It would be nice if for my 10th birthday, my parents and some old guy handed me a capsule ball with a little monster inside and a s mall digital device, and then tell me I'm to leave on a journey the very next day, with absolutely no supervision and no gurantee of my safety, then I could just travel the continent looking for other people to battle, eventually making my way to the top and becoming the regional champion.
Oh, and if I came upon some cute girl on my journey and wanted her to myself, I'd just fry her bike because that's always a surefire way to win them over make friends.