"You two had better have a good explanation for this." The stern teacher woman was lecturing Vince and Roxette in the office.

"I….um…..we were…" Vince began sweating nervously, "Um…"

"Vince was trying to stop me." Roxette said calmly, "I deserve the blame."

"Is this true, Vince?" she asked the chubby boy, whose whole face was tinted red.

"Ummm…..yeah, I guess….?" Vince finally said.

"Right. Then I have one less phone call to make." She walked out into another room.

"Sorry, Roxette…" Vince apologised.

"Don't worry about it," Roxette smiled, "You're off the hook. I guess I won't be able to make it to Sam Kelley Town, but you can still follow your friend and your dreams."

Although Roxette was smiling, Vince could tell she was upset. He was about to ask something when they heard a sharp female voice.

"Roxette! Get over here!" whoever she was, she sounded very angry!

"I'll be fine, Vince. Don't worry about me." Roxette smiled one last time before standing up and departing the room.

Vince sighed before the teacher walked back in the room.

"Vince, I may seem strict, but that's only because I want people to do the right thing, ok?" she walked out again. Vince could hear two women talking and then footsteps becoming quieter.

A bustling woman in her 40s with short dark curly hair was rushing around her house doing chores when Vince walked in the door.

"Hello Vincey dear!" she beamed, "How was your day?"

"Um….." Vince didn't know what to say, "Mom, this might seem completely random, but can I go to Sam Kelley Town for a…?" he stopped. His mom wouldn't believe him if he said Pokemon.

"For a…..?" the mom repeated, confused.

"Umm…..you know my friend Rocky, right? Well, they're going to Sam Kelley Town for a, um…adventure!"

"What do you mean by 'adventure'?" she still seemed confused.

"Well…um, y'see, Rocky and I are 12, which is almost 13, which is the first teenager age! And teenagers are when you start to become more independent, like travelling alone and stuff!"

"You're only 12 though, like you said. You shouldn't journey into the world until you're a few years older. I hope you understand, dear." His mom explained.

"Well, uh…in Pokemon 10 year olds travel by themselves!" Vince tried to think of a good reason to leave early.

"You expect me to take THAT as a reason?" the mother eyed him suspiciously. Vince sighed.

"No…." he had been defeated.

"Well too bad, Vincey, you're off to Sam Kelley Town!" mother pulled out a backpack full of supplies, "Oh, I KNEW this day would finally come! Vincey boy, all grown up and ready for the real world!"

"What!?" Vince was shocked as his mom checked through his bag to make sure there were enough supplies.

She gave her son a big kiss on the cheek, much to his embarrassment, before saying, "Goodbye my lovely boy! I hope to see you again…" she sniffed, "If not Christmas, then Easter at least?" she had tears in her eyes, yet she was smiling with joy and pride. She helped a confused Vince out the door, before shutting it with the final words, "Farewell son! I love you!"

"Um…." was all Vince could say. He seriously had not been expecting his mom to make a big drama scene like that! He walked out to the mailbox, before stopping to look at the thin pathway ahead. Vince lived in the countryside, so there was no road. Although he could see one in the distance, cars coming and going, no signs of stopping.

Now he could see why his mother had reacted the way she did. It was a really big deal, leaving home like this! And Rocky had just wandered out into the streets a few hours ago, just like he was doing just now? And Roxette…she wanted to live like this?

Vince's vision came back into focus, for he had spaced out with the trauma.

"I can't live like this!" Vince ran back to the front door, but it was locked. He rang the doorbell. No answer. Then, he noticed a note in the window.

"Gone shopping. May be gone for hours. You know how it is with us mothers!" with a heart.

Vince slowly walked back to the mailbox.

"I can't wait for hours! I have to call mom!" he reached into his bag and pulled out a mobile phone. He dialled a number.

"OY! GETOFFATHELINE!" he heard a gruff voice shout through the receiver.

"Yipe!" Vince quickly hung up, "Wrong number…"

He dialled again, and luckily for him, this time it was his mom.

"Hello?"

"Mom, it's me, Vince," he said, calming down a little.

