she could to school. She ran up the steps and inside the hallway, and made it with barely 30 seconds to spare. She sighed in relief as she entered the classroom. Mr. Glenboski, her history teacher, gave her a stern look. "That was a close call, Stacy. Try to be quicker next time. I don't want to have to mark you tardy again."

"Yes, Mr. Glenboski...". She sighed and sat down at her desk, next to her friend, Amber. Amber looked at her with a worried look. "Hey, Stacy. You look worried. Is something wrong?"

Stacy shook her head. "No, I'm fine. Just a little tired, I guess." Amber nodded, and soon, class began. Mr. Glenboski began teaching about the history of Pokemon training. After the period was finished, class ended, and the students moved on to their next class.

As the day went on, Stacy couldn't stop thinking about the Riolu. She really hoped that it would be okay. She also wondered if her mother would let her keep it, or at least let it stay for a while. She didn't want to let it go and risk it getting hurt again...

When the bell rang and it was time to go home, Stacy went back to the Pokemon center, where Nurse Joy was waiting for her. "Hey, sweetie. We took care of your Riolu. It was tough, but we were able to restore it to full health."

Stacy smiled with relief. "Thank you so much. I was so worried about it..."

Nurse Joy smiled as she gave Stacy the Pokeball containing the Riolu. "Just doing our job, is all. You be careful with it, now. I wouldn't recommend releasing it just yet..."

Stacy sighed. She still wasn't sure about what her mother would say. "Yes, Nurse Joy. Thanks again...". She put the Pokeball in her back and ran home. She couldn't wait to see the Riolu fully healed.