Phineas, Ferb, and Perry packed the rest of their gear from over night. Phineas paused, looking at his pillow, "You know, Ferb, it's too bad Isabella couldn't come with us. There's so many different people in other places." Phineas gasped, a smile spreading across his face. "She could perform her tricks for people in other towns and send the money to her mom! Ferb, I know what we're going to do today."

Isabella had taken Phineas and Ferb the shortest way through the Forest, taking the same path back to reach home before the moon rose above the trees. Now she was in her kitchen and stirring oatmeal on the stove. Her mother entered the kitchen and gasped in surprise, "Isa! What are you doing home?"

"It was time to come home. I can't leave you here all alone," Isabella poured spoonfuls of oatmeal into three bowls. Pinky padded up to Vivian and begged for attention.

Vivian reached down to stroke Pinky, "Isabella, I appreciate your help but you need to learn to have some fun."

"Mom," Isabella placed a bowl on the floor and two on the table, "I couldn't bare the idea of you struggling here while I could be doing something about it."

"Isa, how many times do I need to tell you not to worry about it," Vivian hated when Isabella used her financial situation as a reason to stay home.

Isabella sighed, "And yet, I still do, no matter what happens."

Vivian sat down and began to eat her breakfast, "What happened to those two boys and their Poliwag? Did you find them?"

Isabella nodded, swallowing, "I rescued Perry-that's their Poliwag's name-from this crazy old guy who had kidnapped him. Then Pinky and I got him back to his trainers and we excorted them through Viridian Forest. You know, the quick way."

"Well, I'm glad you could help them."

"Yeah," Isabella stirred her oatmeal, suddenly losing her appetite. Why did she feel such an attachment to those two boys?

Pinky looked up at Isabella, knowing she missed Phineas and Ferb, even if she refused to admit it.

Ferb held his chin, thinking. He pointed to the right path.

"Alright, right it is," Phineas said, "Let's just hope it's not the wrong way."

Perry sniffed around the left path, then began to bounce up and down calling to Phineas and Ferb, "Poliwag! Poliwag!"

Both boys glanced at each other, wondering what Perry was saying. Perry suddenly began running down the path, regardless if Phineas and Ferb would follow.

"Perry! Wait!" Phineas yelled after him, running at full speed to try and catch up, Ferb matching his step.

Isabella began to brush her hair in her bedroom. She watched her hair as it slowly turned from ruffled to silky. "Isa! I have to go the store quick. Rita said there are vegetables on sale today," Vivian announced from the living room, "You will be home by yourself for a while."
"Okay, Mom!" A knock on the door alerted Isabella. Her hand stilled for a second, her brush still in her hair. She heard Pinky barking viciously. Isabella quickly finished brushing and exited her bedroom to see who the guest was. She gasped in surprise when she saw him.
"You!"
Heinz had already gotten a surprise when Pinky began barking at him, but the girl surprised him once more.

"What are you doing in my house? Get out!" Isabella screamed at Heinz.

Vivian was surprised by her daughter's reaction to their guest, "Isa! That is not how you greet a guest."

Isabella turned to her mother, "He's the one who stole Perry! He must be back to try and capture Pinky!"

"Vulpix!" Pinky scoffed at Isabella's suggestion that he could be kidnapped.

Heinz grinned, "You know, girl, I wasn't planning on it, but now that you gave me the idea, I think I will take your Vulpix!"

"You're going to have to go through me first!" Isabella stepped between Pinky and Heinz.

"Isa! Not in the house!" Vivian cried, afraid for what was about to happen.

Pinky jumped onto the table and leaped at Heinz, knocking him down to the ground. His top half landed outside the door. Pinky quickly escaped Heinz reach and readied himself for any move he made. As soon as Heinz fell, a pink blob transferred itself from Heinz labcoat pocket to the space beside him. It morphed into, of all things, a Grimer. And not just any Grimer, a green Grimer. Pinky gazed curiously at the metal device connected to Norm. Then the stench hit him.

"I'm Norm! And don't push over Mr. Doofenshmirtz. He doesn't like that."

Heinz fumbled over commands, "Uh, Norm, use, uh, Harden! No, Pound! No, Poison Gas! Yeah, use Poison Gas!"

Norm's mouth opened and thick green gas errupted from his mouth. The gas covered Pinky before he realized what was happening. His health began to drain slowly.

"Pinky!" Isabella tried to see outside through the gas, but it was too thick and entering the house. "Mom!"

"Isabella!"

The gas folded over Isabella and she began to cough. She heard her mother begin to cough, as well. Pinky called through the gas, but it was so thick, all Isabella could to is cough. Suddenly, a hand grabbed her arm and pulled her, nearly knocking her off her feet. She fought the hand, trying to tear it off of her arm. As quickly as the hand grabbed her arm she was out of the cloud of gas and breathing normal air again.