"Oh Vincey boy, it's good to see you again!" her cheery voice made him feel safe once more, "I know it's been a while, but I need your help with a little something. Should I buy Strawberry or Raspberry Perfume?"

"I don't mind. Mom, I—" Vince was cut off.

"I insist you decide what perfume I wear when you return! Please, dear!"

"Mom, I'm your son, not your date!" Vince was growing impatient, "I wanna—"

"Alright then, I'm getting both!"

"Great, now—" suddenly, his phone battery died.

"Are you serious?" he became nervous again. A bee buzzed past. Vince turned pale as he tried to step away from it.

"Please…stay away…" he shivered before a swarm of bees flew straight at him!

"AAAAAAAH!" he ran as fast as he could. Unfortunately, since he wasn't as athletic as other kids, he soon found himself slowing down. He didn't even pay attention to where he had been going. Next thing he knew, he was surrounded by grass, tall grass at that.

"Heh…if this were Pokemon, there would be wild Pokemon here…" he chuckled nervously to himself. Suddenly, a VERY LARGE rattlesnake shook it's rattle at him.

"Stay away please!" Vince ran again, but his bag was so heavy that he almost toppled over.

"Haha! Sorry there mate!" Vince heard the voice of a man. He whirled around to see that the "snake" was actually just a man and a woman in disguise.

"You scared me!" Vince caught his breath.

"I thought yous was a criminal, with that big bag o loot!" the man said.

"Don't mind us! We'll just return to ours duty now!" the woman said before they returned to their costume.

"Hey, do you two know where Sam Kelley Town is?" Vince asked, deciding now that he might as well find Rocky.

"Sam Kelley? Why, we hasn't heard that name since 1984!" the man said thoughtfully, "I didn't know there was a town named af'r than rotten criminal!"

"Naw, Jimmy, yur thinkin o Jam Kelley!" the woman corrected him, "Sam Kelley is a long ways from here, youngin. Yur better off stayin here. Us country folk don't like it out in the big city."

"My best friend is in Sam Kelley Town! I need to find them, please!" Vince pleaded the pair.

"Hmmm…alright." The woman handed him a compass, "This here's a big city way o findin things!"

"Thanks…." Vince said, unsure of how a compass would help him if he didn't know which way Sam Kelley was. However, he politely left the two alone and set off to hopefully find Sam Kelley.

He didn't get far when he got a phone call. At first he was confused. Didn't his phone battery die? Then he realised his mother had packed a spare phone, which he picked up with haste, hoping it was mom.

"Hello?"

"Vince, are you there? Is Rocky with you? I need to speak to them."

"No, Mrs Stone, Rocky's not here. Sorry." Vince said without thinking. A shrill shriek suddenly blasted his eardrums.

"Don't tell me they've gone off to find 'Pokemon' or whatever! Jeez, that kid's obsessed!" the woman sounded exasperated.

"Um…if I said yes would you believe me?" Vince asked unsurely.

"Of course I would! I know my child! Fine, they can go adventuring for all I care. I know they'll come home crying for my famous Tomato Special tonight!"

"Um, your 'Tomato Special' is just Tomato Sou—"

"TOMATO SPECIAL NEVER FAILS!" the loud voice was the last he heard before she hung up. Vince didn't even think to ring his mother. Instead, he simply looked up Google Maps on his phone and went from there.

Meanwhile, in Sam Kelley Town, Rocky was trying to juggle the empty Pokeballs, but ultimately failing. Suddenly, they heard a voice.

"Don't mistreat your Pokemon, JERK!" Rocky whirled around, but saw no one. Rocky sighed and checked their watch. 3:30pm.

"Come, on, where are Vince and Roxette?" they asked themself impatiently, "I wanna help the Professor!"

"Oh, you wanna help him, do you?" Rocky suddenly heard the voice of a girl behind him. Rocky yelped, whirling around to see a teenage girl with red sunglasses on.

"Yes I do!" Rocky said happily, "Do you wanna help?"

"Of course I would!" the girl said, "But first you gotta do a little something for me!"

"Anything!"

"Give me your Pokemon." She smirked.

"But I don't have any Pokemon! These are empty!" Rocky held up the Pokeballs.

"Liar! Go, Asher!" the girl suddenly threw a Pokeball of her own, and out came a little creature that resembled a raccoon with a mouse tail.

"Aww, it looks so cute!" Rocky said, looking down at it.

"Don't you DARE call my Pokemon 'cute'!" the girl exclaimed, "Asher wants to be TOUGH!"

"Wait, are you trying to battle me?" Rocky suddenly realised, "I told you, I have no Pokemon!"

"Stop lying! Everyone in this town owns at least one Pokemon! Except that loser Professor!" she laughed sadistically.

"Hang on! Did you steal his Pokemon!?" Rocky again realised.

"Yes I did, because I'm the best thief in town!" the girl admitted proudly, "I'm not scared to admit it, because I know I can beat anyone with my new slave!"

"Pokemon! Are! Not! Slaves!" Rocky leapt at the girl, but missed, landing facefirst in the pond nearby.

"Asher, use Hot Peppercorn!" the girl ordered the little raccoon. It jumped at Rocky and spat a little red flame at them.

"YEEEEOUCH!" Rocky spun around and sat in the water to put out the fire.

"It's your turn, loser," the girl said brashly. Rocky was too busy cooling down in the pond to do anything.

"Oh well? Guess it's my turn again! Go Scarecus!" the girl smirked before throwing another Pokeball, revealing a little yellow pterodactyl.

"Scarecus, use Scare!" Scarecus flew over to Rocky and made a small roar in their face.

"Owwww…." Rocky was still trying to recover from the burn, "Hey!" they snapped back to normal, "You can't use Pokemon to attack trainers!"

"Oh yeah? Who said I was obeying the rules? Go, Trumpus!" she threw a third Pokeball to reveal an odd looking yellow creature.

"Trumpus, use Honk!" the little creature went up to Rocky's face and yelled HOOOOOONNNNK!

"Did you take all three starters!?" Rocky asked.

"Well DOY!" the girl rolled her eyes, "Jackie Slack doesn't obey the rules! Don't make me repeat myself!"

Suddenly, a little snake slithered into the scene and spat poison at the three other Pokemon.

"Hey! Where did you come from!?" Jackie yelled angrily, "Scarecus, use Scare!"

Scarecus flew over to the snakelike Pokemon, but retreated once it hissed at it.

"You coward!" Jackie grabbed the creature by the wing, before tossing it into the air.

"Don't mistreat Pokemon like that!" Rocky shouted, enraged, "You're supposed to BOND with your Pokemon!"

"Oh yeah? Are you gonna cry to mommy if I do…this?" Jackie took a step towards Trumpus, before Asher blocked the way.

"Asher asher ash!" the little raccoon's scratchy voice was filled with fury before it scratched Jackie in the face.

"Hey! You can't attack your trainer!" Jackie fell over backwards into the pond.

"I thought Jackie Slack didn't follow the rules!" Rocky exclaimed, smiling at the irony.

"You DARE use my own words against me! Nevermind! Trumpus, use Honk!" Jackie had managed to push Asher off her face and it was now lying helplessly on the ground.

Trumpus looked around nervously before running off.

"Hey! You get back here and fight or you're toast!" Jackie called it back into it's Pokeball. Before Jackie could throw the ball again, Scarecus flew back over from behind and hit the back of Jackie's head!

"Scaarrrrrrecus!" it sounded very infuriated with it's "trainer".

"Ohhhhh, so NOW you fight!" Jackie became angry, "Fine then, you useless animals! Away with you all!"

Jackie ran off, dropping the three Pokeballs on the ground. One opened to reveal Trumpus. Scarecus and Asher each held one of Trumpus' hands and walked it away from the mean "trainer". Trumpus shook with fright.

"Here, have some water," Rocky, who had been watching the fight scene in amusement, now pulled out their water bottle and held it close to the three Pokemon. The creatures looked at each other in bewilderment before finally each taking a sip.

"Don't worry, little guys. I'll take you back to the Professor!" Rocky smiled down at the critters.