"Isabella? Are you okay? Isabella!"

Isabella looked up into Phineas's eyes. There was concern and determination in them. Isabella tried to speak, but the freshness of the air caused her to cough heavily again. Phineas rubbed her back, trying to sooth her. He looked back into the gas fog. Perry and Ferb's Pidgey were trying to get rid of the poison gas with water and wind. Ferb had gone in the house, too, trying to find Isabella's mother. He hadn't yet returned.

"Ferb?" Phineas yelled out to his brother, hoping for an answer.

Isabella's coughs reduced to wheezing, "Phineas. That man who-" a cough interrupted her sentence, "that man who kidnapped Perry came back to take Pinky."

Phineas's eyes widened. He scoured everywhere from where he stood, trying to find out where Heinz may have gone. "That no good fiend!"

"He has a Grimer now," Isabella wheezed.

"That explains the gas."

"Poli!"

"Pidgey!" Perry and Pidgey alerted.

Phineas and Isabella looked behind them to see the gas lifting and pouring out of the house. Ferb and Vivian helped each other out the door, both racked with coughing fits.

"Mom!" Isabella ran to her mother and hugged her tightly. Vivian returned the hug, delighted to see her daughter.

Phineas ran up to Ferb and steadied him, "Easy, Ferb. You took in a lot of that gas. It's a good thing Candace made sure we had antidotes." Phineas dug into his backpack and removed four antidotes, leaving two in the bag. He passed two to Isabella and used one on Ferb.

"Pinky really needs one, too," Isabella's wheeze was harder to hear. Phineas crawled over to where Perry and Pidgey were trying to help Pinky. Phineas took Pinky into his arms and sprayed the antidote on him. He carried the Vulpix to Isabella, who took him into her arms as soon as she was sure her mother was going to be okay. Phineas checked Perry and Pidgey, who both seemed to be fine, before he examined Ferb again.

Ferb was laying on his back, rubbing his head. His eyebrows were creased with pain and his mouth curled at the edges, fighting off the desire to clench his teeth together.

"Ferb? How are you feeling?" Phineas asked. Ferb gave him a thumbs up, indicating he was going to be alright. Perry nuzzled Ferb's elbow, letting him know he was alright as well. Pidgey cooed beside Ferb's head, concerned.

A motor attracted the group's attention as it neared. A woman wearing police officer's clothing, black, wavy hair, and a necklace with a large peace sign on it stepped off the motorcycle, "What happened here?" she asked.

"Officer Jenny!" Isabella's wheeze was already getting better, "A strange man came with his Grimer and used Poison Gas. He was trying to take Pinky! And before that, he tried to take Phineas's Poliwag away, too."

Officer Jenny began taking notes on a notepad and assessing the scene, "Are you all alright? How's your mom?"

"I think she's going to be okay, but she breathed in a lot of the gas. Pinky and Ferb, too," Isabella answered.

Officer Jenny nodded to each detail, "Okay. Can you describe this man?"

Phineas answered the question, "He was really tall and he was hunched over. And brown hair. He wears a long white trench coat with a black turtleneck underneath."

"Alright, thanks guys. You all seem okay now. Do you mind if I check out the house? Just for safety precautions," Officer Jenny asked.

Isabella nodded, "Go ahead."

Officer Jenny walked past and into the house, covering her mouth and nose with her hand.

"Phineas?"

Phineas turned to Isabella, "Yeah?"

"Why did you come back?" Isabella asked, "I mean, I'm glad you did, but why?"

Phineas smiled, "Ferb and I found a way you could see the world and take care of your mom at the same time."

Isabella blinked, "You did?"

"Yeah! The Pokemon Gyms are in major cities. Those cities have lots of people in them. If you came with us, you could raise money by performing with Pinky again and send it to your mom here. That way you get to see the world and you won't have to worry about your mom here."

Isabella stared at Phineas as if he was a deity from the heavens. Her dreams would finally come true. She could have her adventure and care for her mom at the same time. Could it really work?

"Isa," Vivian whispered, now sitting, "Go with the boys. Enjoy yourself. I will be fine."

"Mom-"

"Isabella, I don't want any argument from you," Vivian said sternly. Then her voice softened, "Go have fun. Show Pinky what the world is like outside of Viridian City and the Forest."

On cue, Pinky rose from Isabella's arms and licked her on the cheek. He leaped out of her arms and padded in between Phineas and Ferb, now resting on his elbows.

Isabella looked between each of them. Ferb, who hardly spoke, but had such a strong personality to him. Perry, the little Poliwag with a big heart. Pinky, her life long companion, who she would follow endlessly and vis versa. Phineas, the boy who found a way to save her family.

Isabella smiled and nodded, "I'll join you."